Travelogue I went with my wife Heather and her family to Canada in August, with the main intention of meeting up with her Canadian cousins for a family reunion. We thought we would combine the event with a trip through part of the Rocky Mountains, and this is what happened.

To get to the Rockies, most people fly either to Calgary or Vancouver. We flew from Gatwick on a Saturday and arrived in Calgary 8½ hours later. I found an excellent 4-star hotel on the internet, it was the Marriott, and the shuttle bus took us right to its door. We booked it at a very reasonable rate and I later found out that as Calgary is primarily a business centre, hotels such as the Marriott offer very cheap deals at weekends. (www.marriott.com)

One advantage of this particular hotel is that it is situated right next to the Calgary Tower. This is a must-see attraction as the lift takes you 160 metres (525 feet) to the Observation Deck, where you get a terrific view over the city. (www.calgarytower.com)

The public transport system in Calgary is first class as they have a light railway network called the CTrain and we caught one to Heritage Park. The park is a re-creation of an old town based in cowboy times, with real people dressed in authentic clothing, demonstrating trades and crafts from the era, and speaking as they did 100 years ago. A good day out for all the family. www.heritagepark.ca

The Devonian Gardens is a 2.5 acre indoor park featuring 16,000 sub-tropical and 4000 local plants, and is bizarrely situated on the top 4 floors above one of the main shopping malls in Calgary. You can feed the fish and turtles, and as admission is free, it is definitely worth a look. (www.calgaryattractions.com/devonian.html)

One of the main attractions of Calgary is the world-famous Stampede, which takes place in mid July. I would have loved to have seen this event but as it is so popular, rooms are booked early and prices shoot up. www.calgarystampede.com

We hired a 4-wheel drive car and headed to the Rockies. We made a quick stop at Lake Louise. The lake has the most beautiful natural turquoise colour and is fed by the Victoria Glacier at the far end. Time was getting on and we had to get to our pre-booked accommodation at a motel in Golden so we could not stay for long. Distances are huge in Canada, but nevertheless we decided next day to drive the 50 miles back to Lake Louise, where we spent a most enjoyable few hours walking around the lake. This location is one of the most popular tourist spots in Canada, but you simply have to stop and enjoy the scenery! (www.banfflakelouise.com)

Then we stopped at the nearby Moraine Lake. This is a gorgeous area, and the lake itself is surrounded by 10 famous mountain peaks, which featured until recent years on the Canadian $20 bill. Heather and I hired a canoe and set off across the lake. We enjoyed a truly wondrous hour, peacefully gliding along amongst the spectacular scenery. (www.morainelake.com)

We then drove back the 50 miles to Golden, crossing the Rockies, and carried on the Kamloops road until we reached Salmon Arm, where we met up with all the family. Salmon Arm is a small town but does have a excellent nature reserve. It spans 70 acres, with waterfront footage of some 18,000 feet criss-crossed with boardwalks, viewing blinds and walkways. It is home to more than 270 species of birds and we saw ospreys, herons and woodpeckers during our tour around the reserve.

After a few days the family dispersed and we carried on to Kamloops, and then up the west side of the Rockies to Clearwater. We stayed at the Red Top Bed & Breakfast, which I booked over the internet. The owners made us feel very welcome and are so proud of British Columbia that they showed us a video of the beautiful scenery in their province. The main reason for stopping here is that the Wells Gray Park is very close by, with 2,000 square miles of wilderness. There are 40 national parks in Canada, and this is one of the least famous, but it is definitely worth a visit to see the amazing Helmcken Falls. To get there you have to drive for about 30 miles through the park, the last section of which is dirt track, but what a view you are rewarded with! The waterfall is 3 times the height of Niagara and the sound is truly deafening. A few minutes’ walk down stream from the falls, we saw salmon leaping in the water, a sight I will remember for years to come. www.wellsgray.ca

After leaving Clearwater, we headed up the road to Jasper. The route takes you directly past Mount Robson, which at 12,972 feet is the highest peak in the Canadian Rockies. We were unfortunate in having a cloudy day, but were told that on a clear day the view of the mountain is awesome. In Jasper, most people stay in Approved Accommodation, and we rented the basement flat of a house in the town. We went on a couple of walks in the area, hoping to catch a glimpse of a bear as there had been some sightings reported, but we did not see any ourselves. Moose and Cariboo often wander through the streets of Jasper, and we saw plenty of droppings in the roads as evidence of this claim! www.explorejasper.com

Just a few miles from Jasper lies the Maligne Lake. This is most well-known for Spirit Island, a tiny island within the lake, reachable only by guided tour boat. The boats land near the island, so you can take a short walk and take your own photos. The view of Spirit Island is one of the most famous in Canada. www.malignelake.com

We left Jasper and headed south to Banff. The road is called the Icefields Parkway and is 143 miles long. It is said to be the third most beautiful drive in the world, and I would certainly vouch for this as there are fantastic views almost all the way. Approximately halfway between Jasper and Banff you will find the Columbia Icefield and Athabasca Glacier. You have to stop and see the glacier close up, it would be a crime to drive past it! You can board gigantic 6-wheel drive Snocoaches to travel safely on to the glacier itself, and then have a short walk around on the glacier to enjoy this unique experience.

(www.canadianrockies.net/icepwy.html)

(www.travel-wise.com/northamerica/banff/demone/demone3.html)

Upon arriving in Banff, we were struck by how attractive this small town is, and imagine it must be beautiful when covered in snow. It is very commercialised, however, aiming squarely at the tourist skiing industry. We are not experienced horse riders but we took a most enjoyable trek through the forest and ate a typical ‘cowboy meal’. Sulphur Mountain is adjacent to Banff, and this is a recommended trip. The summit is 7,486 feet above sea level and you can go either by foot up a special pathway, or by gondola (cable car). If you choose to walk up, the gondola back is free! At the peak is a visitor centre and restaurant so you can relax and enjoy the amazing scenery. (www.banffgondola.com/summit/default.htm)

Everything seems overpriced in Banff and we recommend travelling 10 miles further east to Canmore, another small town still within easy reach of Lake Louise, but with more reasonable accommodation rates. A few miles from Canmore is the Kananaskis River, where we took our first ever trip white water rafting. This is an amazing experience, you are bound to get a little bit wet but the organisers make you feel very safe at the same time. (www.tourismcanmore.com) (www.adventures.com/gasnet/403-2.htm)

In summary…The two weeks we had in Canada were fabulous, and we are looking forward to going back again one day. We went in August, when you expect the weather to be hot, but because you are high up you will still need a sweater, particularly in the evenings. There were so many ‘must-see’ attractions that you have to go for at least a fortnight. Prices are similar to the UK but can be a higher in places like Bannf. A four wheel drive vehicle is useful for going to places like the Helmcken Falls, but a normal car would suffice for everything else as the roads are very good. And arriving in Calgary at the weekend meant extra-cheap room rates!