Adventure Rail Tours | Canada

Rail's Golden Age may be faded but VIA's signature "Canadian" manages to recapture at least some of the era's majesty and romance with this transcontinental onboard odyssey. Guests savor three days and nights crossing golden prairies and Canadian Rockies aboard restored Art Deco carriages. Private quarters range from classic berths to deluxe suites. Lavish Park Car has panorama deck above two separate lounges. Onboard chefs provide a masterful menu accompanied by fine Canadian wines. Choose Toronto to Vancouver or reverse.

All-daylight rail adventures through the unspoiled Canadian Rockies treat guests to the spellbinding sights of glacier-fed lakes, majestic mountains and ferocious rivers. Highlights among various routes include views of Mount Robson -- Canada's highest mountain -- and opportunities to view bald eagles, grizzlies, black bears, moose, bighorn sheep, cougar, wolves, lynx and caribou. Trains operate year-round.
The Train: Modern diesel hauled trains feature standard RedLeaf observation cars and premium GoldLeaf bi-level dome cars with upper lounge and lower dining levels, Whistler Mountaineer features premium Glacier Dome and standard Coast Classic coache). Itineraries: Two-day Kicking Horse Route runs from Vancouver to Banff or Calgary and reverse. Two-day Yellowhead Route runs from Vancouver to Jasper and reverse. Two-day Fraser Discovery Route runs from Whistler to Jasper and reverse. Three-hour Whistler Mountaineer runs from Vancouver to Whistler and reverse. Four-day Classic Rail Circle combines Yellowhead, Fraser Discovery and Whistler Mountaineer routes. Packages and Specials: Over 50 vacations include rail/cruise ship, rail/drive, rail/motorcoach and rail/destination combos. Add-on tour itineraries include Columbia Icefield, Athabasca Glacier and Spiral Tunnels at Yoho National Park. Guest Quarters: One night moderate accommodation is provided in Kamloops for Kicking Horse and Yellowhead passengers; in Quesnel, for Fraser Discovery passengers. Dining: Breakfast and lunch are served onboard. At-seat RedLeaf meal service is provided to standard class guests. Premium class passengers enjoy gourmet cuisine in the GoldLeaf dining room and dinner is included with overnight accommodations in Kamloops or Quesnel. At-seat snacks provided for Whistler passengers. Selected features: interpretive commentaries, charters, handicap access, online booking.

Passenger service has re-emerged aboard CP, the fabled railroad of the north. This time, a period fleet has been elegantly restored to carry guests on the RR's signature 6-day Crowsnest Tour of the Rockies. Also: dinner excursions from Calgary and Banff; custom charter tours may be routed anywhere CP rail lines reach.

Two-day return packages out of Sault-Ste-Marie feature stopover at Agawa Canyon and guided boat tour; plus over night accomodations at the lakeside Wilderness Island Resort in the Chapleau Wildlife Preserve, the world's largest wildlife sanctuary. Rail/float plane return trips can be arranged.

Reach north to the Arctic Tidewater aboard a thrilling wilderness journey to Moosonee. Choose from same-day round-trip adventures or extended holidays including MV Polar Princess cruise on James Bay, ancient fort and Cree Village experiences at Moose Factory Island, wildlife tours and more. Departures from Cochrane (connections from Toronto and southern points via Ontario Northland Railway).

Rail remains king in the Algoma wilderness, where otherwise inaccessible settlements and outposts rely on the ACR as a vital supply line and for year-round access to the outside world. From its Sault Ste. Marie terminus on Lake Superior the Algoma Central Railway wends northward, through Agawa Canyon, crossing boreal forests and Canada's mountainous Shield on its 296 miles/476 km run to Hearst, Ontario. Overnight return trips depart Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, year-round; also Wednesdays in Summer

For over a century, ON's Northlander trains have departed Toronto for the day's journey to Cochrane, a popular snowmobiler destination in Ontario's rugged north. From Cochrane: year-round Little Bear flag-stop freight/passenger service (complete with specially fitted canoe car) and seasonal Polar Bear Express trains press 186 mi/300 km further, to frontier settlements at James Bay. At Cochrane, the railway also operates complementary motorcoach service and the Station Inn, a smallish but up-to-date hotel/restaurant popular with back country visitors.