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Globe and Mail
10-07-2025
- Globe and Mail
Aboard the Rocky Mountaineer to Jasper, I found a moment to be still
As the train slowed to a halt, the usual chatter of passengers aboard the Rocky Mountaineer dimmed to a quiet hum, as if to mimic our surroundings. I stood outside on the viewing deck, just steps from the still, clear water of Moose Lake, which was gleaming in the sun. The warm smell of fresh-baked bread wafted from the train's kitchen into the crisp air of Alberta's Rockies. Are you travelling in Canada this summer? Send us a postcard I had let time slip away. Maybe it was because I had gone two days without much cell reception and WiFi, or because unlike my usual jam-packed travels, I was forced to stay put. Taking this legendary rail journey last April, I departed from Vancouver, rolled along hills and through hot desert canyons, and found myself near the end among the ice-capped peaks of Jasper National Park. I was pleasantly surprised to have reached this level of disconnection – having no need to worry about logistics, I completely forgot to change my phone's time zone while on board. This route to Jasper, Journey Through the Clouds, just reopened in spring, almost a year since the July, 2024, wildfire devastated the UNESCO World Heritage Site. As Jasper welcomes tourists back, this train is one of the most awe-inspiring ways to get there, turning a 90-minute flight into a two-day, one-night adventure. When travelling a century-old rail path, built in the 1880s by the Canadian Pacific Railway, you're left with time to ponder the past and present. For travellers like myself, it's a once-in-a-lifetime experience. But even for train staff who make the trip on the regular, it never gets old. 'I have the absolute best office view in the world,' says Wendy McMichael, who has been a senior on-board manager with the Rocky Mountaineer for 14 years, in which she's seen everything from marriage proposals to a bear on its hind legs watching the train go by. 'No two days are the same' she says, reflecting on the ever-changing weather and terrain. Though each day may be different, they are all just as well-rehearsed. Red carpets are rolled out at the station and men in Scottish dress play bagpipes – a nod to the heritage of the founders and owners, the Armstrong family. The Rocky Mountaineer's crew works overnight to get the train ready, says Celia Bautista, who has been a train manager for four years. If you're venturing upstairs to 'GoldLeaf' service, plush, heated seats await and you can almost touch the lush foliage that brushes the outside of the glass-domed ceiling. Soon after boarding, you're offered tea, coffee and cake with lemon glaze poured on top at your seat, before you're invited to the dining cart for breakfast. (The train's cheaper SilverLeaf service still offers great views – the main difference is you're served breakfast and lunch at your seat.) The breakfast and lunch menu uses ingredients local to the regions the train passes through. Elaborate and colourful meals include Fraser Valley chicken paillard with corn and fennel sauté, locally-farmed steelhead with gnocchi, seared albacore tuna with truffle aioli, and for dessert, a lavender lemon posset. The food is prepared fresh by just two people in the tiny kitchen on board. It's a fascinating feat, with the 72 guests split into two groups to allow for service. The first part of the trip cuts through lumberyards and the flower fields and farmlands of Abbotsford, where cows graze under highway bridges. Along the way, big-horned sheep stop their hopping to examine our noisy intrusion, people come out to their porches to wave, and speed boaters show off their drifting skills for the audience. Often, there are relics of the original line such as telegraph poles still standing from when Morse code messages were sent to train stations. As we pass large, unmarked stone graves, our host Tina Mohns acknowledges those who died while building the tracks – among them, around 4,000 Chinese construction workers. As the diesel-electric train twists and turns through the Coast and Cascade Mountains at 50 kilometres an hour to 100 km/h, Mohns tells tales of local sites, legends of long-ago epic journeys, and the 1858 Fraser River Gold Rush. In one day, we go from the steely grey, towering cliffs of Hell's Gate on the Fraser River to the dusty-brown ridges and large osprey nests in Ashcroft, B.C. (which I'm fascinated to learn is classified as an arid desert). Overnight, we get off in Kamloops and sleep at a hotel. The next morning, 10 railcars split off with some heading to Banff, while our three railcars head to Jasper. We were back to lush greens by the Thompson River, one of the longest salmon runs in