Pack your bags, boots and winter coats. The same train that just won Travel + Leisure‘s world’s best train category is breaking ground with a new, limited-edition route through some gorgeous, icy landscapes.
That’s right, folks. The Rocky Mountaineer has stretched its rails further with its brand-new ‘Passage to the Peaks’ route, available to book now for June and July of 2026.
The new route takes a break from the Mountaineer’s typical journey through the West Coast and instead ventures through the Canadian provinces of Alberta and British Columbia, stopping at the towns of Edmonton, Jasper, Banff, Calgary, Kamloops and Lake Louise.
In between stops, the train glides through dazzling natural landscapes like glacial lakes, deep valleys, mountain ranges and forests along the Canadian Rockies, making optimal use of that panoramic glass roof that helped the Mountaineer gain its notoriety in the first place.
Travellers can choose from one, five, seven or nine-night experiences. The first and main route starts at either alpine towns, Banff or Jasper, making an overnight stop at Kamloops with time to explore each town.
The five-night package offers the same stops, but way more time to explore the towns, plus a half-day sightseeing tour of Jasper National Park. Seven-night trips can vary – one excludes Banff, but has extra stops in Edmonton, Lake Louise and Calgary, while the other excludes Lake Louise, but keeps Banff.
As for the nine-night experiences, the Rocky Mountaineer will whisk you through the mountains to visit all the stops, or if you’d like a return trip, the train will exclude Edmonton, but will start and end back in Calgary. Feel like upping the ante? Travellers can also add a ride on an Ice Explorer vehicle to glide along the Athabasca Glacier in Columbia Icefields – one of the largest icefields south of the Arctic Circle.
Whichever route you choose, each has its unique perks, whether it be cosy hotels, sightseeing tours and free time to roam solo and take in that fresh, mountainous air.
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