Canada · Window guide
Which side of the Rocky Mountaineer should you sit on?
A window guide to the Rocky Mountaineer (about 560 mi / 900 km of rail, Vancouver to Banff, 41 narrated stories), built from the same route data the Rail Journeys app uses to trigger its narration.
Operated by Rocky Mountaineer. Rail Journeys of a Lifetime is an independent audio guide and is not affiliated with or endorsed by any railway operator.
The short answer
- Toward Banff: the narrated sights are split between the two sides of the train — sit where you like and let the narration tell you which way to look for each one.
- Toward Vancouver: the narrated sights are split between the two sides of the train — sit where you like and let the narration tell you which way to look for each one.
The app narrates each sight automatically as you reach it and says which side to look — this page is the same route, in order, for planning. "Left" and "right" are relative to the direction of travel.
Distances in the tables are measured along the route geometry from Vancouver and are approximate; the headline distance is the operator's published figure.
Before you board
- The rail journey runs Vancouver – Kamloops (overnight in a hotel) – Banff, by daylight only. Calgary is reached by motorcoach transfer from Banff on some packages; it is not a rail stop. Hope, Lytton, Revelstoke, Golden and Field are passed without stopping.
Toward Banff
| Distance from start | Sight | Look | What you'll hear about |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 mi (0 km) | 🚉 Vancouver | — | Station stop |
| 11 mi (18 km) | Vancouver: Where the Rails Meet the Pacific | Either side | We begin in Vancouver, the city where Canada's first transcontinental railway finally reached salt water. |
| 32 mi (52 km) | Fort Langley: The Birthplace of BC | Either side | Along the river near the town of Langley once stood the little wooden fort where British Columbia was born. |
| 47 mi (75 km) | Mount Baker, the Volcano | Right side | On a clear day, look far to the south, beyond the farms, and you may see a single great white cone floating on the skyline. |
| 51 mi (82 km) | Sumas: The Vanished Lake | Either side | Not so long ago, this flat, rich farmland you're crossing was the bottom of a lake. |
| 56 mi (90 km) | The Fraser Valley Farms | Either side | For the first stretch we roll through the Fraser Valley, the green and fertile floodplain of the great river we'll follow deep into the moun |
| 68 mi (110 km) | Sasquatch Country | Context | The deep forested mountains closing in to the north here are the homeland of a legend the whole world now knows. |
| 87 mi (140 km) | Hope & the Gates of the Canyon | Either side | At the town of Hope, the easy valley ends and the mountains slam shut around the river. |
| 87 mi (141 km) | *Hope* | — | Passes through — not a passenger stop |
| 103 mi (165 km) | Yale: The Boomtown | Either side | The small town we're passing, Yale, was once one of the biggest, wildest places in the West. |
| 109 mi (175 km) | The Cariboo Wagon Road | Either side | Look across the canyon at the road clinging to the far wall, because its ancestor was one of the great engineering feats of its age. |
| 115 mi (185 km) | The Fraser & the Salmon | Either side | The big, muscular brown river the train follows for much of the first day is the Fraser. |
| 119 mi (192 km) | Hell's Gate: Twice the Niagara | Right side | Look down into the gorge where the whole river suddenly clenches into a narrow, boiling chute of white water. |
| 134 mi (215 km) | The Fraser Gold Rush: The Stampede that Made a Province | Either side | The brown, churning Fraser rolls past, heavy with silt, its bars of gravel catching the light. |
| 144 mi (232 km) | Cisco Crossing: Where Two Railways Trade Sides | Either side | Keep an eye on the river ahead — and on the railway tracks. |
| 154 mi (247 km) | *Lytton* | — | Passes through — not a passenger stop |
| 154 mi (247 km) | Lytton: Where Two Rivers Won't Mix | Left side | Watch the rivers as we reach Lytton — because two of them meet here, and for a moment they refuse to blend. |
| 176 mi (283 km) | Spences Bridge & the Slide | Either side | The country around the little town of Spences Bridge is nowhere near as solid as it looks. |
| 180 mi (290 km) | The Benchlands: A Staircase the Ice Built | Either side | On the dry hillsides along the river, you'll start to notice something strange — flat, level steps cut into the slopes, like giant terraces, |
