| Rocky Mountaineer from Vancouver Highlights:
Fraser Canyon - Marvel at the Fraser Canyon as you exit the Coast Mountains. This deep canyon is a natural wonder that extends all the way to the town of Hope, with steep sides soaring up to 600 metres (1980 feet) above the water.
The Last Spike – A symbol of determination. You will pass the stone cairn of Craigellachie where the last railroad spike was driven linking Canada’s railway from coast to coast. The landmark is named after a large rock in Banffshire County, Scotland where Donald Smith, who drove in the last spike, had grown up.
Spiral Tunnels – A unique architectural wonder built over 20 months starting in 1907, the Upper and Lower Spiral Tunnels were constructed through Mount Ogden and Cathedral Mountain, to improve safety by reducing the grade. It is fascinating to watch lengthy freight trains as they snake their way through these tunnels.
Stoney Creek Bridge – One of the most important bridges of its time, the beautiful Stoney Creek Bridge spans 147.6 metres (484 feet) and towers 99 metres (325 feet) above the creek bed.
Hell’s Gate - The thundering waters of the renowned tourist attraction, Hell’s Gate, are a fascinating sight. Located at the most narrow and intimidating point in the Fraser River, as much as 909,218,000 litres (200 million gallons) of water surge through the 33.53 metre (110 foot) gorge each minute.
Rogers Pass – Tunnels, such as the remarkable Mount MacDonald Tunnel, snow sheds and glistening glaciers characterize this pass through the Selkirk Mountains. The pass is named after the man who discovered it, Major A.B. Rogers, a surveyor and locating engineer working for the Canadian Pacific Railway.
Rocky Mountaineer from Whistler Highlights:
Anderson and Seton Lakes – Anderson and Seton Lakes were once one large body of water. An ancient landslide, resulting from a tectonic shift along the fault line of Christmas Mountain, made the large lake into two. The piece of land separating the two lakes became an important trading route to the Upper Fraser. Rounding Seton Lake, the train hugs a narrow shelf between the lake on one side and sheer cliffs on the other. The distinctiveness of these two lakes is reflected as the diverted glacial melt-water changes the colour of Seton Lake from clear blue, like Anderson Lake, to a silty turquoise green.
Cariboo Plateau –A powerful sheet of ice a mile thick created this intensely glaciated plateau. Grinding mountain peaks into valleys, the ancient glacier left behind a dry and pastoral landscape. Rolling hills, endless forests and vast cattle ranches are characteristic of the area.
Fraser River –The mighty Fraser River is the longest river in British Columbia and the 5th longest in all of Canada. The rushing waters carve through rock layers and carry sediment from the western slopes of the Rocky Mountains all the way to the Georgia Strait and the Pacific Ocean. Heavy with sediment, the waters are a muddy brown to milky green. Named after Simon Fraser, who originally mistook the river to be the Columbia River, the Fraser produces more salmon than any other river system in the world. It is estimated that 10 million salmon travel up the Fraser River to spawn each year and First Nations people continue to use traditional fishing methods along its shores.
Fraser Canyon –South of Quesnel the Fraser has eroded a deep canyon that extends all the way to Hope, with steep sides soaring up to 600 metres (1980 feet) above the water.
Rocky Mountain Trench –Leaving Prince George the rails turn southeast into the remarkable Rocky Mountain Trench. The longest valley in North America, the trench sits wide and deep between the Rocky Mountains to the east and the Cariboo and Columbia ranges on the west. It extends from just south of the Yukon border all the way to the Canada-US border and beyond.
Tête Jaune Cache – A sandy haired Iroquois man, nicknamed “Tête Jaune” or Yellow Head, gives this spot its name. The man not only worked as an interpreter for European traders, but he also trapped fur in this region. He stored his bounty in a cache nearby during the winter until he could cross the Rockies to the nearest Hudson’s Bay Company out post in the spring. The path he took is now called the Yellowhead pass. Once home to 5000 people, Tête Jaune Cache was a teeming scene during the construction of the railway.
Mount Robson – Soaring a majestic 3,956.5 metres (12,972 feet), this heavily glaciated peak is the highest of the Canadian Rockies. Dropping into Berg Lake to the North and Kinney Lake to the South, this mountain is a towering giant compared to the snow tipped peaks that surround it. Originally, this great mountain was named Yuh-hai-has-kun, meaning “The Mountain of the Spiral Road” by the aboriginal people in the area.
Jasper National Park – Declared a protected area in 1907, Jasper Park is the largest of the Canadian Rockies National Parks. Parks Canada oversees the management of the national parks with the goal to preserve them foremost as a place of nature but also as a place for people to visit, experience and learn. Significant numbers of elk, moose, bighorn sheep and other large animals make Jasper National Park their home. Other highlights include Miette Hot Springs, Maligne Canyon, Maligne Lake and the northern portion of the stunning Icefields Parkway.
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