Rocky Mountaineer Day 2: First Passage To The West Second Day

Lake Louise Train Station - seen from the Rocky Mountaineer train | www.rtwgirl.com

Are you going to be riding the Rocky Mountaineer train soon? I rode it a few years back and in this post, I share what the Rocky Mountaineer Day 2 experience is like.  We went from Kamloops, British Columbia to our final destination in Banff, Alberta.

To see my Rocky Mountaineer First Day experience from Vancouver to Kamloops, click here.

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On First Passage to the West route Day 1, we stopped for an overnight stay in Kamloops. Since the whole purpose of the Rocky Mountaineer is its scenic view, the train doesn’t travel at night. Just like our first day, Rocky Mountaineer Day 2 started early for our journey towards Banff.

Rocky Mountaineer picked us up at our respective hotels/accommodations and drove us to the Kamloops train station. We loaded on the trains well before 8 am. Our overnight bags were taken care of. We were split into groups for the dining “room” so that one group was sent off to eat breakfast while another group were served coffee and scones. 

The scenery throughout the train journey was amazing but some of my favourite views were from the second day. As we moved closer to the continental divide and the Canadian Rockies, everything became majestic. It was wonderful to see certain places from the train tracks and make mental notes for future trips. I am keen on going back to Yoho National Park. Having grown up in BC, I realized how little of my home province I have really seen.

My Rocky Mountaineer Day 2 Photos

Shuswap Lake From The Rocky Mountaineer | www.rtwgirl.com

Here we are passing Shuswap Lake, BC. In the summer, loads of people rent houseboats and chill/party on this lake. I’d always heard about Shuswap but never even seen it. I think I’d be down for some chilling on the lake!

Revelstoke | www.rtwgirl.com

Here we are passing through the town of Revelstoke. They have epic snowboarding around here and even some of my good American friends experienced it. One day I’ll come back to go snowboard here!

Kinbasket Lake, BC | www.rtwgirl.com

I loved seeing Kinbasket Lake. I couldn’t believe the colour of the lake. Look at how minty it looks!! Truly amazing! BC is so stunning!

Kicking Horse River BC | www.rtwgirl.com

Caught the train weaving beside Kicking Horse River. I don’t have a photo but there were some folks rafting on the river in different parts as we journeyed east.

Canadian Pacific Train | www.rtwgirl.com

A wave from a passing train

Cooking Inside the Rocky Mountaineer Kitchen | www.rtwgirl.com

I got to take a little peek inside the train’s Goldleaf Service kitchen. It’s really amazing the level of cooking they can do inside these tiny moving kitchens!

Yoho National Park | www.rtwgirl.com

Pass through Field, BC, and Yoho National Park. This is the gorgeous Wapta Lake which is also along Highway 1 (Trans Canada Highway) if you are driving.

Yoho National Park | www.rtwgirl.com

Just epic scenery in Yoho National Park!! I am dying to go back here!

Continental Divide - Rocky Mountaineer Day 2 | www.rtwgirl.com

Here we are crossing the Continental Divide and going through the spiral tunnels. A spiral tunnel is used by railways to help climb up steep gradients.

Lake Louise Train Station | www.rtwgirl.com

Here we are passing Lake Louise Train Station – so cute!

Rocky Mountaineer Elk siting!

We saw an elk! He was moving fast and I didn’t have a proper zoom lens but I caught him. Yay! I was hoping for a bear sighting but it was too early in the season! During the trip, we also saw eagles and ospreys.

Getting Into Banff National Park

Journeying through the stunning Banff National Park.

For much of the latter part of our Rocky Mountaineer Day 2, I stood outside in the vestibule of my train carriage. I wanted to breathe the fresh air of the mountains and have a good vantage point to take photos.

Having no access to a plug for my laptop to do work and no Wi-Fi on board was awesome! There is no reason why you should be connected on a trip like this. This came at a perfect time when I needed a break from the internet and being too connected!

**Disclosure: Many thanks to Rocky Mountaineer for this experience. As always, all opinions stated on my blog are my own.**

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