Canadian Rockies & Northern Lights

11 Days | Keep an eye out for moose and elk, and the northern lights, on a Rockies wilderness adventure.

4 out of 5 based on 8 reviews submitted.
Explorer
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USD $5,570
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Experience the rugged mountains of Canada and go in search of the northern lights in the night skies of Alberta. Watch for moose, white-tailed deer and elk as you drive through pristine Canadian wilderness. Admire curtains of ice along a steel catwalk built into the rock walls of Johnston Canyon. Meet and greet a team of canines before ticking dogsledding off your bucket list – one of the many optional activities on offer. Otherwise, just wrap your hands around a mug of hot chocolate and lose yourself in the beauty of the Rockies. Packed with eye-popping views of snow-capped mountain ranges and frozen wonderlands, this 11-day adventure is the ultimate great white north escape.

Trip overview

Map of Canadian Rockies & Northern Lights including Canada
Start
Edmonton, Canada
Finish
Calgary, Canada
Theme
Explorer
Destinations
Canada
Physical rating
Indicates how physically exerting a trip is, and how fit you will need to be to enjoy it. More info on physical ratings
Style
Comfort
Ages
Min 15
Group size
Min 1 - Max 12
Trip code
SWKW
We’re in the process of figuring out how much CO2-e this trip generates. In the meantime, find out more about our climate commitments and carbon reduction target.

Why you'll love this trip
  • Spend time exploring Edmonton, Slave Lake and Banff at your own pace, stopping to admire the surrounding mountain ranges.
  • Navigate the frozen waterfalls, ice caves and ice formations of Maligne Canyon on a guided exploration of the deepest accessible canyon in Jasper National Park.
  • Gaze at the clear night skies of Slave Lake and witness the natural phenomenon of Aurora when conditions are right, often referred to as the northern lights.
  • Cruise from Jasper to Banff driving on the Icefields Parkway and enjoy the roadside views – made even more scenic when you’re not the one driving.
  • Discover the natural beauty of renowned Lake Louise, and perhaps join an optional sleigh ride around its snow-covered banks.

Is this trip right for you?
  • Less time spent in a vehicle; more time to explore each destination. This trip has been carefully designed to give you the best experience of a region by reducing the number of one-night-only stops, giving you extra time in the places that matter.
  • This trip includes time spent travelling in a private vehicle with your group. Extra space can be tight, and conditions may feel a little cramped. It’s all part of the adventure and a great way to get to know your fellow travellers. Please read the itinerary carefully for travel time estimates.
  • The diversity of the seasons here makes for incredible scenery, but the weather in this region can be unpredictable. It’s best to wear layers at all times of the year in case conditions change during the day. At night the temperature can really drop, so bring your warm clothes. Camping can be especially cold at the start and end of the season. Even in the warmer months the temperature can be low in the mountains.
  • Winter weather can be unreliable. Roads in these areas are well-maintained and regularly ploughed, but in the event of unusually heavy snowfall there may still be delays and closures. The weather may also mean that some events are cancelled or scheduled activities become unsafe. We will attempt to rearrange the itinerary or schedule replacement activities if this is the case.
  • Please be aware that this itinerary does not allow time for skiing and snowboarding, and due to the safety risks inherent in these activities, we are unable to offer them as optional activities. If you wish to ski or snowboard while in Canada we suggest you arrive early in Whistler or stay in Banff after the trip. If you wish to ski or snowboard during free time during the trip, that's up to you, but please note that our leaders are unable to help you book these activities as per Intrepid's safety policy.