| 205 mi (330 km) | The Thompson Desert | Either side | Look at the country around the Thompson River near Ashcroft, and you may rub your eyes — sagebrush, bare ochre hills, even tall sand pillars |
| 219 mi (352 km) | Walhachin: The Orchard | Right side | Look up at the dry benches above the river, because they hide one of the saddest little stories on the whole line. |
| 245 mi (395 km) | Tk'emlúps: The Meeting of the Waters | Either side | Near Kamloops, watch the rivers — two of them, the North and South Thompson, joining into one. |
| 248 mi (400 km) | 🚉 Kamloops | — | Station stop (overnight stop — passengers sleep in a hotel) |
| 286 mi (460 km) | The Shuswap & the Inland Rainforest | Either side | The dry sagebrush country around Kamloops is behind us now, and the land is greening and rising again. |
| 295 mi (475 km) | The Adams River Sockeye | Either side | The river country near the Adams River, just here, stages one of the greatest wildlife spectacles on Earth — though only in autumn, and only |
| 311 mi (500 km) | Why This Train Only Runs by Day | Either side | You may notice this journey takes two days — with a night in a hotel, not on the train. |
| 349 mi (561 km) | The Last Spike: The Day Canada Was Finished | Either side | The line you're riding once finished a country. |
| 360 mi (580 km) | The Men Who Aren't on the Photograph | Either side | There's a famous photograph of the Last Spike — important men in dark coats, crowded proudly around the track. |
| 376 mi (606 km) | *Revelstoke* | — | Passes through — not a passenger stop |
| 377 mi (606 km) | Revelstoke & the Eagle Pass | Either side | The mountain town of Revelstoke sits where the railway, having fought its way over the Selkirk Mountains, drops back down to the mighty Colu |
| 403 mi (648 km) | Glacier National Park & the Selkirks | Either side | Climbing into the Selkirk Mountains now, look high up the valley sides for rivers of ice — real glaciers, hanging among the peaks above the |
| 406 mi (654 km) | Major Rogers & the Pass | Either side | The pass the railway is about to attempt, high in the Selkirk Mountains ahead, was found by one stubborn man who refused to believe it didn' |
| 410 mi (660 km) | The Stoney Creek Bridge | Either side | The train is about to launch itself across a deep gorge on one of the great bridges of the whole line — the Stoney Creek Bridge. |
| 413 mi (665 km) | The Tunnels Under Rogers Pass | Either side | We're about to go dark, and stay dark for a long while — because the railway here finally gave up its fight with Rogers Pass and went straig |
| 415 mi (669 km) | Rogers Pass: The Mountain that Fell | Either side | Look up at the steep Selkirk peaks crowding the line, and at the bare vertical chutes scored down them — the paths that avalanches take. |
| 423 mi (680 km) | The Sea of Mountains | Either side | Count the ranges ahead — one wall of peaks, and behind it another, and behind that another, fading from green to grey to pale blue, all the |
| 467 mi (751 km) | *Golden* | — | Passes through — not a passenger stop |
| 467 mi (751 km) | Golden & the Columbia | Either side | Down off Rogers Pass, the train reaches the town of Golden, cradled in a deep trench between two mountain ranges — the Purcells behind, the |
| 475 mi (765 km) | The Kicking Horse Canyon | Either side | Climbing east out of Golden, the train enters the Kicking Horse Canyon, following a wild green river up toward the crest of the Rockies. |
| 497 mi (800 km) | Field & the Railway Hotels | Either side | Tucked under the peaks ahead, the village of Field played a surprising part in history: it helped invent mountain tourism. |
| 501 mi (807 km) | Mount Stephen: The Dawn of Animals | Right side | Above the little railway town of Field rises a steep grey pyramid of a mountain — Mount Stephen. |
| 502 mi (807 km) | *Field* | — | Passes through — not a passenger stop |
| 506 mi (815 km) | The Spiral Tunnels & the Killer Hill | Either side | In a moment, watch the mountainside ahead — because you may see a length of railway track above you, and then realise it's the very track yo |
| 516 mi (830 km) | Kicking Horse Pass: The Top of the Climb | Left side | Somewhere along this stretch, without any fanfare, we cross the very backbone of the continent. |
| 522 mi (840 km) | 🚉 Lake Louise | — | Station stop (end point of some packages) |
| 522 mi (840 km) | Lake Louise & the Crown of the Rockies | Context | As we near the end, look for the impossible colour — lakes of a turquoise so vivid they barely look real, cupped beneath glaciers. |
