Mike Yardley: Wild about the Rockies by rail

Awakening in Kamloops after a deep night’s sleep dreaming about grizzly bears, I was raring to go on the second and most spectacular day aboard Rocky Mountaineer’s “First Passage to the West” excursion. It’s one of the winning attributes about this legendary train – it’s all-day travel, punctuated by overnight stops. That way, you won’t have FOMO about sleeping through a Christmas card scene of a snow-dappled Douglas Fir forest or denying yourself wildlife viewing opportunities.

Every kilometre travelled is by day. After noshing heartily on a fresh serving of eggs benny for breakfast, the soothing cadence of wheels on steel almost spirited me off to snooze-land. Don’t even think about it! I highly recommend remaining regularly lubricated with the bottomless coffee, to ensure you eyes are wide open and you don’t miss a beat from the ever-changing views.

The sun popped its head up rover the giant pillar-like hoodoos, an eerie landscape of rock and clay formations, leftover from the last Ice Age and the eroded seabed. Purring through the village of Salmon Arm, the train slowed so everyone could wave out to Doris. World-famous in Canada, she makes a point of being positioned on her porch every morning to greet the passing train, as she has done for over 20 years. Rocky Mountaineer recently shouted her a free trip.

Onboard hospitality. Photo / Rocky Mountaineer

After tracing the gorgeous Eagle River, another salmon run site that bald eagles swoop on, we neared Craigellachie. This is the site of the “Last Spike” that completed the Canadian Pacific Railway in 1885, and connected Canada from coast to coast., Erika shared a story tied to the West’s challenging terrain. Undeniably an engineering feat, it was the backbreaking work of 17,000 Chinese labourers, that left hundreds of them dead, that underpinned the monumental feat.

Threading our way through the Columbia Valley the milky-blue Illecillewaet River, fed by Glacier National Park’s Selkirk Mountains, is one of many ravishing spectacles. As is Mount Sir Donald, its serrated peak framed by the bristled, velvety green of the alpine forest. I was fast becoming a tree freak, nerding out on deciphering a Douglas Fir, from a Mountain Hemlock, Western Larch, Lodgepole Pine and Trembling Aspen. Suddenly, word spread of a bear sighting, thanks to the communication system connecting all the hosts in all the carriages. Like human dominoes, we all swung our heads at the windows and sure enough a big grizzly was scampering up the hillside. It’s the silver-tipped fur that gives this bear its name – grey as in grizzled, rather than grisly – although they are that, too. Some guests also spotted two black bears. Interestingly, black bears also come in shades of brown or blond. It’s their straight Roman nose that is the distinguishing feature of black bears.

Bridges galore are all part of the experience as are river crossings. We wound across Kicking Horse River seven times, while tootling through the Kicking Horse Canyon.

Castle Mountain by Banff. Photo / Rocky Mountaineer

Cresting Kicking Horse Pass, the immense majesty of the Rockies revealed itself as enter a vast world of jagged snowy peaks towering over 3km into the bluebird sky. Snow-domed ranges competed for attention, as we zipped our way through the Spiral Tunnels, a gradient-taming tunnel system not dissimilar to the Raurimu Spiral. Passing through the Columbia Mountains, nature’s grand cathedrals pierced the sky like an alpine procession as we crossed the Continental Divide at a height of 1600 metres. Many are aptly named to capture their might and heft, like Temple Mountain, Cathedral Mountain and the bulky turrets of Castle Mountain, all located within the awe-inspiring Rockies. After a whistle-stop at Lake Louise, revered for its gleaming turquoise hue, as luminous as Lake Pukaki, I admired the vast glacier field crowning Mount Victoria. And momemts later, our riveting rail journey was at an end, in the handsome heart of Banff.

The on-board hospitality is exceptional and the expert commentary delivers the right mix of history, geographic points of interest and wildlife viewing. I gleaned fun facts from Abbie and Eliza spanning everything from proud railway history to the reproductive habits of salmon. They pointed out landmarks and shared stories, weaving history and culture into the passing landscape with seamless aplomb. And the lavishly laid-on cuisine is five-star dining standard. Best of all, the Rocky Mountaineer is a highly sociable experience, with a continuous, complimentary open bar service helping turn the wheels on this irrepressible, unforgettable luxury rail adventure. Elevate it to the top of your bucket-list and book well in advance for discounted deals.

In addition to First Passage to the West, Rocky Mountaineer operates a variety of routes including Journey to the Clouds which connects Vancouver with Jasper, plus Rainforest to Gold Rush which includes Whistler and Quesnel en-route to Jasper. They’ve headed across the border too, with the recent launch of the Canyon Spirit, which is a Rockies to the Red Rocks rail route taking in Denver, Moab and Salt Lake City. www.rockymountaineer.com 

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Mike Yardley is Newstalk ZB’s resident traveller and talks travel every week on Saturday Mornings with Jack Tame.