Itinerary

Map of Canadian Rockies & Northern Lights including Canada

Inclusions

Meals

10 breakfasts, 2 lunches

Transport

Private vehicle

Accommodation

Hotel (10 nights)

Activities
  • Slave Lake - Bonfire and Smore's
  • Edmonton - Telus Science Centre
  • Slave Lake - Snowshoeing
  • Boreal Centre For Bird Conservation - Wilderness Survival Course
  • Jasper National Park - Entrance Fee
  • Jasper - Maligne Canyon Icewalk
  • Jasper - Lunch at a National Park Brewery
  • Icefields Parkway - Hike to toe of Athabasca Glacier
  • Lake Louise - Snowshoeing
  • Lake Louise - All Canadian Lunch
  • Banff National Park
  • Banff - Johnston Canyon Icewalk
  • Banff - Guided snowshoe hike on Top of the World
  • Canmore - Grotto Canyon Guided Icewalk
Add on activities
  • Lake Louise - Sleigh Ride - CAD52
  • Lake Louise - Ice Skating including Hockey Stick - CAD33
  • Banff - Cable Car up Sulphur Mountain - CAD60
  • Banff - Hot springs - CAD18
  • Canmore - Dog-sledding - CAD300
  • Canmore - Fat Biking Tour - (2 hours) - CAD60
  • Canmore - Cross-Country Skiing - (Rentals) - CAD60

Dates and availability

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Important notes

1. Your adventure begins with a welcome meeting at 6pm on Day 1 in Edmonton. And final day the arrival time depends on each group however If you decide to fly out this day, please don't book a flight before 3pm.
2. Seeing the Northern Lights is of course dependant on weather and geomagnetic activity, clear sky and dark nights. Warm clothing is a must.
3. A single supplement is available if you’d prefer not to share a room on this trip. The single supplement applies to all nights of your trip and is subject to availability. Please speak to your booking agent for further information
4. Please note that the legal drinking age in the US is 21 and in some parts of Canada it's 19.

Essential Trip Information

Want an in-depth insight into this trip? Essential Trip Information provides a detailed itinerary, visa info, how to get to your hotel, what's included - pretty much everything you need to know about this adventure and more.

Read Essential Trip Information

Reviews

4 out of 5 based on 8 reviews submitted.
Reviews are from travellers who have completed their trip and want to share their experience. We show all reviews, but may remove any that include profanity or inappropriate content, are unrelated to the trip or reveal personal details.

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Jenni · Traveled February 2024
Alberta is beautiful, and worth visiting, but this trip did not meet expectations and requires improvements. I can't recommend it at this stage unfortunately, but do visit via a different trip!
Review submitted 01 Mar 2024

Robyn · Traveled February 2024
Toured in Feb 2024. This is not a level 2 Physical Rating tour. More like 3-4. The sighting of the Northern Lights is very random. Lots of walking on Icy steeps, , creek beds and steep Paths, requiring sliding down between rocks. Hours spent on winding roads. Suggest if you have motion sickness, the front seat positions in the minibus are not guaranteed. Hotels do not always provide in-house breakfast. So wrap up.
Review submitted 21 Feb 2024

Cheryl · Traveled February 2024
Overall, the Canadian Rockies are spectacular. All of the people in our group were fun to be with, and we made some great friends. Our tour guide was knowledgeable, patient, and flexible given the physical abilities (or inabilities) of the members of the group and tried to tailor the tour to accommodate as many people in the activities as possible. My issue was with Intrepid's misrepresentation of the physical activity level rating, the inaccurate pricing of optional activities, the required travel insurance policy, the sub-par lodging, and the labeling of the trip as a Northern Lights trip when there were only 2 nights out of 10 listed in the itinerary that gave us an opportunity to see them.
Review submitted 25 Feb 2024

Ashley · Traveled December 2023
No northern lights were seen (I think including this in the name of the trip is a bit of false advertising) but the the views and activities made up for it. Wonderful group and tour guide!
Review submitted 19 Dec 2023

Louise · Traveled December 2023
This is a great trip full of amazing activities that one could never do unless they were in a winter wonderland, like the Rocky Mountains in Canada. We would not have accessed the type of scenery and places and activities had not been for a skilled guide and driver this made it all possible.
Review submitted 17 Dec 2023
Canadian Rockies & Northern Lights
From
USD $5,570