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Hiking in BC's Glacier National Park - Mountains of Western Canada on Foot, Canada
Hiking in BC's Glacier National Park  | Parks Canada
Kootenay River in British Columbia - Mountains of Western Canada on Foot, Canada
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Bighorn sheep - Mountains of Western Canada on Foot, Canada
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Parker Ridge Trail in Banff, Alberta - Mountains of Western Canada on Foot, Canada
Parker Ridge Trail in Banff, Alberta  | Ben Morin

Mountains of Western Canada on Foot

Certified wilderness guide leads incredible day hikes from Vancouver to Calgary

Canada
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 7 reviews

14 Days from

$ 

Trip Code: MWC
View dates to Book
Essential Information
Duration
  • 14 Days
Activities
  • 11 day hikes
Accommodation
  • 13 nights hotels/lodges
Meals
  • 1 Dinner
  • 12 Lunches
  • 13 Breakfasts
Difficulty Grading  
5 / 10

Moderate

Carbon Footprint  

47kg of CO2-e PP per day

(617kg of CO2-e PP entire trip)

Trip highlights

  • Start your journey in the beautiful coastal city of Vancouver
  • Hike in the Coast, Cascade, Columbia, and Rocky Mountains
  • Immerse yourself amongst mountain lakes and glacier views
  • Explore world-renowned Banff National Park
  • Take in incredible views on high trails in Glacier National Park
  • Experience the 'fire and ice' of Kootenay National Park's Stanley Glacier Trail
  • Challenge yourself on Yoho National Park's Iceline Trail
  • Smell the flowers in Revelstoke National Park's Meadows in the Sky

Overview

This active adventure takes us to each of the mountain chains of Western Canada from Vancouver to Calgary, with outstanding day hikes in the country's finest national and provincial parks. At night we stay in comfortable hotels or mountain lodges and during the day our fully supported hikes reveal the natural splendours that this area is famous for. Home of elk, moose, caribou, bighorn sheep, black and grizzly bears; this is a vast wilderness of countless alpine lakes and pristine rugged mountains. On foot, we can explore places with names like 'Meadows in the Sky', enjoy spectacular ridge hikes, and award ourselves with sweeping vistas across granite peaks and tumbling glaciers. This is truly a hiker's paradise.

Itinerary

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Arrive on your own in Vancouver. In the evening you’ll meet your guide and go through a short group briefing where you’ll meet other participants and details of the itinerary will be discussed. Overnight Vancouver.

Meals: Nil

One of the most amazing things about Vancouver is its superb location between the Coast Mountains, Fraser River, and the Pacific Ocean. Just beyond the city limits, you can very quickly enter a stunning wilderness of old growth forest - of towering Douglas Firs, huge ferns, and hanging mosses. We'll explore part of this today as we make our way up Hollyburn Mountain for an outstanding view of the city, the Strait of Georgia, and Vancouver Island. Return to Vancouver for overnight. Walking: 9 kms. Elev. gain: +/-350m.

Meals: B,L

We’ll explore the city this morning with visits to Stanley Park and Lions Gate Bridge, Chinatown, and Gastown. From Vancouver, we drive up the Fraser Valley and into the Cascade Mountains crossing Allison Pass. Overnight Manning Provincial Park. Walking: 2-3 kms

Meals: B,L

The Skyline loop trail in Manning Park begins at Lightning Lake with a gradual ascent to the ridge. The rewards of this climb come with a spectacular view of the Cascade Mountains whose meadows are adorned with an amazing display of wildflowers. From Despair Pass we hike down to Strawberry Flats, to the trailhead, and then return to our hotel. Walking: 19 kms. Elev. gain: +/-700 m

Meals: B,L

We head northwards towards the northern tip of the American Great Basin Desert, which extends as far south as Mexico. On the way, we cross over the Coquihalla Summit, one of the highest points in the Cascade ranges, where we will stop for a hike to the summit of Zoa Peak. This area is very well known for its rugged granite peaks and open ridgelines. After our hike, we will continue to BC's hot and dry interior, a climate perfect for growing apple, apricots, peaches, cherries, and grapes. We'll spend the night in the historic town of Merritt, BC. Walking: 11 kms. Elev. gain: +/-635 m.