| 526 mi (847 km) | Morant's Curve | Either side | Watch the train sweep around a long, gentle curve beside the Bow River now, with the peaks of the Bow Range standing behind it — because you |
| 536 mi (862 km) | Castle Mountain | Either side | Off to the side now, watch for a mountain that looks exactly like its name — Castle Mountain, a long grey rampart of sheer cliffs and turret |
| 556 mi (895 km) | 🚉 Banff | — | Station stop |
| 556 mi (895 km) | Banff: The Hot Springs that Became a Park | Right side | We've arrived in the heart of the Rockies, at Banff — a town wrapped in some of the most spectacular mountains on Earth. |
Toward Vancouver
| Distance from start | Sight | Look | What you'll hear about |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 mi (0 km) | Banff: The Hot Springs that Became a Park | Left side | We've arrived in the heart of the Rockies, at Banff — a town wrapped in some of the most spectacular mountains on Earth. |
| 0 mi (0 km) | 🚉 Banff | — | Station stop |
| 20 mi (33 km) | Castle Mountain | Either side | Off to the side now, watch for a mountain that looks exactly like its name — Castle Mountain, a long grey rampart of sheer cliffs and turret |
| 30 mi (48 km) | Morant's Curve | Either side | Watch the train sweep around a long, gentle curve beside the Bow River now, with the peaks of the Bow Range standing behind it — because you |
| 34 mi (55 km) | Lake Louise & the Crown of the Rockies | Context | As we near the end, look for the impossible colour — lakes of a turquoise so vivid they barely look real, cupped beneath glaciers. |
| 34 mi (55 km) | 🚉 Lake Louise | — | Station stop (end point of some packages) |
| 40 mi (64 km) | Kicking Horse Pass: The Top of the Climb | Right side | Somewhere along this stretch, without any fanfare, we cross the very backbone of the continent. |
| 50 mi (80 km) | The Spiral Tunnels & the Killer Hill | Either side | In a moment, watch the mountainside ahead — because you may see a length of railway track above you, and then realise it's the very track yo |
| 54 mi (88 km) | *Field* | — | Passes through — not a passenger stop |
| 55 mi (88 km) | Mount Stephen: The Dawn of Animals | Left side | Above the little railway town of Field rises a steep grey pyramid of a mountain — Mount Stephen. |
| 59 mi (95 km) | Field & the Railway Hotels | Either side | Tucked under the peaks ahead, the village of Field played a surprising part in history: it helped invent mountain tourism. |
| 81 mi (130 km) | The Kicking Horse Canyon | Either side | Climbing east out of Golden, the train enters the Kicking Horse Canyon, following a wild green river up toward the crest of the Rockies. |
| 89 mi (143 km) | Golden & the Columbia | Either side | Down off Rogers Pass, the train reaches the town of Golden, cradled in a deep trench between two mountain ranges — the Purcells behind, the |
| 89 mi (143 km) | *Golden* | — | Passes through — not a passenger stop |
| 133 mi (215 km) | The Sea of Mountains | Either side | Count the ranges ahead — one wall of peaks, and behind it another, and behind that another, fading from green to grey to pale blue, all the |
| 141 mi (226 km) | Rogers Pass: The Mountain that Fell | Either side | Look up at the steep Selkirk peaks crowding the line, and at the bare vertical chutes scored down them — the paths that avalanches take. |
| 143 mi (230 km) | The Tunnels Under Rogers Pass | Either side | We're about to go dark, and stay dark for a long while — because the railway here finally gave up its fight with Rogers Pass and went straig |
| 146 mi (235 km) | The Stoney Creek Bridge | Either side | The train is about to launch itself across a deep gorge on one of the great bridges of the whole line — the Stoney Creek Bridge. |
| 150 mi (241 km) | Major Rogers & the Pass | Either side | The pass the railway is about to attempt, high in the Selkirk Mountains ahead, was found by one stubborn man who refused to believe it didn' |
| 153 mi (247 km) | Glacier National Park & the Selkirks | Either side | Climbing into the Selkirk Mountains now, look high up the valley sides for rivers of ice — real glaciers, hanging among the peaks above the |
| 179 mi (289 km) | Revelstoke & the Eagle Pass | Either side | The mountain town of Revelstoke sits where the railway, having fought its way over the Selkirk Mountains, drops back down to the mighty Colu |
| 180 mi (289 km) | *Revelstoke* | — | Passes through — not a passenger stop |
| 196 mi (315 km) | The Men Who Aren't on the Photograph | Either side | There's a famous photograph of the Last Spike — important men in dark coats, crowded proudly around the track. |
