What a luxury train trip through the Canadian Rockies is really like

I knew it would be epic, but I wasn’t ready for the majestic alpine scenes, emerald waters, and drool-worthy meals in hidden library rooms.

Rocky Mountaineer, a private rail company that offers scenic trips up the west coast of Canada (and more recently the United States), offers a two-day trip on a scenic glass-roof train that runs from Vancouver to Kamloops and beyond to Kamloops. to Banff, after a restful sleep in a luxurious hotel.

Called the First Passage to the West, the trip is filled with jaw-dropping views, first of the plains and then of the majestic mountains as you enter the stunning Canadian Rockies, not to mention the wildlife and rushing waters.

Calling it a luxury experience isn’t enough—from the natural splendor to the heated reclining seats, it spells grandeur with a capital gee-willikers.

Here are 11 reasons why I considered the First Passage to the West an absolute trip.

1. Yellow Pines

Schedule your trip for fall, ideally in early October, on one of the last First Passage West trips of the season, and not only will you be greeted by an enthusiastic crew on a break after a virtually non-stop summer. work (train days last more than 14 hours and they are in shifts all the time), you will also have time to see the larch trees in all their splendor. Larchs are conifers from the pine family that grow at high altitudes. Although they are conifers, they are one of the few conifers that are also deciduous, meaning they change color and lose their needles in winter. They are a bright, fiery yellow vision throughout the scenes of beauty outside the train window.

2. Emerald waters

One of Banff’s top attractions is aquamarine Lake Louise, a natural wonder and one of the highlights of the train journey’s end — especially if you treat yourself to a few nights at the tawny Fairmont Hotel Banff Springs to top off the experience. But throughout the train journey you will have already contemplated the emerald tones from your privileged front-row view of the Columbia River. Among the 14 Columbia dams between the U.S. and Canada, the most impressive is the Mica Dam on Lake Kinbasket, north of the city of Revelstoke, where the river’s crystalline green hue — created by glacial minerals flowing from above — truly shines.

3. Okanagan Wine

The Okanagan region of British Columbia is a renowned wine region – and not just for the famous BC weed, which we noticed can be purchased (legally) at a variety of stores in Kamloops. Wine is the region’s most famous product, but because it’s so popular and the growing season is relatively short, it’s a privilege to have access to great vintages from the likes of Sumac Ridge Estate and Steller’s Jay with every meal aboard Rocky Mountaineer ( and between meals, unless you want to try some of the cocktails).

4. Simply perfect meals

Spring for the Golden Leaf travel level and you’ll benefit from the best of Rocky Mountaineer’s executive chef Kaelhub Cudmore’s menu, with everything from perfect scrambled eggs and smashed potatoes to Alberta striploin steak with sweet corn and kale gnocchi being cooked. from scratch in one of the kitchen carts. All of Chef Cudmore’s beautifully fresh and simple dishes seek to pay homage to regional produce, from beautiful steelhead trout to French macarons prepared in Alberta’s Fraser Valley, the breadbasket of the West Coast.

5. Fairmont Beds

No wonder they started selling them on their website. Our trip began with two blissful nights at the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver and ended with two nights at the Rimrock Banff, now owned by Fairmont, and we are now stalking this site daily, patiently awaiting a sale.

6. Secret dining rooms

Tea time takes on another meaning at the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver, where they not only whip up a three-layer spread with an abundance of fluffy scones, little baked treats, and crustless sandwiches, but they also serve this feast in a hidden dinner party. room. With all the suspense of a Harry Potter film, Notch8 Restaurant and Bar’s tearoom (named after the fastest speed a train can reach) can only be accessed through a hidden door that doubles as a bookcase. . Lo and behold, a few days later in Banff, we tried another hidden bookshelf at the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel! Because reading is what? Fundamental.

7. Spiral tunnels

One of the amazing things about the First Passage West journey is that it starts at sea level in Vancouver and climbs to the Great Divide, a natural border between British Columbia and Alberta, and the highest point in the Rocky Mountains. , with 3,954 meters. in elevation. The only way to achieve this by train is thanks to engineering borrowed from the Swiss in the form of the spiral tunnels, which turn first one way and then the other. As well as being an impressive piece of railway history and an exciting part of the last leg of the journey, they make for great photo opportunities as the train curves in on itself.

8. Magic mushrooms

Now, we’re not suggesting microdosing, but if you go all this way without taking a hike or two in the lush West Coast forests, you’re missing out. We followed one of the Fairmont Château Lake Louise’s trusted guides for a forest bathing hike, a two-hour experience that’s part meditation, part natural history, and we saw some of the most incredible mushroom species ever. Banff Springs was Canada’s first national park (established in 1885, making it the third in the world) and as such, it remains untouched: no fallen logs are removed, no interventions in the natural cycle are made. So, in addition to the towering, centuries-old evergreens, the forest floor is littered with their fallen brethren and teeming with fascinating mosses and fungi of all shapes, sizes, and colors.

9. A bar of hot chocolate

Stay a night or two at the Fairmont Château Lake Louise—the castle in the sky—just to enjoy the views and amenities like al fresco apple pies, canoe trips on the lake, or a leisurely afternoon at the aptly named Fairview Restaurant and Bar. where we enjoyed a hot chocolate bar – a self-serve hot chocolate display with various drinks and indulgent toppings like whipped cream, chocolate shavings and marshmallows. It was exactly what the dentist ordered.

10. Caramel popcorn

Speaking of sweets, no trip to Banff is complete without a stop at The Fudgery. Forget the teenage staff who look ready to kill themselves – it’s worth it for the caramel popcorn. More caramel than popcorn, these thick, buttery slices, crunchy and golden, are studded with salted popcorn and all varieties of nuts. A delight.

11. Bald eagles, big horned sheep and deer, oh my

Nature lovers will be satisfied along the First Passage to the West route, not only for the peaceful moments of contemplation of the flora (well, we say peaceful, but the classic rock soundtrack that Rocky Mountaineer likes to pump out on the train is sometimes distracting – I recommend earplugs or headphones), but also for wildlife. We saw a handful of bald eagles, baby deer drinking in the Columbia River, big horned sheep leaping on top of a mountain, and a few elk. Some lucky passengers also get to see bears. Blackberry bushes have been planted on both sides of the tracks on vast stretches of the railway to keep animals safe from crossing, while other stretches feature deer crossings at regular intervals.

For more news about Rocky Mountaineer and the First Passage to the West, click here.

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