Canadian Rockies & Calgary Stampede

Take the complimentary hotel shuttle to your hotel, located conveniently right opposite Calgary Harley-Davidson. The remainder of the day is yours to rest at the hotel, take a taxi downtown and explore the city highlights, or maybe visit the nearby Aerospace Museum.

Over breakfast meet your guides and fellow riders and prepare for the ride ahead. After collecting bikes at Calgary Harley-Davidson, you’ll hit the open road and ride across the Alberta prairie to Drumheller. Enjoy riding through the wide open spaces and farmland as far as you can see, into the heart of Alberta’s Badlands where dinosaurs once roamed. Dropping down into the Red Deer River valley, you can just imagine how it once was many years ago. These hills hold so many prehistoric treasures that they are still being discovered to this day. This is also home to the world renowned Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology. Visit the town of Wayne and The Last Chance Saloon to step back into the rich coal mining history of this area. On the way back to Calgary you’ll enjoy vistas of the Rocky Mountains in the distance. You can look forward to continuing your journey into those peaks tomorrow.

Leave the plains behind and head into Kananaskis country. This is our first taste of the wilderness as we ride on near empty roads that have only just been opened for the summer. Ride via Highwood Pass, Canada’s highest, before stopping for lunch in Longview at a Canadian biker haven. Continue across the plain on the ‘Cowboy Trail’ – a relaxing route through big country that is Southern Alberta. Our overnight stop, Waterton, is a picturesque alpine town, on a lake and surrounded by towering mountain peaks.

Today’s ride is a real treat, not a long day but incredible scenery and roads that cannot fail to inspire. For the early risers there’s much to see in Waterton Lakes National Park including unusual geology, amazing wildlife and rare flowers. Setting off from the hotel, we start by riding to the 49^th Parallel and crossing into Montana and the breath-taking Glacier National Park. After riding through the park we stop for a break at a neat little bar before today’s highlight, the Going to the Sun Road, ‘a must ride’ for any biker. We end the day in Kalispell, with some great evening options – local beers, great restaurants and a real old-style ice cream parlour.

We head north towards the Canadian border this morning, following the meandering Stillwater River. Then we head west on a twisting, little-known backroad over the mountains to Bonner’s Ferry, an old trading post and railhead. We stop for lunch overlooking the Yaak River and visit Yaak River Falls, giving you the chance to get your feet wet. Crossing into Pacific time, giving us an hour’s more riding time, gives us the chance to pick up the famous Selkirk Scenic Loop at Bonner’s Ferry, a 280 mile / 450-km loop on some of the most scenic highways of the American Northwest and Canada. We end the day back over the border in Canada and our next overnight stop, sleepy Creston.

Today, we continue north on the winding Selkirk loop, following the east bank of Kootenai Lake. Taking the longest free ferry crossing in the World to Balfour on the west bank, together we head north past Ainsworth Hot Springs spa to the pretty lakeside town of Kaslo for lunch. Another great mountain ride follows this afternoon before we head south again along the east bank of Slocan Lake. If time allows, we’ll turn east along the Kootenay River to Nelson. Nelson offers a lovely blend of great scenery and a thriving downtown area with stunning river views. Get ready for a change of gear, as it’s a bit busier than our previous stops. And don’t forget to check out the Fire Station, made famous by the film Roxanne starring Steve Martin. Leaving Nelson, a gentle winding road brings us to Salmo where we pick up Highway 3, the Crowsnest Highway, one of the ‘great routes’ of Canada, running parallel to the US border, and on to our destination, the ski resort of Rossland.

A winding mountain route takes us from Rossland back onto the Crowsnest Highway. Passing through the towns of Christina Lake, Grand Forks and Greenwood we join the Kettle River Valley before climbing towards the warmest and driest part of Canada, the southern Okanagan. Finally, we descend Anarchist Mountain (no, we don’t make up these names!) to Osoyoos, and our lakefront resort hotel. With its warm, dry climate you’ll find Canada’s only desert nearby. This part of the Okanagan teems with rare flora and fauna alongside fruit orchards and vineyards. The warm clear lake is ideal for swimming, so don’t forget to pack your bathers!

