The Rockies, Canada & USA

In the morning, visit Seattle, the “Rainy City”, located between Puget Sound and Lake Washington. It is a model for ecology and urban planning, and a cosmopolitan city, as shown by the International District, home to various Asian communities.

You will see, in turn, Pike Place Market, Pioneer Square, the Waterfront, Capitol Hill and Kerry Park, which offers a superb panorama over the city, dominated by the Space Needle, the city’s symbol, 182 m high.

In the distance, you can spot the sentinel of Mount Rainier.

Lunch. Afternoon: drive to Vancouver, in Canada.

Dinner at leisure.

Overnight in Vancouver (hotel outside the city center).

In the morning, panoramic city tour of Vancouver.

Discover the Indigenous totem poles in Stanley Park.

Then head downtown: the historic Gastown district, then Chinatown, Robson Street, False Creek, English Bay, Queen Elizabeth Park and Canada Place.

Stop at the very colorful Granville Island Market, then return to the immense Stanley Park.

Lunch.

Free afternoon.

Overnight in Vancouver (hotel outside the city center).

Optional: visit the Capilano Suspension Bridge and Grouse Mountain (not included: to be booked and paid on site).

Depart for Kamloops via the Coquihalla Highway, which follows former cattle trails in British Columbia.

Lunch at leisure.

The road crosses the Cascade Range via the Fraser River region, fed by snowmelt and glaciers.

A notable share of the world’s salmon supply comes to spawn in this river and its tributaries.

Arrival in Kamloops, a town surrounded by rolling hills at the confluence of two rivers. It is one of the sunniest vacation spots in Canada.

Dinner. Overnight in Kamloops.

On the way to visit Wells Gray Provincial Park, home to some of the most beautiful waterfalls in Canada, including the wonderful Helmcken Falls, plunging 141 m.

Other notable falls include Dawson Falls and Spahats Creek Falls, which tumble into a canyon carved by the Clearwater River.

BBQ lunch en route at a ranch.

Then head to Valemount, a small town near Mount Robson, whose summit is often snow-capped, and not far from Jasper National Park in Alberta.

Dinner at leisure.

Overnight in Valemount.

After a photo stop at Mount Robson, the highest peak in the Canadian Rockies (3,950 m), drive to Jasper National Park, renowned for its breathtaking landscapes, numerous lakes, waterfalls, canyons, and high summits, including Mount Columbia, rising to 3,750 m.

A true haven for wildlife, it shelters large populations of grizzlies, moose, elk and wolves…

The peaceful town of Jasper, slowly recovering from the major wildfire of summer 2024, was once a fur-trade outpost. Orientation tour of Lakes Beauvert, Pyramid and Patricia, dominated by majestic Pyramid Mountain.

Maligne Lake is the largest lake in the area. The spectacular Maligne Canyon is one of the deepest in the Rockies! Stop at the springs of Miette Hot Springs.

Dinner and overnight in Hinton.

In the morning, scenic crossing of Jasper National Park along the spectacular Columbia Icefields Parkway, a 232 km road considered one of the most beautiful in North America!

It offers panoramic views of around a hundred glaciers, impressive waterfalls, and the turquoise waters of Bow Lake.

Stop at iconic Lake Louise, with its emerald-colored waters. It is one of Canada’s great wonders, even if tourism can make access more complicated. Lunch.

Afternoon: drive to Banff National Park, with its valleys, mountains, glaciers, forests and rivers. You will see Cascade Mountain, the Bow River Falls and Lake Minnewanka. The park is home to many species including coyote, cougar, wolf, lynx, black bear and grizzly. Then drive to Calgary.

Dinner at leisure. Overnight in Calgary (hotel outside the city center).

Visit of Calgary, host city of the 1988 Winter Olympics, and famous for its Stampede, featuring major rodeos in an impressive open-air arena!

Quick orientation tour of Calgary: City Hall, the Olympic Park, the Bow River and Fort Calgary.

Lunch at leisure.

Then head to the beautiful Waterton Lakes National Park, contiguous with the U.S. Glacier park. Here, the mountains meet the prairies, and wildlife is abundant: it’s not uncommon to spot elk and black bears. Grizzlies, pumas and wolves are harder to observe.

Continue on to Lethbridge.

Dinner. Overnight in Lethbridge.

In the morning, depart for the U.S. border and enter Montana.

Discover Glacier National Park, nicknamed the “Crown of the Continent”. Glacier features mountain ranges sculpted by ice rivers, alpine meadows, deep forests, waterfalls, around fifty glaciers, and nearly 200 lakes!

Few roads cross the park, preserving its pristine beauty. The most spectacular is the extraordinary Going-to-the-Sun Road, closed in winter. In spring and summer, wildflowers brighten an already stunning setting.

Lunch at leisure in the park.

Drive to Helena, the state capital, born from the gold rush in 1864. You will see the Capitol, the cathedral and its lively historic district.

Dinner. Overnight in Helena.

Departure for Yellowstone National Park, the biggest, oldest, and certainly one of the most beautiful parks in the world!

Perched on a high plateau at an average altitude of 2,400 m, it is as large as the whole island of Corsica.

You will visit the northern section, including the magnificent Mammoth Hot Springs travertine terraces.

This is the realm of wolves, bison, elk, black bears and grizzlies.

On the east side, admire the sublime Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, with walls tinted in ochre, orange and yellow hues, and spectacular waterfalls that can be viewed from walkways.

Lunch at leisure.

Dinner. Overnight in West Yellowstone.

Departure for the southern part of Yellowstone National Park, which hosts most of the geysers and multicolored hot springs, including the extraordinary Grand Prismatic Spring.

In the Old Faithful area, you will witness eruptions from several geysers, including the famous and remarkably punctual Old Faithful, which shoots 75°C water to a height of over 50 m.

Picnic lunch.

Drive to Grand Teton National Park. Enjoy superb viewpoints over the Teton Range, whose highest peak rises to 4,200 m.

Stop in Jackson, a great little town at the park gates, and at Jackson Lake and Jenny Lake. Continue to Idaho Falls.

Dinner at leisure. Overnight in Idaho Falls.

Drive to Craters of the Moon National Monument, an incredible lava field in the Snake River Plain.

It is the result of volcanic activity that began about 15,000 years ago and ended only around 2,000 years ago.

During the visit, you can walk freely across the cooled lava flows, whose shapes (including lava tubes) and colors are astonishingly diverse, sparking the imagination.

Continue toward Boise, the capital of the state of Idaho.

The city sits in the heart of an agricultural and mining region. It is crossed by the river of the same name and is home to one of the largest Basque communities in the United States! Underground, hot springs are used for heating. Admire its impressive Capitol building.

Dinner and overnight in Boise (hotel outside the city center, near the airport).

Drive toward the state of Washington. Lunch at leisure.

In the afternoon, arrival in Yakima, known as one of the best apple-producing areas in the world.

It is also a major wine region. Depending on the season, a short stop in an orchard or a vineyard.

Dinner. Overnight in Yakima.

Departure for Seattle.

Depending on your return flight schedule, free time or direct transfer to the airport.

Depending on your flight time, you may need to plan 1 additional night in Seattle (contact us).