12-Day Rockies Hiking and Camping Tour

Your Canadian Rockies adventure begins with pickup from the Calgary Marriott Downtown Hotel. Leaving the city behind, you’ll travel west as the open prairies gradually give way to the towering peaks of the Rockies.

After a short stop in Canmore, you’ll continue to your forested campground near Lake Louise Village. Your guides will introduce you to the camping equipment and help you set up your tent, which will be your base for the next four nights. Later, enjoy your first group dinner and get to know your fellow travellers around the campfire.

Travel along the spectacular Icefields Parkway to explore the Columbia Icefield and Athabasca Glacier. You can choose an optional guided glacier walk with a specialist glacier guide or join your tour guides for a hike to an elevated viewpoint overlooking the glacier.

The typical hiking option follows the Wilcox Pass Trail, offering expansive views over the surrounding peaks and icefields. During the return journey, you’ll also stop to admire the brilliant waters of Peyto Lake and Bow Lake before returning to camp.

Visit Moraine Lake, where the turquoise water lies beneath the dramatic Valley of the Ten Peaks. After taking time to enjoy the celebrated viewpoint from the Rockpile Trail, you’ll continue into the alpine landscape above the lake.

Your guided hike follows the trail to Eiffel Lake, leading through spruce forest before emerging into wildflower-filled alpine meadows surrounded by rugged mountain peaks. Enjoy a picnic overlooking the lake before returning to your campsite near Lake Louise.

Today you’ll visit Lake Louise and venture beyond its busy shoreline on a hike towards the Victoria Glacier. The typical route follows the Plain of Six Glaciers Trail, leading along the lake before climbing into the surrounding alpine terrain.

As you gain elevation, Lake Louise recedes below while the glaciers and mountain walls draw closer. If conditions allow, you may even hear or see ice breaking away from the glaciers high above the valley.

Pack up camp and travel west into Yoho National Park for a hike through one of the Rockies’ most dramatic landscapes. After visiting Takakkaw Falls, you’ll typically follow the Iceline Trail into the alpine, where elevated viewpoints reveal the waterfall, nearby glaciers and surrounding peaks.

After completing the hike, stop at Emerald Lake before continuing west towards Revelstoke and your next camping base.

Travel along the Meadows in the Sky Parkway into the alpine surroundings of Revelstoke National Park. From the upper reaches of the parkway, set out on a guided hike through pristine mountain scenery towards Eva Lake and Miller Lake.

The trail winds through an alpine environment of clear lakes and striking peaks. If time permits after the hike, you may also have an opportunity to explore the locally owned shops and cafés of Revelstoke.

Spend the day exploring Glacier National Park, a rugged and less-frequented part of the Canadian mountains. The typical hike follows the Balu Pass Trail, beginning in a temperate inland rainforest before climbing into open alpine terrain.

From the ridge, take in sweeping views of distant glaciers, steep peaks and Rogers Pass far below. If time allows, you may also stop at the Rogers Pass visitor centre to learn about the area’s history and its challenging avalanche terrain.

Leave Revelstoke and travel east through Kootenay National Park. Your guided hike will typically follow the Stanley Glacier Trail, which climbs into a hanging valley enclosed by dramatic cliffs.

Along the way, you’ll encounter views of Stanley Glacier and an area known for fossils preserved within layers of ancient seabed. After the hike, continue to Banff and establish your new campsite beneath the surrounding peaks. If time permits, you may finish the day with a relaxing visit to the local hot springs.

Travel south of Banff into the quieter landscapes of Bow Valley Wildlands. Away from the busiest areas of the national parks, you’ll hike through alpine meadows and into a secluded mountain valley.

The typical Picklejar Lakes Trail leads to a series of clear alpine lakes surrounded by steep mountain walls, providing a peaceful setting for a picnic. If time permits, stop in Canmore to explore the town before returning to camp.

Spend another day hiking in Banff National Park. The planned route will most likely be the Bourgeau Lake Trail, which climbs steadily through spruce forest into a hanging valley containing a scenic alpine lake.

Enjoy a picnic beside the lake, with an opportunity to swim for those who wish to brave the mountain water. Depending on the group and conditions, the hike may continue towards Harvey Pass before returning to camp for dinner

For your final full hiking day, return to Kananaskis Country and follow the Chester Lake Trail. The route climbs through the forest before emerging into an alpine meadow, where the lake rests beneath a backdrop of impressive mountain peaks.

After enjoying a picnic near the water, continue to the unusual formations known as Elephant Rocks. Return to camp for your final group dinner and an evening around the campfire.

Pack up camp and begin the journey back to Calgary, stopping along the way for one final hike. Follow the Grotto Canyon Trail through a narrow canyon bordered by towering rock walls.

The canyon contains an approximately 1,300-year-old pictograph left by people who travelled through this landscape long ago. Following the hike, you’ll continue to Calgary, where the tour concludes with drop-off at the airport or a downtown hotel.