Meals: B,L

We continue our travels across the changing landscape of British Columbia towards Revelstoke. In order to really appreciate how the landscape has changed, we will stop halfway and hike along the summit of the Enderby Cliffs, giving us expansive views south into the Okanagan and north to the Monashee Mountains. In the afternoon, we continue to the quaint mountain town of Revelstoke for overnight at a comfortable lodge. Walking: Approx 7 kms. Elev gain: +/-450 m

Meals: B,L

Mt. Revelstoke National Park is best known for its 'Meadows in the Sky Parkway' and the mountain top trails at the end of the road. The road gains 1000m in elevation from the town of Revelstoke and passes through a variety of different forest zones until it ends at treeline. From here, we can begin our mountain top hike through beautiful flower filled meadows to Eva Lake, Miller Lake, and Jade Lake Pass. We return to Revelstoke for overnight. Walking: 16 kms. Elev gain: +/-450 m.

Meals: B,L

As we head east we are now traveling into the heart of the Selkirk Mountains, some of the most daunting and rugged mountains in Canada (part of the Columbia Mts). We follow the route to Rogers Pass, famous for the difficulties it presented in the construction of Canada's first railway. We will stop first for a very brief visit to the Trail of the Giant Cedars to see a section of inland temperate rainforest with truly 'giant' trees. Then, once we are in Glacier National Park, we will begin a rewarding hike up to Balu Pass that quickly leaves the forest and leads to views of the park's signature mountain, Mt Sir Donald, on the opposite side of the valley. We continue to our comfortable lodge just east of the park in Golden, BC for the next two nights. Walking: 13 kms. Elev gain: +/-780m.

Meals: B,L

After the previous days' (and next day's) big elevation, today we will take it a little bit easier and enjoy a spectacular ride to the top of the mountain at Kicking Horse Resort. From the gondola we then have a few options to walk ridge lines or to hike to the summit of Terminator Peak. To the east and across the valley we will have fantastic views of the Rocky Mountains stretching to the south and north as far as the eye can see. Walking: 4-7 km. Elev Gain: ~300 m.

Meals: B,L

We follow the Kicking Horse River into the heart of the Rocky Mountains. Our hike today is in the Yoho Valley, starting at 302m high Takakkaw Falls. We'll hike to the top of the Iceline Trail for extreme close up views of the Emerald Glacier and views across the Yoho Valley to the Wapta Icefield. After our hike, we make our way into the province of Alberta, to our home for the next two nights in Lake Louise. Walking: 12-17 kms. Elev gain: +/-700 m.

Meals: B,L

We have a casual day today exploring some of the easy short walks along the Icefields Parkway in Banff and Jasper National Parks. The highlight walk will be to Parker Ridge with expansive views of the Saskatchewan Glacier. The parkway also has some of the trip's best opportunities for spotting wildlife such as bears, bighorn sheep, and mountain goats. Walking: 5 kms. Elev gain: +/-250 m.

Meals: B,L

Today, we'll hop back over the provincial border some great hiking in Kootenay National Park, BC - just west of Banff National Park. Our route today is the Stanley Glacier Trail which takes us quickly into a hanging valley and through the remnants of two forest fires, one occurring in 1968 and the other more recently in 2003. It is aptly known as the 'Fire and Ice' trail because, once we are through the burnt forest, we suddenly see looming above us Stanley Glacier. The trail continues for some time and finally ends at an alpine plateau just a few hundred metres below the hanging ice. Returning to Alberta this evening to stay overnight in Canmore (2 nights). Walking: 12 kms. Elev gain: +/-400 m.

Meals: B,L

Our final day of hiking in the Rockies brings us to the eastern edge of the Rockies for a great view of the prairies and the city of Calgary, 60 kms to the east. We'll choose either the Heart Mountain Loop or walk up to the Yamnuska Ridge. We can now truly say that we have seen all of the mountain chains in Western Canada, from the Pacific Ocean to the Prairies. After our hike, we will enjoy a farewell dinner together in Canmore. Walking: 11 kms. Elev gain: +/-1000 m.

Meals: B,L,D

Our trip concludes with a transfer to Calgary, which will depart after breakfast. Should you plan on staying longer or don't want to leave in the morning, there are scheduled airporter shuttles that leave every few hours from Canmore (approx $60 per person).

Meals: B

Ready to start your adventure?

3 scheduled departures between 11 Jul 2027 and 5 Sep 2027.

  • Departs 11 Jul 2027 – ends 24 Jul 2027 (14 days)
  • Departs 8 Aug 2027 – ends 21 Aug 2027 (14 days)
  • Departs 5 Sep 2027 – ends 18 Sep 2027 (14 days)
View dates to Book

What's included?

Included

  • 13 breakfasts, 12 lunches, 1 dinner
  • 13 nights double occupancy hotels/lodges in generally 3-star category
  • Private transport for road journeys, including transfer to Calgary on last day
  • Experienced guide who also drives
  • National Park entry fees and sightseeing as indicated

Not included

  • Personal expenses
  • Arrival transfer to Vancouver hotel
  • Visa fees
  • Travel insurance
  • Meals not indicated
  • Tips and gratuities
  • International airfares
  • Applicable taxes of 5% for bookings made in North America

About your guide

Your guide is an experienced professional, local hiking guide with certification from the Association of Canadian Mountain Guides (ACMG) and/or from the Interpretive Guides Association.