the world. Here, the train did a 'Kodak roll,' moving slowly past the remote Pyramid Creek Falls – which are difficult to access by car or foot – so passengers could snap pictures. While we were in Jasper National Park's Yellowhead Pass, Mohns told us the area is home to around 1,500 moose and that if we see wildlife, we should yell so the staff can alert the other coaches. Here I was, on the lookout for moose, drinking a Caesar, with Shania Twain's You're Still the One playing over the speaker (could it get more stereotypically Canadian?), when someone yelled 'Bear! Bear! Bear!' I plastered myself against glass-domed windows for a better look, along with the rest of the passengers. Eventually, we reached Mount Robson – the highest peak in the Canadian Rockies and the end of our journey. I enjoyed my cabin in Jasper, walking the trails near the gushing Athabasca Falls, and seeing wildlife such as mountain goats, elk, and a black bear emerging from hibernation. But I missed the train, with its promise of serendipity, and an excuse to be still. It helped me forge a deeper connection to this part of the country. Sometimes, the journey can be as exciting as the destination. Rocky Mountaineer runs between April to October. The Vancouver to Jasper route starts at $2,654 for SilverLeaf class and $3,565 for GoldLeaf. Travellers in wheelchairs can use a lift to get on the train, and also have access to narrow wheelchairs on board that fit in the aisle and the railcar elevator. The Rocky Mountaineer is not a sleeper train – the night in Kamloops is spent in a three- or four-star hotel. Pre and post-trip extensions are offered in five-star hotels, such as the Fairmont Waterfront in Vancouver and Jasper Park Lodge. Rocky Mountaineer packages can include excursions such as wildlife tours, ice plunges and Indigenous plant walks. Some areas of Jasper National Park remain closed because of wildfire damage; you can find updated information on the Parks Canada website. You can extend your trip by booking a bus from Jasper to Banff on the Icefields Parkway, where you pass jagged sawtooth mountains, gravel flats with braided streams, and the Columbia Icefield. The writer was a guest of Rocky Mountaineer and Fairmont Hotels. It did not review or approve the story before publication.
Calgary Herald
27-06-2025
- Calgary Herald
Calgary Walks: Immerse yourself in nature in the heart of the city
Article content Lori Beattie knows a thing or two about walking. She's travelled every path and trail listed in her new updated book, Calgary's Best Walks. She explained why she loves to explore this city on foot in a Weekend Life column on March 29, and now we're encouraging you to follow in her footsteps. Over the next few months, we'll highlight one of the 95 walks in Beattie's book, complete with necessary details and tasty stops along the way. Article content Article content Article content Article content Article content Families looking for a post-dinner stroll to relax or to let kids burn off some energy will enjoy a visit to Carburn Park. This trek is perfect for all ages, pups and people, with its water features, wildlife and mix of single-track trails and paved pathways. And when the trees are full, this extensive suburban green space becomes a refreshing nature getaway. Balsam poplars offer shade while shrubs like saskatoon, choke cherry, American silverberry, and Canada buffaloberry provide texture and colour along the trail. Pelicans, double-breasted cormorants and bald eagles all frequent this area, and many deer call the park home. Walk 83 follows the paved Bow River Pathway from Sue Higgins Off-Leash Park through Carburn Park, under Glenmore Trail, and up the escarpment to Lynnwood with views of the Rocky Mountains and downtown. Soon you'll enter Beaverdam Flats Park, where you can stick to the main path or venture off-trail onto shrub-lined trails that follow the river. Take the hidden path to Lynnwood Ridge, where you'll walk behind homes with stunning views. Chat with the homeowners along the ridge if you want to learn about the former Imperial Oil Refinery and the decades of environmental remediation in their community. And keep watch for the epic rhubarb plant. I made many pies and muffins from its stalks, thanks to the owner offering it up. Article content Article content Walk 84 stays high and explores the neighbourhoods of Lynnwood and Millican Ogden, one of Calgary's oldest communities. Named after the former vice-president of the Canadian Pacific Railway, it is arguable that Calgary would not exist had it not been for the CPR, the Ogden Locomotive Shops, and the founding of the town of Ogden. Be sure to detour down 18A Street to see many vintage homes dating back to 1910 and to chat with the friendly folks who live there.
