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I just got back from Canada after taking a Rocky Mountaineer train excursion. We chose the "Classic Rail Circle" which went from Vancouver to Kamloops to Jasper, Alb. From Jasper the train went back to Vancouver via a northern loop through Quesnel and Whistler.
The first part of the journey was a flight to Seattle. We then took the Amtrak Cascade train from Seattle to Vancouver. It is a scenic run..the track goes very close to the ocean on the way up. You arrive at the Central Pacific Station in Vancouver, which is also the station for the VIA train. You will note, in the picture, that your baggage is placed at the front of the train along the blueish-green fence. You just pick up your luggage an proceed into the station. You need a passport but customs only takes a few minutes..very fast. Much better than customs and security inspection at airports.
The Rocky Mountaineer station is in North Vancouver. We decided to splurge and get the "golf leaf" service. This was the 3rd trip on the RM for me. On the earlier trips they only had one level of service. The gold leaf service is really great. You can see we had a dome car (most are farily new..the oldest was built in the 1990's) and it really made for a panoramic view..a much better view than the one we had on the lower level on the early RM trips. There is a dining car below the dome car, also only for gold leaf folks. The food was good, and prepared fresh in an adjacent kitchen.
The Mountaineer follows the Fraser River (named after Simon Fraser, an early explorer) until it meets up with the Thompson River. The Fraser is sort of a murky green. The Thompson is more of a green to milk green..much clearer. We followed CP tracks, for a while. CN tracks were on the other side of the river. Along the Thompson River there were a bunch of rafters, in round rafts. They got a little silly and decided to "moon" the train. I'll bet they got mixed up and thought we were the Coast Starlight.
Pyramid Falls, on the way to Jaspr.
Mt. Robson, the tallest mountain in the Candian Rockies, also on the way to Jasper.
I really like the town of Jasper. The Jasper train station also serves the VIA train. There is an old CN locomotive on display at the station.
With gold leaf service we stayed at the Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge. Here is a picture of the lake at Jasper Park Lodge:
The Rocky Mountaineer has a deal where, if you start out in Vancouver on the correct day, you can get 2 free nights of lodging at Jasper, which applies even at Jasper Park Lodge. Jasper Park lodge is super expensive, so the 2 free nights was quite a deal. The restaurants at the lodge are quite expensive. We ate several meals in the town of Jasper.
Athabasca Falls, about 18 miles south of Jasper. A must-see, in my opinion. Another spot to visit is Maligne Lake, around 30 miles from Jasper. On the way back from Maligne Lake we turned off the road to look at some information pertaining to wildlife in the area.
If you look at the center of the photo, you will see a bear cub about to cross the road. A camper came around a turn and the driver had to slam on the brakes to avoid hitting the bear cub. The cub scampered across the road and up the hill.
One nice thing about the RM is that, with most hotels, they will pick up your luggage and transfer it to the hotel of your next overnight stay. You have to have your baggage in your room 45 minutes before you take your shuttle bus back to the train. The baggage pickup is early..in Jasper we had to have it in our rooms at 6:30 AM. With a 10-11 hr trip from Jasper to the next stop in Quesnel, it made for a long day.
Quesnel was an interesting town. It had a gambling casino in the shape of an old riverboat. It also had a souvenir shop that used to be an trading post for the Hudson Bay Co., built in the early 1880s.
Another long day from Quesnel to Whislter. Whistler was a great place to stay. We got in around 6PM, but could sleep in as the Whistler Mountaineer (owned by RM) did not leave for Vancouver until around 2:00 PM. Whistler is a fun place just to walk around in. It will be the site for the 2010 Winter Olympics (along with Vancouver). Very modern and quaint buildings and shops. The people you meet seem to be very friendly.
For some reason, Canadians seem to be crazy about "Archie" comics. In previous trips, it was not uncommon to see a whole row of Archie comics on magazine racks. I picked up a newspaper, on the train out of Quesnel, and saw an article on Archie comics in the fanancial section. It seems the writers of Archie comics are going to have Archie marrying Veronica this fall. I'll bet Betty is just devastated!
In all, a fantastic trip. You get a little tired during the last 2-3 days..especially on the trip from Jasper to Quesnel then Quesnel to Whistler. I am not an early riser..so getting up at 5=6 AM was a little difficult.
Richard
Posts: 1909 | From: Santa Rosa | Registered: Jan 2004
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Really sharp photos! Interesting trip report! I wanna go!
-------------------- Everybody has to believe in something. I believe I'll take the train! Posts: 230 | From: Ithaca, New York | Registered: May 2009
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Beautiful! I should have stayed a couple of days in Jasper when I ventured on the Canadian.
Posts: 498 | From: New Hope, PA, USA | Registered: Jan 2003
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Great photos and report. We plan to take trip across Canada in three years (30th anniversary).
Posts: 406 | From: La Grange, CA | Registered: Sep 2007
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Great pics and report! It was good to see that the Cascades are, indeed, operating with the Talgo equipment. We'll be on that train Seattle to Vancouver on the 28th.
Frank in warm and humid SBA
Posts: 2160 | From: Santa Barbara, CA, USA | Registered: Oct 2003
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Frank, I hope you have a good time in Vancouver...I'm sure you will. If I'm reading the Cascade schedule correctly, it looks like there are now 2 trains from Vancouver back to Seattle. The 517, leaving at 5:45 PM, and the 513, leaving at 6:40 AM. I'm sure glad they added that morning run...a lot more desirable than the late run, in my mind.
Richard
Posts: 1909 | From: Santa Rosa | Registered: Jan 2004
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Thank you for your lovely photos and report. It brought back memories--I took the Rocky Mountaineer Vancouver to Banff a few years ago--could only afford the Red Leaf but it was still quite fine. I took the Amtrak between Seattle and Vancouver BC to get there and back too. It's a lovely run. (BTW, the water it runs along is not technically the ocean; I think it's the Puget Sound--and maybe the lower part of Strait of Georgia, not sure.) If you go in late May like I did, even the southbound 6PM train is mostly fine scenery, as it gets dark so late.
I do think Rocky Mountaineer is very pricey-- compared to a cruise, for example (which is more equivalent). Still, I'd do it again if I could afford it!
Posts: 2642 | From: upstate New York | Registered: Mar 2004
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