Canada's Rockies are recognized as one of the world's premier cycling destinations. Surrounded by lush forests and towering, massive snowclad peaks, the cyclist, for the most part, rides the surprisingly gentle Icefields Parkway through the chain of valleys between the parallel ranges of the Rockies. The Icefields Parkway is an integral component of both our Icefields Alpiner and Rambler bicycle tours. Unique to our program, however, is the marriage of the Parkway with the exciting Golden Triangle that embraces the extension of the Rockies into British Columbia and the adjacent Columbia River Valley. It is the combination of the Parkway and Golden Triangle --- the best of road cycling in the Canadian Rockies --- that has created the extraordinary aura that Timberline's program in Canada has enjoyed over the years.

In addition to the Alpiner and Rambler programs, we'll again offer Classic Canada, the exciting 10-day odyssey that unites the Rockies with the majestic Purcells and Selkirks, and magnificent lake country of British Columbia to the west.

Icefields Alpiner

Dates: (7 days, 6 nights; Sun-Sat) July 11-17; Aug. 8-14; Aug. 22-28

Tour Cost: $1,495 (includes all lodging, breakfasts and dinners, support van, leaders, tour maps and narratives) (Optional Timberline van shuttle between Calgary and Banff prior to tour and from Jasper to Banff and Calgary following tour—$50)

The Icefields Parkway and Golden Triangle—the marriage of these two regions translates into the most comprehensive and exciting bicycle tour in the Canadian Rockies. Banff, Radium Hot Springs, the Columbia River Valley, Kicking Horse Pass, Lake Louise, the Columbia Icefields, Athabasca Falls, Jasper—this is the heart of the Canadian Rockies that constitutes our Icefields Alpiner.

Our tour assembles in Banff and we'll ride the quiet, gentle Bow Parkway as it follows the Bow River to Johnston Canyon. A leisurely first day affords ample opportunity for the short hikes back to the falls in both Johnston and Marble Canyons. We'll ride on beyond the Continental Divide into Kootenay Park and British Columbia and spend our first overnight at the historic Kootenay Park Lodge.

Day 2 is a scenic delight as we continue through Kootenay Park, tracing the course of the Vermillion and Kootenay Rivers as they carve their course through the rugged Rockies. A final climb to the crest of Sinclair Pass precedes a thrilling 7-mile descent into Radium Hot Springs, whose name suggests the treat that awaits us at the end of this special day.

From Radium, it's on to Golden on Day 3. We'll trace the course of the Columbia River with the towering Rockies to our east and the beautiful Purcells and Selkirks to the west. On Day 4 it's back over the Divide by way of Kicking Horse Pass (5338') as we return to Banff National Park. We'll overnight at Lake Louise in the charming Deer Lodge and visit not only the lake for which the village is named, but also incomparable Moraine Lake.

Our tour continues northward along the Icefields Parkway. We'll spend our fifth night at Saskatchewan Crossing and then head for the Icefields early-morning of Day 6. We'll climb imposing Sunwapta Pass, hike beyond treeline along magnificent Parker Ridge at Sunwapta's summit before continuing to the Icefields Center at the foot of Athabasca Glacier. From the Icefields, we'll descend along the course of the Sunwapta River to Sunwapta Falls for an overnight in the warm, gracious setting of the Sunwapta Falls Resort. A short, leisurely ride to Jasper, including a visit to Athabasca Falls, is planned for Day 7, providing an opportunity to explore Jasper prior to our return to Banff and Calgary.

Total Mileage – 345

Icefields Rambler

Date: (9 days, 8 nights; Sat-Sun) July 24-Aug. 1

Tour Cost: $1,895 (includes all lodging, breakfasts and dinners, support van, leaders, tour maps and narratives) (Optional Timberline van shuttle from Calgary to Banff prior to tour and from Jasper to Banff and Calgary following tour—$50)

The Icefields Rambler incorporates all of the excitement of our 7-day Icefields Alpiner and adds the leisure of a free day in Lake Louise, a night in Jasper and the better part of a full day to explore the beautiful countryside surrounding Jasper.

The initial four days on tour follows the Icefields Alpiner itinerary, although the layover day in Lake Louise on Day 5 presents the inviting opportunity to explore several options along the way to Lake Louise on Day 4. Among those options are a relatively short detour to Natural Bridge and Emerald Lake and a breathtaking climb to Takakkaw Falls, the highest waterfall in Canada.

Day 5 is a layover day in Lake Louise, with some of the best hiking opportunities in the Canadian Rockies. Among the choices is spectacular Sentinel Pass, rising above timberline overlooking beautiful Moraine Lake and the surreal Valley of the Ten Peaks.