National Post
10-06-2025
- Politics
- National Post
John Rustad: It's time to end David Eby's nation-building blockade
I recently took a stroll from the B.C. Legislature to the site where the Sir John A. Macdonald statue used to reside in front of Victoria's City Hall. I did so because I am increasingly contemplative about nation-building as it relates to the critical juncture in history, we, as Canadians, currently face. Article content Now, it is without question that our first prime minister had many flaws, all of which have been well-documented in recent years. Yet, what cannot be discounted or disputed, is his leadership in Confederation and the evolution of Canada, facilitated in large part through his dream of building a transcontinental railroad. Article content The Canadian Pacific Railway, as it eventually would come to be known, was Macdonald's path to quelling American settlement desires in the west, expanding the dominion, and entrenching Canadian sovereignty. Article content Article content Today, we sit at a crossroad that is eerily reminiscent those times. The American president continues to openly muse about the annexation of Canada. There is a desperate need to build projects of national interest that grow infrastructure, trade corridors and access to international markets. And collectively, we are facing grave internal threats to preserving the sanctity of Canadian independence, national unity and social cohesion. Article content I am sorry to report that the B.C. government now stands as the country's largest impediment to tackling these dire challenges. More specifically, Premier David Eby is openly demonstrating that he and his cabinet are more concerned with playing divisive politics than doing what is best for the country as well as British Columbians desperate for an economic buffer to their gross fiscal negligence. Article content Article content More concerningly is how they are speaking out of both sides of their mouths in doing so. The prime minister and all of Canada's thirteen premiers just wrapped up a summit in Saskatoon, concluding with a joint statement that committed to 'work urgently to get Canadian natural resources and commodities to domestic and international markets, such as critical minerals and decarbonized Canadian oil and gas by pipelines' which are 'crucial for driving Canadian productivity growth, energy security, and economic competitiveness.' BC was a signatory to the communique. Article content Article content Yet two days later, Eby trotted out his Energy and Climate Solutions Minister Adrian Dix to assert that the idea of a pipeline 'doesn't make sense to us.' Dix went on to declare that 'we have a different view' and emphatically confirmed that 'The premier has expressed very clearly his view of non-support for that.' Article content So, in front of a national audience, the government formally agrees to engage with the rest of the country in fast-tracking energy projects of national significance. Yet when speaking in B.C., the premier has his lieutenants march forth with messages of staunch opposition to any pipeline being built to the province's northern coast.
