| Day 1 | Home City / Calgary, AB |
| Depart home city to Calgary, home of the famous Calgary Stampede.
Time permitting, enjoy a guided city tour including a stop at Canada
Olympic Park, home of the famous XV Winter Olympics. This evening
enjoy a cocktail cruise aboard the SS. Moyie at the Heritage Park
Historical Village. |
| Day 2 | Calgary / Edmonton, AB |
|
Travel north to the friendly, cosmopolitan city of Edmonton. Take a
guided city tour of Edmonton and get acquainted with Alberta's capital
city including the Alberta Legislature Building, Jasper Ave, City Hall, Old
Strathcona historical area, Chinatown, The Avenue of Nations,
Edmonton's Art District, University of Alberta Campus, and prominent
residential areas. The rest of the day is at leisure to explore the 8th
Wonder of the World – West Edmonton Mall. |
| Day 3 | Edmonton / Lac La Biche, AB |
| Today, you will be off to northern Alberta to Lac La Biche, known as Lake
of the Red Deer (ELK). See what this 200-year-old community has to offer.
Enjoy the breath taking view of the lake, and view the David Thompson
Statue along its' shores. Plenty of learning and fun is expected at the Lac
La Biche Mission a National Historic Site; known as the "Warehouse of
the North". A traditional feast including a night of entertainment is
expected. Get to know some of the locals while they share their fiddle
music and stories! |
| Day 4 | Lac La Biche / Fort McMurray, AB |
| We continue north by coach and discover a land that's truly wild and free,
majestic fir trees, clear rivers and eagles soaring overhead. Tour the Oil
Sands Discovery Centre, experience the big-screen film presentation of
“Quest for Energy” and discover how the oil was formed millions of years
ago. Following a delicious dinner at the hotel, listen to a local renowned
astronomer who will do a slide presentation on the Northern Lights. |
| Day 5 | Fort McMurray / Athabasca, AB |
|
This morning, following breakfast at the hotel, we tour either the
Syncrude Canada or Suncor Energy Plant. Currently, these energy plants
supply over 17% of Canada's energy. See gigantic earthmovers – 80 ton
per scoop shovels and draglines the length of football fields – in two of
the largest mines in the world. Next we experience Fort McMurray's
history at Heritage Park, where you can stroll the boardwalk past original
historic buildings before we travel south to Athabasca. |
| Day 6 | Athabasca / Slave Lake, AB |
| Enjoy the beauty of the north as we travel through Athabasca Country,
an area of rolling hills, tranquil lakes, beautiful rivers and large forests.
Today we discover Slave Lake, Alberta's largest, most accessible lake and
learn about the natural history, geology and ecology of the land. We drive
north to the Lesser Slave Lake Bird Observatory, Canada's northernmost
migration monitoring station. Here we get a close up look at neotropical
birds from Central and South American being banded. Meet with an
interpretive guide who will guide you to Marten Beach, and a tour of the
sand dune ecology. |
| Day 7 | Slave Lake / Peace River, AB |
|
Today we stop to visit Mr. Grizzly at the Kinuso Museum and then travel
north to Peace River. Here you will learn the story of Twelve Foot Davis,
“A Man of his Time”. Upon arrival in Peace River, join a local guide as we
tour this northern city. |
| Day 8 | Peace River / Grande Prairie, AB |
| Prime attractions in Peace Country include: historic Fort Dunvegan, St.
Charles Catholic Mission Church and the Rectory. Our stops today also
include Sexsmith, to view one of the only remaining Blacksmith Shops in
Alberta. As we get closer to Grande Prairie, you will see the home of the
largest breeding grounds for Trumpeter Swans in Canada. |
| Day 9 | Grande Prairie, AB |
| Wake up this morning and enjoy a guided tour of the beautiful city of
Grande Prairie. Experience the heritage of this community at the Grande
Prairie Museum in Muskoseepi Park and then visit the world class
Prairie Art Gallery, the only Class A public art gallery in Northern
Alberta. |
| Day 10 | Grande Prairie / Grande Cache / Jasper, AB |
| The completion of the Big Horn Highway 40 makes the next leg of our
journey a joy to travel as we head south through Grande Cache to meet
Highway 16. Here you will escape to a land of sparkling lakes, rushing
rivers, green valleys and windswept peaks of the Canadian Rockies. |
| Day 11 | Jasper, AB |
|
This morning enjoy a cruise on beautiful Maligne Lake to Spirit Island.
We will also take a gentle hike down Maligne Canyon where you will see
how the water has carved spectacular crevices out of the mountain. The
rest of the day is at leisure for you to explore the many unique shops on
Main Street Jasper. |
| Day 12 | Jasper / Edmonton, AB |
| Say goodbye to the Canadian Rockies as we travel east through the
rolling foothills to the prairies. This afternoon step back in time with a
visit to Fort Edmonton Park, where interpretive guides re enact the early
days of Edmonton. Tonight return to West Edmonton Mall or Place your
bets – Horse Racing, Gaming and Fine Dining at Northlands Park –
Spectrum. |
| Day 13 | Edmonton / Calgary / Home |
| Depart for home city via Edmonton or Calgary |
