Rocky Mountaineer, Journey Through the Clouds — A Train Ride into the Canadian Rockies
Rocky Mountaineer, Train Journey through the Clouds — A Train Ride into the Clouds of the Canadian Rockies
A train journey from Vancouver to Jasper, into the heart of the Canadian Rockies.
Words & Photos Hur Taewoo
In collaboration with Destination Canada
Vancouver–Jasper
Duration: 2 days, 1 night
Route: Vancouver, British Columbia – Kamloops, British Columbia – Jasper, Alberta
Total distance: approx. 800 km
Schedule
Day 1
8:00am: Depart Vancouver; breakfast and lunch served aboard the Rocky Mountaineer
6:15–7:45pm: Arrive in Kamloops
Day 2
8:15am: Depart Kamloops; breakfast and lunch served aboard the Rocky Mountaineer
7:00–8:30pm: Arrive in Jasper
At 7:30 in the morning, the Rocky Mountaineer station in Vancouver is crowded with people excited about a two-day train journey. In front of the long line of coaches, staff are busy greeting passengers, and bagpipers in traditional dress send out a farewell melody. At a glance, there are more than twenty enormous cars: double-decker GoldLeaf coaches, single-level SilverLeaf coaches, mighty locomotives, and cars for staff and freight, all lined up like an army about to set off on a long march. About 900 passengers are boarding for this early-autumn trip, which departs Vancouver, passes through Kamloops and arrives in Jasper. Counting the crew, more than 1,000 people are about to begin the Journey through the Clouds in the Rockies.
Since it began service in 1990 on a route linking Vancouver and Banff, the Rocky Mountaineer has been counted among the world’s finest luxury train journeys. Beyond the fantastic scenery seen through the coaches’ glass domes, its appeal lies in refined facilities, warm and sincere service, and generous meals. Trains leave early in the morning and reach their destinations by evening, and itineraries are built around overnight stays at partner hotels. On the ‘Journey through the Clouds,’ for example, the train drops passengers at its first stop, Kamloops, at around 6:30pm, and they split up among buses waiting in front of the station to take them to their hotels. The first evening is free time in Kamloops. The next morning, passengers arrive at the station by private coach from the hotel, depart Kamloops at 8:15, and end the journey by reaching Jasper at around 7pm.
The Rocky Mountaineer travels at an average of 50 kilometers per hour, slowing to 10–20 kilometers per hour at key viewpoints or depending on rail traffic. It sometimes slows for wildlife as well, so it is hard to predict exactly when it will reach each destination. The scenery on the Journey through the Clouds reveals the mystery of the Rockies as it is. From dry inland terrain, the landscape moves through plains, dense conifer forests and dazzling snowy peaks before opening onto high plateaus, and nature’s face keeps changing. With luck, you may watch grizzly bears, bighorn sheep and elk wandering about, or even a mass migration of salmon.
To really enjoy the Rocky Mountaineer, it is better to choose the GoldLeaf class. It costs about 50 percent more than SilverLeaf, but the difference in experience is far greater. For a start, GoldLeaf passengers ride in a double-decker coach. The upper level holds the seats, while the lower level has a dedicated dining room, an open-air platform and restrooms. The seating level has 72 reclining seats and a full glass-dome roof, and two dedicated attendants handle food and beverage service and commentary. They keep up a running account of everything from the history of the Rocky Mountaineer to each region and landmark, all while deftly mixing cocktails; without them, the train ride might be about 15 percent less fun. The dining car has its own kitchen and serves breakfast and lunch every day. The multi-course meals use local ingredients, with a varied menu that includes British Columbia salmon, Alberta beef and Okanagan Valley wines. Thanks to skilled chefs who cook on the spot in a rattling galley, vegan and gluten-free options are always available. When nearly twelve hours a day on a train starts to feel stifling, you can head down to the open-air platform on the lower level for a change of mood. There you can breathe the fresh air and capture the Rockies’ vivid scenery in striking videos and photos. These services and facilities more than make up for the inconvenience of having no Wi-Fi during the trip. Perhaps the Rocky Mountaineer’s intention is for you to focus entirely on nature, or on yourself. That is part of the charm of train travel, too.
The Journey through the Clouds route follows the Fraser River and the Thompson River, climbing up valleys carved deep into the Rocky Mountains. Along the way, the sights overwhelm the eye as if filling an IMAX screen: Hell’s Gate canyon, where 750 million liters of water surge through every minute; Yellowhead Pass, the old mountain pass linking British Columbia and Alberta; and Mount Robson, the highest peak in the Canadian Rockies. On the second day in particular, once the train enters the heart of the Rockies, the colors of the landscape change markedly. The dark gray-green river gradually turns emerald, and larches just beginning to yellow and deep-green spruce form a gradient along the slopes. Perpetual snow that has survived the summer catches the light here and there at the summit tips and holds your gaze for a long time. By the time the train finally reaches Jasper station, the Rocky peaks are slowly turning red, welcoming the stranger with the warm mood of dusk, as if offering a memorable place to rest in the middle of rugged wilderness. Staff greet passengers on arrival, and with a commemorative photo beside the train, the journey with the Rocky Mountaineer comes to an end.
The Rocky Mountaineer in Canada runs from April to October each year. There are four routes in total, and trips last from two days and one night up to two weeks. Bookings generally open two years before the departure year, and peak-season seats, including the September–October fall foliage season, sell out early.