By: Maggie Weaver
Imagine riding horse-back up a mountain between evergreen trees and a winding river. You can hear the horses hooves clapping on the dirt path, and occasionally, it shakes its head and neighs. Imagine hopping into a canoe on the crystal blue water of Lake Louise and paddling out to the center. The water is still, the air is cool and quiet, and mountains surround you. Imagine being serenaded by a cowboy with his guitar while you eat smoked barbecue, hot hushpuppies, fresh corn-on-the-cob, along with the sweet taste of the North West’s famous Huckleberry Cream Soda. These sights, smells, sounds, and tastes are what make an Adventures by Disney trip so memorable.
DAY 1
On day 1 of our family adventure, we flew into the beautiful city of Kalispell, Montana. Here we met our Adventure guides, Benji and Adri, as well as the rest of the families we travelled along with. We hopped on a bus and drove winding roads lined by forests to the rustic Glacier Park Lodge. Here, the grand lobby stood supported by 20-foot tall trees that had chopped by the settlers and railroad expeditioners in 1913. These “tree columns” were so thick, one person couldn’t wrap their arms fully around them. We were then escorted to an outside dinner overlooking the beautiful Canadian Rockies. This is where the family groups were introduced, the kids began to play, and we got to hear an authentic cowboy play us a few tunes. We ended the night out on the porch in rocking chairs watching the sunset.
DAY 2
Day 2 of our adventure was full of nature. First we white-water rafted the Flathead River down the Middle Fork to John Stevens Canyon for 8 miles. We then rode a vintage, red, open-top bus through Glacier National Park up the famous Going-to-the-Sun Road, where we were surrounded by beautiful mountains, waterfalls, wildlife, and, at the very top, SNOW! We had a huge snowball fight with our guide Benji and also got to meet a National Park Ranger! Once back at the lodge we sat around the fire listening to stories about the Native Americans who once gathered at the lodge.
DAY 3
As we migrated north, we passed through the Canadian border into Alberta. We enjoyed a scenic coach ride through the rolling hills of the Blackfoot Reservation along the majestic Continental Divide. Eventually, we stopped for lunch and to admire the views at the famous green-roofed Prince of Wales Hotel. Here the sky seemed endless, as the hotel is perched atop a bluff overlooking Waterton Lake. From here we continued to drive along the Cowboy Trail to our gorgeous hotel for the next 2 nights, The Fairmont Chateau at Lake Louise.
DAY 4
This was personally one of my favorite days of the vacation. Not only was The Fairmont Chateau at Lake Louise beautiful and elegant on the inside, but the outside view of Lake Louise and all of it’s activities were more grand than I could have imagined. We started the day by witnessing the PINK mountains that Lake Louise are famous for at sunrise. From here we took a short excursion to Moraine Lake to canoe it’s magnificent turquoise waters.
The rest of the day’s activities were up to us, so we headed back to Lake Louise for horseback riding and more canoeing before dinner and Junior Adventure Night. Junior Adventure Night is a night where the adults get a private dinner at the Chateau, while Benji and Adri play games with the younger adventurers. We played hide the moose, laughed til our bellies ached, and made s’mores by the fire.
DAY 5
The road trip continued on...we were off to WALK on a GLACIER! Between the mountains of the North American Continental Divide sits the largest body of ice in North America, the Columbia Icefield. Here we rode Ice Explorers up to the Athabasca Glacier where we carefully walked on the ice and drank from the fresh melt. Lunch was a Canadian inspired buffet with views of the glacier from a distance before we headed to our next stop, The Fairmont at Banff Springs.
This hotel was once a Canadian castle that overlooked the small, but busy city of Banff. Here, we were given the freedom to explore. We enjoyed the walk from the hilltop castle down into the city. Along the way we passed real-life elk and heard all about Banff’s wolves from the locals. The downtown area is full of all kinds of local and chain shops, so we strolled until our tummies were rumbling. Stopping at a small local restaurant was one of the best ideas of our whole trip because we got to try the famous Canadian dish Pootine and drink rose lemonade. We ended day 5 by exploring the magnificent castle and hearing ghost stories of a bride that haunted the spiral staircase.
DAY 6
As we neared the end of our vacation, the whole group joined back together for a history lesson about the city of Banff. We took a bike tour along the Bow River, Bow Falls, and explored the gardens of the historic landmark, Banff’s Canada House. After a very active morning, we continued our adventure by motorcoach to Banff National Park. Here we rode in a gondola up to the 7,500-foot summit of Sulphur Mountain. The vast landscape of the Rockies can be seen for MILES! Last but certainly not least, we ended up back at The Fairmont for a farewell dinner with a special visitor. A fully dressed Royal Candian Mounted Police, often called “Mounties,” arrived to tell us more about the history of the city of Banff and it’s national park. Seeing his bright red attire with the mountains showcased behind him as he talked, is a view I’ll never forget!
DAY 7
The saddest day of all...we exchanged numbers and told our new friends goodbye as we headed to the airport. However, the day was full of reminiscing over our pictures and all the new history we had learned.