| 207 mi (334 km) | The Last Spike: The Day Canada Was Finished | Either side | The line you're riding once finished a country. |
| 245 mi (395 km) | Why This Train Only Runs by Day | Either side | You may notice this journey takes two days — with a night in a hotel, not on the train. |
| 261 mi (420 km) | The Adams River Sockeye | Either side | The river country near the Adams River, just here, stages one of the greatest wildlife spectacles on Earth — though only in autumn, and only |
| 270 mi (435 km) | The Shuswap & the Inland Rainforest | Either side | The dry sagebrush country around Kamloops is behind us now, and the land is greening and rising again. |
| 308 mi (495 km) | 🚉 Kamloops | — | Station stop (overnight stop — passengers sleep in a hotel) |
| 311 mi (500 km) | Tk'emlúps: The Meeting of the Waters | Either side | Near Kamloops, watch the rivers — two of them, the North and South Thompson, joining into one. |
| 337 mi (543 km) | Walhachin: The Orchard | Left side | Look up at the dry benches above the river, because they hide one of the saddest little stories on the whole line. |
| 351 mi (565 km) | The Thompson Desert | Either side | Look at the country around the Thompson River near Ashcroft, and you may rub your eyes — sagebrush, bare ochre hills, even tall sand pillars |
| 376 mi (605 km) | The Benchlands: A Staircase the Ice Built | Either side | On the dry hillsides along the river, you'll start to notice something strange — flat, level steps cut into the slopes, like giant terraces, |
| 380 mi (611 km) | Spences Bridge & the Slide | Either side | The country around the little town of Spences Bridge is nowhere near as solid as it looks. |
| 402 mi (647 km) | Lytton: Where Two Rivers Won't Mix | Right side | Watch the rivers as we reach Lytton — because two of them meet here, and for a moment they refuse to blend. |
| 402 mi (647 km) | *Lytton* | — | Passes through — not a passenger stop |
| 412 mi (663 km) | Cisco Crossing: Where Two Railways Trade Sides | Either side | Keep an eye on the river ahead — and on the railway tracks. |
| 422 mi (680 km) | The Fraser Gold Rush: The Stampede that Made a Province | Either side | The brown, churning Fraser rolls past, heavy with silt, its bars of gravel catching the light. |
| 437 mi (703 km) | Hell's Gate: Twice the Niagara | Left side | Look down into the gorge where the whole river suddenly clenches into a narrow, boiling chute of white water. |
| 441 mi (710 km) | The Fraser & the Salmon | Either side | The big, muscular brown river the train follows for much of the first day is the Fraser. |
| 447 mi (720 km) | The Cariboo Wagon Road | Either side | Look across the canyon at the road clinging to the far wall, because its ancestor was one of the great engineering feats of its age. |
| 453 mi (730 km) | Yale: The Boomtown | Either side | The small town we're passing, Yale, was once one of the biggest, wildest places in the West. |
| 469 mi (754 km) | *Hope* | — | Passes through — not a passenger stop |
| 469 mi (755 km) | Hope & the Gates of the Canyon | Either side | At the town of Hope, the easy valley ends and the mountains slam shut around the river. |
| 488 mi (785 km) | Sasquatch Country | Context | The deep forested mountains closing in to the north here are the homeland of a legend the whole world now knows. |
| 500 mi (805 km) | The Fraser Valley Farms | Either side | For the first stretch we roll through the Fraser Valley, the green and fertile floodplain of the great river we'll follow deep into the moun |
| 505 mi (813 km) | Sumas: The Vanished Lake | Either side | Not so long ago, this flat, rich farmland you're crossing was the bottom of a lake. |
| 509 mi (820 km) | Mount Baker, the Volcano | Left side | On a clear day, look far to the south, beyond the farms, and you may see a single great white cone floating on the skyline. |
| 524 mi (843 km) | Fort Langley: The Birthplace of BC | Either side | Along the river near the town of Langley once stood the little wooden fort where British Columbia was born. |
| 545 mi (877 km) | Vancouver: Where the Rails Meet the Pacific | Either side | We begin in Vancouver, the city where Canada's first transcontinental railway finally reached salt water. |
| 556 mi (895 km) | 🚉 Vancouver | — | Station stop |
Hear it as you pass
Every sight above has a fully narrated, source-checked story in the Rail Journeys app, triggered by GPS at the right moment — and it works with no signal. Get the Rocky Mountaineer guide