In Search of the Great Bear

 

04 October 2011
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Oct 04

On arrival you will have a 2 night stay at the Blue Horizon hotel which is located on Robson street with shops and restaurants close at hand. Vancouver is lovely at this time of year and there is a lot to see and explore, shop at Granville Island, take a trip to North Vancouver and walk on the Capilano suspension bridge and Grouse Mountain skyride, walk around the sea wall at Stanley park and visit the Aquarium. In the evening there are numerous places to dine or just relax with a coffee in one of many streetside café’s.

 

Oct 06

 Pick up your Compact hire car which we will upgrade FREE of charge for you. Today you will be driving on the sea to sky highway, this road is extremely scenic with the gulf islands to your left and the Coast Mountain range to your right, you will pass through the small settlement of Squamish and then you will leave the coast behind as you climb up to the pretty mountain town of Whistler. This town has the highest concentration of Black Bears in North America ( approximately 300 Bears in the surrounding area ) and they are very easy to see, if you hike at dawn or dusk onto the ski hills if Blackcomb or Whistler you will be sure to see some, alternatively you can take an organised bear tour from the village. There is also a wealth of things to do in this village including zip trecking, canoeing and horse riding. You will stay for 2 nights at the Delta Whistler Village which is centrally located with some terrific facilites.

 

Oct 06

 Whistler – 100 Mile House ( via Lillooet )

 Today you will be dring north via Pemberton and then you will take the old logging route via Lillooet to 100 Mile House for an overnight stay at the Hills Health guest ranch, the drive to 100 mile house is very dramatic and is a haven for wildlife spotting as this is the back country where bears are largely undisturbed so keep your eyes peeled and you may come across a large grizzly. On arrival at the guest ranch you can rest or indulge in a trail ride on horseback before resuming your trip tomorrow.

 

Oct 07

 100 Mile House – Wells Gray Park

 An easy drive today through some lovely scenery, you are heading for wells grey park….a haven for all Canadian wildlife species including Moose which are now very rare in both Banff and Jasper national parks. You will be staying at the new accommodation of the Alpine Meadows resort which will give you that getting away from it all feeling and bears can often be seen from the resorts balconies, there are numerous trails to enjoy from the resort and you will not have to look far for wildlife as it is plentiful here. You have 2 days to relax in this beautiful place.

 

Oct 9

 Wells Gray Park – Jasper

 Watch out for black bears at the side of the road as you head north on the Yellowhead road, when you get to Jasper you will find a very friendly small town with a great atmosphere, this little town has a different feel to it than Banff. This is the time of the Rutt and there will probably be Elk in the town and the surrounding valley bugling to show their domination, they will often challenge each other in the centre of the town as they prefer being in the town to avoid the parks resident healthy wolf population, bears can also be seen around the Jasper park lodge and Bighorn sheep often stop cars on the way to Maligne canyon. You will be staying at the Jasper Inn which is located in the centre of town and has just been refurbished.

 

Oct 11

 Jasper – Lake Louise/ Yoho ( Via the Icefield Parkway )

 This road is probably one of the most scenic in the world, there is a lot to see so leave early, when you get to the end of the parkway follow the signs for Field, you are heading for Yoho National park which is a truly stunning area and is much less commercial than Lake Louise ( 25 Minutes away ) you will be staying at the Emerald lake lodge which is located right next to a beautiful greeny blue lake which can be hiked around in 1 hour, your room will have a woodburning fireplace and the setting is unforgettable. This is a very special place and the perfect location for touring Yoho and the Lake Louise areas, bears are very common in this area and Moraine lake is a great place to see some larger grizzly bears.

 

Oct 12

 Lake Louise/Yoho – Banff

 A short drive today will bring you to the pretty mountain town of Banff, you will have the best of both worlds as you will be staying on the tunnel mountain road at the Buffalo mountain lodge, here you can wake up to deer and Elk grazing on the hotel grounds yet you are only a 5 minute drive to the centre of town. This is a lovely hotel and the rooms are well equipped. Wildlife abound here and ask the tourist office on Banff avenue for recent sightings, vermillion lakes is excellent for beavers, Moose, elk, deer and waterfowl and the Bow valley park can sometimes reward you with some wolf sightings.

 

Oct 15

 Banff – Calgary – Gatwick

 Drop off the car and fly home arriving back into Gatwick the following day.