A Reel Adventure in Alberta! The Stuff of Legends

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VACATION FEATURES:

Accommodations
- 5 nights hotel accommodation

Meals
- 1 Lunch

Sightseeing Excursions and Tours
- Kananaskis Ridge Ride
- Wilson Icefield Helitour

Admissions
- Canada Olympic Park Ski Jump Tower
- Banff Gondola Ride - Columbia Icefield Glacier Adventure
- Heritage Park Admission

Documentation
- Itinerary, brochures, maps and vouchers
- National Park entrance fees
- Hotel luggage handling

ITINERARY:

DAY 1 - Arriving in Calgary

Pick up your rental vehicle in Calgary (not included) and start exploring Reel Alberta!. Established by the North West Mounted Police in 1875, the city's population now numbers close to 900,000. Visit the Fairmont Palliser, adjacent to the Calgary Tower, and check out the ballroom where 250 Calgary residents were used as extras for a banquet scene in the Assassination of Jesse James.

DAY 2 - Calgary to Kananaskis

Before departing Calgary, stop at Canada Olympic Park (1988 Olympics and the true location and set for Cool Runnings) and take a glass elevator ride to the top of the 90 metre ski jump for a unique point of view of the city.

As you head west on Highway 1 consider that more than 20 standing movie sets in the province are located west of Calgary. The film sets have been built and maintained on private property for more than 40 western productions, including: Legends of the Fall, Lonesome Dove, Shanghai Noon and Open Range. Travel into the mountain ranges of Kananaskis where X-Men and the Oscar winning Brokeback Mountain were filmed. Enjoy the rest of the day exploring this beautiful place.

DAY 3 - Kananaskis to Canmore and Banff

This morning, enjoy a horseback ride through the mountains! Travel high above the valley by horseback to capture a breathtaking view of the entire Kananaskis area. Watch for wildlife sightings as you wind your way down around the pond, you may see the resident moose or other Rocky Mountain mammals! Enjoy the scenic Ridge Ride followed by a delicious barbecued steak lunch with ranch style baked potato, homemade baked beans, Caesar salad and home-baked pie.

This afternoon, depart Kananaskis and drive west to the town to Canmore where most of the Assassination of Jesse James was filmed. The town was also the set of the pilot to the popular television show "Everwood". Also filmed here were Mystery Alaska, Snow Dogs and The Edge.

Continue to Banff National Park which is a stone’s throw west from Canmore on the Trans-Canada Highway. It is centered around the world-famous mountain community of Banff, a vacation destination in its own category. Hollywood discovered this area more than 60 years ago, filming the backdrop to Spring Time in the Rockies in 1942, followed by The Emperor Waltz with Bing Crosby and River of No Return with Marilyn Monroe. Enjoy a ride on the Banff Gondola this afternoon to the top of Sulphur Mountain. The views are stunning!

DAY 4, Banff to Cline River to Lake Louise

Today, depart Banff and travel to Cline River along the amazing Icefields Parkway. You're sure to be enthralled by the scenery, the wildlife, the incredible blue lakes and sparkling waterfalls en route. Stop for a self-guided interpretive walk at Peyto Lake. Continue onto Cline River where you will embark on your flightseeing helicopter tour. You will view 6 glaciers, high alpine lakes, a 900ft waterfall and the Wilson Icefield. From the Wilson Icefield, parts of the Columbia Icefield, Alexandria Glacier, Lyell Icefield and the Freshfield Icefield can be seen. Keep your camera ready, these scenes are spectacular! After your helicopter adventure, travel back down the Icefields Parkway to Lake Louise. A good portion of River of No Return was filmed in here.

DAY 5, Lake Louise to Cochrane and Calgary

After strolling around the lake, depart that area today and head back to Calgary. Instead of travelling on Highway #1, take an alternate route of Highway 1A. Along this route many movies where filmed for their prairie and mountain vistas. Open Range, Legends of the Fall, Unforgiven, Lonesome Dove and the brand new release Passchendaele were all filmed along this beautiful route. Don't forget to stop in Cochrane to see the historical buildings used in some of the films. Arrive into Calgary in the afternoon and visit the historical Heritage Park. Take in its history, uniquely studied from a horse-drawn carriage or authentic steam locomotive.

DAY 6 - Departing Calgary

Return your vehicle this morning to complete your Reel Adventure in Alberta!


Movies:

The Assassination of Jesse James - Starring Brad Pitt and Casey Affleck
Cool Runnings - Starring John Candy
The Edge - Starring Sir Anthony Hopkins and Elle MacPherson
Legends of the Fall - Starring Brad Pitt and Sir Anthony Hopkins
Lonesome Dove - Starring Robert Duvall and Tommy Lee Jones
Shanghai Noon - Starring Jackie Chan and Owen Wilson
Open Range - Starring Kevin Costner and Robert Duvall
Unforgiven - Starring Clint Eastwood
X-Men - Starring Hugh Jackman and Sir Ian McKellen
Brokeback Mountain - Starring Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal
The Emperor Waltz - Starring Bing Crosby
River of No Return - Starring Marilyn Monroe
Passchendaele - Starring Paul Gross

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