Globe and Mail
03-06-2025
- Business
- Globe and Mail
Build, baby, build: Canada used to know how to do that
The Last Spike of the Canadian Pacific Railway was driven on Nov. 7, 1885, at Craigellachie, British Columbia. It was the fulfillment of the National Dream – we used to do things in all caps – of a ribbon of steel binding the country together, and securing our independence from the United States. It was the world's longest rail line at that time, and an exceptional engineering feat, driven across the forbidding Canadian Shield and through a wall of mountains in B.C. And building it took just three and a half years. The first spike was driven in Bonfield, Ont., 3,500 kilometres east of Craigellachie, in the spring of 1882. Three and a half years to make a National Dream. Are we still able to dream big? And make big things happen? With the nation's first ministers meeting on Monday to talk about Prime Minister Mark Carney's goal of 'build, baby, build,' it's worth remembering that, until not so long ago, Canada knew how to do that. We could build big, we could built quickly and we could build at reasonable cost. Sometimes all three. Here are a few examples. Construction on Canada's first subway began on Sept. 8, 1949. Toronto's 7.4-km, 12-station line was opened to passengers on March 30, 1954. That's four and a half years from start to finish. Even if we date the start to when the citizens of Toronto agreed to the project in a plebiscite, in January, 1946, it was just eight years from idea to execution. Fast forward to the present, and the Eglinton Crosstown. It's been under construction since 2011. It's light rail – not the heavy rail of a subway – and much of the route is on the surface, as a scaled-up streetcar. It's still not open. Or consider the creation of the Montreal Metro. In November, 1961, the city decided to build a subway system, all underground. Construction started in the spring of 1962 and three lines, with 26 stations, were fully open by the spring of 1967. That's five years from decision to completion, or four and a half years from first shovel to first passenger. And then there was Expo 67. The 1967 world's fair was originally awarded to Moscow, but late in the game it pulled out. Montreal submitted a last-minute bid and was awarded the fair on Nov. 13, 1962. Construction started on Aug. 13, 1963. Here's what that entailed: Enlarging an island in the middle of the Saint Lawrence River. Creating another from landfill. Building a three-station, 4-kilometre Metro line, running under the river. Building the Expo Express, a five-station, 7.5-km rail line – a surface subway, with rolling stock similar to the Toronto subway – which was also North America's first computer-controlled, driverless transit line. Building the Pont de la Concorde bridge. Building a 25,000-seat stadium, the Autostade. Building mass transit within the Expo site, known as the Minirail, an elevated, driverless monorail. Building 90 exposition pavilions, some of which were large and architecturally advanced, including the 20-storey tall U.S. geodesic dome, which the Minirail passed through, and Canada's giant inverted pyramid, Katimavik. And building Habitat 67, a futuristic experimental housing development. Expo 67 opened on April 27, 1967. That's four and half years from conception to completion, or just 44 months from the start of construction the big reveal. The fair expected 12 million visitors. It got 55 million. Earlier this year, researchers at the University of Toronto's School of Cities published a report on the massive cost escalation in one of the things we must build more of – public transit. Current projects in the Toronto area, which are overseen by the provincial agency Metrolinx, have a price tag seven to ten times higher per kilometre than the original Yonge subway, even after adjusting for inflation. The researchers found that, from the 1950s to the 1990s, the cost of new high-capacity transit lines in Toronto was stable at around $100-million per kilometre, after adjusting for inflation. Thereafter, costs exploded. The extension of the subway into Vaughan a decade ago cost nearly $400-million per kilometre. Planned subway extensions to Scarborough and York region are budgeted at almost $800-million a kilometre. The under-construction Ontario Line is expected to clock in at over $1-billion per kilometre. Even the Finch West LRT – it's light rail running at street level, which is supposed to be cheap and easy – is expected to cost twice as much per kilometre as a tunnelled subway did a generation ago. Many advanced countries – South Korea, Finland, France, Spain and others – build the same or better transit at lower cost, and often much lower cost. Canada tends to tie itself in knots in various ways, so that we end up spending more but getting less. It happens in transit, and beyond. Build, baby, build? It's not impossible. Others do it. We used to. The first scheduled passenger train on what was then the world's longest transcontinental railway journey left Montreal's Dalhousie Station on June 28, 1886. It arrived at Port Moody, outside Vancouver, 136 hours and one minute later. It was one minute behind schedule.