Following our second night at Deer Lodge at Lake Louise, we'll head for the Icefields Parkway and a magnificent ride to Saskatchewan Crossing. We'll climb gently to the Bow Summit, the highest point on the Parkway. Along the way, we'll visit Hector Lake, Crowfoot Glacier and Bow Lake, all before lunch at Num-ti-jah Lodge. At the Bow Summit lies Peyto Lake, the crown jewel of Canadian high-alpine lakes. It's then downhill to the Saskatchewan River and our overnight at The Crossing.

We'll continue along the Parkway on Day 7 to the Columbia Icefields and then descend in the shadow of the stark peaks of the Endless Chain to Sunwapta Resort. The Rambler's expanded itinerary suggests several options worth exploring on our way to Jasper the following day, including Athabasca Falls and Mount Edith Cavell. We'll overnight in Jasper, ride to the famous Jasper Park Lodge for brunch the next morning, hike magnificent Maligne Canyon and then call it a tour mid-afternoon as we return to Calgary.

Total Mileage – 378

Classic Canada

Date: (10 days, 9 nights; Fri-Sun) Aug. 27-Sept. 5

Assembly Point: Lake Louise (airline, rail and bus service to Calgary; bus and rail service between Calgary and Lake Louise; or optional Timberline van shuttle between Calgary and Lake Louise prior to, and following tour)

Tour Cost: $1,895 (includes all lodging, breakfasts and dinners, ferry tolls, support van, leaders, tour maps & narratives) (Optional Timberline van shuttle between Calgary and Lake Louise prior to and following tour—$50)

Banff, Lake Louise, the Columbia Icefields, Jasper—these are the place names that symbolize the allure of the Canadian Rockies. Timberline for years has toured this Rocky Mountain Front in the context of our Icefields Alpiner and Rambler programs.

But the magnificence of Alpine Canada sprawls westward well beyond the Great Divide into the heart of British Columbia. The rugged Purcells and Selkirks, the serene beauty of the great Columbia/ Kootenay River system and the valleys through which these waters flow, fiord-like lake country that is everywhere—these are a few of the ingredients of an extraordinary cycling adventure.

Simply stated, Classic Canada is Adventure Cycling at its best. In the course of 10 days, we'll experience the almost indescribable beauty of Lake Louise, challenge the Great Divide twice as well as the many summits that we'll encounter in the Purcells and Selkirks, trace the course of the Columbia, ride the shores of Kootenay and Arrow Lakes and the quaint ferries that cross those waters, explore no less than five of Canada's Rocky Mountain parks, luxuriate in the natural hot springs at Radium, Ainsworth and Nakusp, and overnight in lodging the likes of Baker Creek Chalet and Ainsworth Hot Springs.

Classic Canada assembles in Lake Louise and we'll climb to nearby Moraine Lake on Day 1. The hiking opportunities at Moraine Lake are extraordinary and our Day 1 mileage is intentionally light. Later in the day, we'll descend to the Bow Valley and ride the serene Bow Parkway along the Bow River to Baker Creek Chalet, where we'll spend the evening.

Our first encounter with the Great Divide occurs on Day 2 at the crest of Vermillion Pass. We'll cross into British Columbia and Kootenay Park and descend along the Vermillion and Kootenay Rivers. We'll climb Sinclair Pass that afternoon as a prelude to a 7-mile descent into Radium and a welcome soak in the hot springs.

We'll follow the Columbia south of Radium to the Bavarian-like village of Kimberly, Canada's highest city at 3,630' nestled in the heart of the Purcells. It's on to Cranbrook and Creston on Day 4 and an overnight near the shore of Kootenay Lake. We'll trace the shore of Kootenay the next morning to Crawford Bay and board the ferry for the crossing to Balfour. Following an overnight at the Ainsworth Hot Springs Lodge, we'll ride to Kaslo and through the Slocan Valley to New Denver and Nakusp on the shores of Upper Arrow Lake. We'll overnight at the Selkirk Inn and visit the hot springs at Nakusp.

Mid-morning of Day 7, we'll board our second ferry at Galena Bay as we cross Upper Arrow Lake on our way to Revelstoke. Our climb through the Selkirks begins as we leave the breakfast table on Day 8. We'll cycle through Mt. Revelstoke and Glacier National Parks and spend the evening atop Rogers Pass at the Glacier Park Lodge.

A long descent is our reward on Day 9 as we ride to Golden and a final overnight in the picturesque townsite at the confluence of the Kicking Horse and Columbia Rivers. Our final day is anything but anticlimactic. We'll trace the Kicking Horse through Yoho Park to its source among the high peaks near the Great Divide at Kicking Horse Pass as we return to Lake Louise.

Total Mileage – 610