EXPERIENCE THE MAGIC OF THE ROCKIES BY RAIL

What to look at first while rattling headlong into the Rocky Mountains? The silvery glacial lakes? The effervescent-blue waterfalls? The elemental backdrop of Glacier National Park? Or the buffers, boxcars and black bears-in-hiding along the tracks of the historic Canadian Pacific Railway line, which first bridged the once insurmountable gap between eastern and western Canada? The 594mile rail journey sprints out of turn-ofthe-century Pacific Central Station in Vancouver to scrutinise British Columbia’s arresting forests, before lurching into the glacial valleys of Banff and Jasper.

Even better, the Rocky Mountaineer journey is about more than train travel. With its vast glass windows, the train only travels during daylight hours to make the most of the spectacular scenery. There’s an haute cuisine restaurant on board – loosen your belt for striploin steak and Pacific salmon emerging from the galley – and the pace is designed to offer an opportunity to unplug.

YOU’LL NEVER FORGET

Stopping at a crossing light beneath the white incisors of Banff National Park’s mountains, only to see a brown bear and cub scurry from the cedars into shadow. Rare is the train journey that can take you on both an intimate wildlife-watching trip and a pilgrimage to a country’s mountainous front line.

The Rocky Mountaineer (0800 088 5541; rockymountaineer.com) First Passage to the West trip costs from £1,043pp, excluding flights. Departs April to October. My Canada Trips (0800 021 7732; mycanadatrips.co.uk) offers a 14-day Classic Rockies & British Columbia adventure from £3,229pp, including flights and GoldLeaf Service on the Rocky Mountaineer. Departs June 2

Big picture: take in the view from the Rocky Mountaineer