Luxury in the Canadian wilderness? Champagne and whitewater? High alpine hiking and silver tray service? While sounding outrageous and contradictory it’s just another day of active luxury travel offered by Montana-based Austin-Lehman Adventures. And the magnificent setting of the Canadian Rockies provides the perfect multisport playground.
The Canadian Rockies & Calgary, Alberta
Rising well over 10,000 feet, the Canadian Rockies dominate the landscape of southwestern Alberta dwarfing the stone and steel towers of nearby Calgary. Carved and shaped by Mother Nature, this breathtaking mountainscape invites adventurous exploration and is the home to five national parks – Banff, Jasper, Yoho, Kootenay, and Waterton Lakes. Amid impenetrable forests, raging rivers, hanging glaciers, and meadows of Technicolor wildflowers Austin-Lehman Adventures succeeds in merging invigorating outdoor activity into an unforgettable weeklong luxury vacation.
The bustling and historic city of Calgary offers the ideal gateway for quick access into the region’s most awe-inspiring scenery. A gorgeous 90-minute drive brings you to the charming mountain town of Banff, jumping-off point for most Canadian Rockies adventures. Here you’ll find the Buffalo Mountain Lodge and its cozy rooms replete with amenities such as down comforters, fireplaces, and claw foot tubs. Down the road is the jewel of the Rockies, Lake Louise. I recommend a stay at the Post Hotel, a sumptuous accommodation that was named one of the “Top 500 Hotels of the World” by Travel & Leisure Magazine and included in the “World’s Best Places to Stay” by Condé Nast Traveler. You see, nightly pampering after a day of calorie crunching activity is just a part of what makes a vacation such as those offered by Austin-Lehman so special.
Activities and Adventures in the Rockies & Canadian Wilderness
Whether taking a family trip or a romantic escape for two, an adventure in the Canadian Rockies provides a plethora of healthy and achievable outdoor adventure. Combining wilderness hiking, rafting, canoeing, horseback riding, and some of the best alpine mountain biking anywhere into a seamless six-day package is what Austin-Lehman does best. During a typical week you’ll float the Kicking Horse River, hike alpine meadows to Ptarmigan Cirque (a glacier-carved natural amphitheater), bike the Minnewanka and Two Jacks Lake Loop, and spur your horse through the forests of Kananaskis. A guided walk (with crampons and ice axe) across the Athabasca Glacier with noted ice guide and naturalist Peter LeMieux is another highlight that takes you off the usual tourist track to sights unseen by most park visitors.
Luxury & Escape go Hand-in-Hand with Austin-Lehman Adventures
The Canadian Rockies are a main attraction among Austin-Lehman’s portfolio of 40 luxury multisport vacations. Hallmark to all their trips is what Director Dan Austin calls the “WOW factor.” Combining luxury with multisport activities can be challenging but Austin-Lehman does it by focusing on the details. “We’re always looking for ways to surprise our guests and blow away their expectations,” says Austin. Just like offering hot towels after a cool river raft, a tray of yogurt and fruit parfaits (with tiny umbrellas) halfway through a hike, or a cooler of ice-cold beer and lawn chairs by a lake after a good bike ride.
Their trips into the Canadian Rockies are no exception. To top-off each day they offer the region’s best in fine dining and truly distinctive places to kick off your hiking boots and rest up for another active day. From mints on your pillow at night to silver platter mountain picnics, Austin-Lehman Adventures delivers the ultimate in luxury multisport travel.
The company offers two popular trip itineraries, both starting and finishing in Calgary:
1) Canadian Rockies: Rocky Mountain Multisport for adults and teens (16 and over).
2) Canadian Rockies Family – Mighty Peaks to Mountain Goats for moms, dads, and kids 7 and older.
For more information on ALA’s tours, visit them online at http://www.austinlehman.com
About Austin-Lehman and Trusted Adventures
Austin-Lehman Adventurers is a member of Trusted Adventures Alliance (www.trustedadventures.com), a consortium of award-winning travel companies matching active individuals, families and groups on nature and culture adventures walking, rafting, cycling and trekking throughout the Americas, Europe, Asia, Australia and Africa. The alliance offers 350 unique trips to over 85 destinations worldwide.
This article was published with permission from Trusted Adventures Alliance.