Reviews (7)

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We had an outstanding experience on our 'Mountains of Western Canada' hiking tour. Our guide Adrienne was exceptional and took great care of our small group of 4. Her level of knowledge of the environments in which we hiked was excellent. We can highly recommend this trip.

Tim and Lisa

Melbourne, Australia - August 2026

Timothy Keys|Highett, Victoria, Australia
4 Sep 2026
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The mountains of western Canada are an experienced walker's paradise. Add to that the leadership of a thoughtful and caring guide, Scott, and you have the perfect combination. The wildflowers were an unexpected bonus and the accommodation exceeded expectations. If you love walking you really should add this trip to your bucket list.

Gregory Hardisty|Ashburton, Victoria, Australia
11 Aug 2026
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This was one of the best hiking tours I have done. Strenuous walking but with experienced local mountain guide Scott, so we felt safe even where the track was challenging. Scott was also knowledgeable on local geology, flora and fauna. I highly recommend this trip to anyone who wants to hike in the Rockies in multiple national parks and close to glaciers.

Elizabeth Aston|Wellington, WA, New Zealand
3 Aug 2026
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The trip was challenging - perhaps worthy of a 6 or 7 on the scale rather than the 5 it was given. That said, we enjoyed ourselves and certainly enjoyed the natural beauty of western Canada. Marie was an excellent guide and always went above and beyond to create a great experience for all.

Joseph Florian|OH, United States
2 Sep 2025
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Marie was an excellent guide, who went above and beyond to make the trip a huge success.

Margaret Mcintyre|OH, United States
2 Sep 2025
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Was a great trip to see and hike in many different areas. Anna was a great guide with a good sense of humour and very committed to the job.

T McGrath|Alderley, Australia
26 Jul 2018

Extra trip info

Will My Trip Run?

Every departure date advises whether the date is confirmed, and roughly how full it is. Here is what each one means.

Is the departure confirmed?

Guaranteed to go This departure has reached its minimum number and will run.
It is the point travellers should wait for before booking any non-refundable flights.
Close to guaranteed This appears only when a date is close to reaching minimum numbers. If it shows 1 or 2 to guaranteed, book as a pair on a date needing two and it reaches its minimum. Your booking confirms the date for everybody already booked.

How full is the date I am looking at?

Space is filling or Space is filling fast This date has bookings and places are still open. Filling fast means limited spots available, so don't leave your decision too late.
Closing soon Down to its last few places, or close enough to departure that we are finalising numbers. Still bookable online.
Closed Not bookable online - either full, or inside the notice we need to arrange permits, flights and logistics. Ask us anyway, you never know!

Availability questions answered

Will this trip actually go ahead, or could it be cancelled?

If a date shows Guaranteed to go, it runs regardless of further bookings.

What does 2 to guarantee mean?

It means two travellers are enough to confirm the departure. It could be 2 more to add to the group, or the date only needs 2 people to run. Either way, if you book for two people, the date will become guaranteed to run.

What happens if my departure does not reach minimum numbers?

You will know the status before you book. Every date on this page is labelled, and dates marked “Guaranteed to go” are running regardless of further bookings. Where a date has not reached its minimum we either offer a surcharge to operate for a smaller group size so it can still run, or we cancel it. We contact you directly either way.

Will I get my money back if you cancel a departure?

If we cancel a departure due to not meeting minimum trip numbers, you receive a full refund of everything you have paid us less any non recoverable costs, where insurance may cover you. We cannot refund money committed elsewhere – additional non refundable deposits advised at the time of booking, flights, visas, vaccinations, gear - which is why it is worth waiting for “Guaranteed to go” before booking other arrangements around this trip date. Please read our Booking Terms and Conditions before you book.

Why can't I book some dates online?

Each trip closes online a set time before departure. Permits, internal flights and hut or campsite bookings all have to be arranged before we take payment. Call or enquire as it might still be possible to organise last minute places.

The date I want is closed. What are my options and why does it say to enquire?

Cancellations happen and places do open up on closed dates, so it is worth being on our list. We can also tell you which nearby date on the same trip has space, which is usually the faster route.

None of these dates suit me. Can you run this trip on another date?

Yes, as a private departure. We can run this trip on a date you choose, for your own group - family, friends, a club, or in many cases, just for the two of you. Tell us when you want to travel and who is coming, and we will build it around that.

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