Time for a lie in. Or if you prefer, join us for breakfast in a tranquil vineyard overlooking the lake, followed by a morning ride. We take in vineyards and winding backroads through the hills and then head back to Osoyoos. This afternoon, why not laze by the pool, swim in the lake, or go to the park, there’s plenty to do and enjoy here. And with luck we’ll have a barbecue this evening.

A longer but satisfying ride awaits us today, with gentle twists and curves throughout the day. Leaving on Highway 3 we head for Keremeos, famous for its fruit farms and a historic grist mill. A little down the road is the old mining town of Hedley, where we’ll make a stop and have a look around the museum. We head north to the country music capital of Canada, Merritt, with its historic Cold Water Hotel, and country music murals and sidewalk stars. A great place to stop for lunch. Looking out for cattle drives on the ranches, we take the old road to Kamloops via Nicola Lake. In Kamloops we leave civilisation behind as we pick up the Thompson River, following it all the way to Clearwater, at the entrance to Wells Gray National Park.

A chance to explore the magnificent Wells Gray Park awaits us today. Set in the heart of the Caribou Mountains, you can just feel the solitude in 530,000 hectares of unspoiled wilderness. Independently you can Visit Dawson Falls where the Murtle River plunges more than 18 metres, the Devil’s Punch Bowl where the force of water has pounded holes into the rocks, and Helmcken Falls, an hour’s ride from our hotel and three times the height of Niagara Falls! This afternoon we’ll arrange whitewater rafting or lake canoeing for anyone who’s looking for a little more of an adrenaline rush, so make sure you don’t have a heavy lunch!

The Yellowhead Highway follows the North Thompson River between mountain ranges to Mount Robson, the highest peak in the Canadian Rockies and this will be just some of our accompanying vistas on this morning’s ride. We’ll take a break for a lake safari, hoping to see bear, circling birds of prey and other wildlife. Mount Robson Provincial Park is a World Heritage Site and the visitor centre is well worth the visit. Our afternoon continues with a ride over the Yellowhead Pass, crossing the time zone (losing an hour) and into the stunning wilderness of Jasper National Park. If time allows, we end the day with a ride on the Jasper Tramway.

We’ve saved the best bit until last! Today we ride what many consider to be the world’s most scenic highway – the Icefields Parkway. Flanked by snow-capped peaks, glaciers, pristine alpine rivers, lakes and forested valleys, we guarantee the views will stay with you forever. We visit thundering Athabasca Falls and cross the Sunwapta Pass. Always keep an eye open for the diverse wildlife that frequently show up on the roadside. Marvel at the brilliant blue waters of Peyto Lake and beauty of Lake Louise and Moraine Lake. And finally, Banff’s beautiful mountain setting awaits you and offers plenty of attractions.

This morning, with just a short ride into Calgary remaining, we take the quiet Bow Valley Trail through ranching country along the Bow River. We’ll pass Ghost Lake and maybe visit a Wolf Sanctuary and the western style centre of Cochrane, famous for its coffee shops and ice cream parlours. Then it’s time to return our bikes to Calgary Harley-Davidson. We then head downtown, check in at our hotel and get our bearings for the Stampede before our Farewell Dinner. A final opportunity to reminisce about your personal highlights of the tour in the company of your new-found friends.

Today is yours to enjoy the first day of the world-famous Calgary Stampede. Watch the parade, and enjoy the breadth of entertainment on offer, both in the Stampede grounds and around town (Park General Admission ticket included, but you may need other event tickets). Calgary switches identity from sober commercial centre to party town overnight, and you will be there to experience it all – a good time is guaranteed!

The day is yours to just stampede some more before your flight home. Just bring those great memories home with you, and you’ll be smiling for weeks.