Highlights from the Canadian Rockies

Alan Shipley from Horsham in Surrey has recently returned from a Ramblers Worldwide Holidays trip to western Canada . The Canadian Rockies abound with stunning scenery – emerald lakes, glaciers, alpine forests and rugged mountains compete with charming towns and fascinating cities for your attention. While spoilt for choice, here Alan picks out the highlights of his trip.

For me, one of the highlights of the trip Walking in the Canadian Rockies was the two Alpine walks from Manning Park. In peak season, the wild alpine flowers are in bloom, making a carpet of many colours in the meadows. These make a lovely contrast to the mountains in the distance. Many of these are still snow covered, even in mid-summer. The walking is reasonably demanding but very rewarding. The weather was perfect, as shown by the photos.

A highlight of this trip is the scenic drive between Jasper and Banff. There are many stopping places including the Athabasca Falls, Athabasca Glacier (including an optional trip on to the glacier which I thoroughly enjoyed), Peyto Lake and Lake Louise. It is one of the great scenic drives of the world going through a glaciated valley that is surrounded on either side by the Rockies.

Jasper is a delightful place to stay. The town is quite small but scenic and the walking is good. Banff is more touristy, but again the walking was fine.

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