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Yahoo
6 of the best train trips in British Columbia
This article was produced by National Geographic Traveller (UK). British Columbia, Canada's westernmost province, is well known for its spectacular landscapes, offering endless views of serrated peaks, opaline glacier lakes and feather-tipped pines. And what better way to take it all in than on a train, with those big-picture vistas slowly rolling by beyond the windowpanes — here are some of the best rail routes to try. Vancouver to Banff; 2 daysThis double-decker train is surely one of the world's most scenic rail journeys, offering bubble-domed vistas of mountains, lakes, forests, gorges, rivers and glaciers and the chance to spot wildlife along the way. The classic First Passage to the West route follows part of the line from the historic Canadian Pacific Railway, Canada's first transcontinental train journey, which travelled from Montreal to Vancouver. It starts in Vancouver before passing the Fraser River for an overnight in Kamloops then continuing into the Rockies via the sheer-sided valley of Kicking Horse Pass, the glacial-blue expanse of Lake Louise and the pretty mountain town of Banff. On board, waistcoated hosts serve cocktails to your seat, with three-course meals on offer in the dining car, including a section of sommelier-picked Canadian wines. From £1,389 per person. Prince Rupert to Jasper; 2 daysInaugurated in 1914, the Skeena offers an epic, 1,160-mile journey that carries you all the way from the Pacific coast into the Rocky Mountains. Also known as the 'Rupert Rocket', it runs three times a week between Prince Rupert and Jasper, with an overnight stop in Prince George en route. Along the way, it travels through some spectacularly wild scenery — from pristine forest to steep canyons and glacial lakes — and is one of the few railways in North America that offers a 'flag' service, allowing passengers to flag it down between scheduled stations. As such, it's a favourite for hikers, adventurers and others keen on exploring BC's backcountry — and it runs year-round, no matter the weather. From C$163 (£91) per person. (Related: Try the Skeena, a budget alternative to Canada's famous Rocky Mountaineer.) Faulder to Trout Creek; 90 minutesThis historic route was originally built between 1910 and 1916 to link the mainline between Montreal and Vancouver with southern BC — an area rich in resources, from fruit, grain and lumber to precious metals and minerals. It continued to carry freight until its closure in 1989, but it's now been resurrected as a heritage steam railway. The vintage steam locomotive dates from 1912, with open-sided carriages offering uninhibited views of the scenery. The route follows 16 miles of restored track through the vineyards and farms of the Okanagan Valley, an area renowned for producing some of Canada's best wines. From C$33 (£18) per person; Vancouver to Jasper; 3 daysYou won't need to choose between the mountains and the coast on this alternative Rocky Mountaineer route, which runs up the Pacific seaboard from Vancouver via the ski slopes of Whistler and the old logging town of Quesnel, before heading inland across the gold fields of the Cariboo Plateau. It finishes up in Jasper, across the border in Alberta, and there are two overnight stops en route, allowing plenty of time to stretch your legs and explore. From CA$4,929 (£2,776) per person. Vancouver to Seattle; 4½ hoursThe Amtrak line offers the chance to shuttle between the big cities on either side of the US-Canada border, including Vancouver, Seattle and Portland. The trains that ply this route are simple but spacious, with large, comfy seats, a bistro car and a viewing lounge dedicated to taking in the scenery. And what a view it is: expect to see endless feather-tipped pines, glacier-blue bays and alpine meadows mixed in with classic mountain towns. From US$44 (£34) per person. Port Alberni; 25 minutesVancouver Island's booming lumber industry once required the services of many a chugging steam train, but all have vanished now save for this one in Port Alberni, the small city that stands at the head of Alberni Inlet, the waterway that runs inland for 34 miles from the island's south coast. Once a centre for logging and paper making, Port Alberni isn't the prettiest city in BC, but the waterfront remains an important hub for the town. It's also where you'll find this steam railway and its vintage carriages, pulled by a #7 Baldwin locomotive dating from 1929. An atmospheric relic of the island's industrial past, it's now run by enthusiasts entirely for love, not profit, and offers views of the Alberni waterfront and the hills beyond. C$8 per person. Published in the May 2025 issue of National Geographic Traveller (UK).To subscribe to National Geographic Traveller (UK) magazine click here. (Available in select countries only).
