Backpacker Bus

For young travelers on a budget, the Moose Travel Network (604/777-9905 or 888/244-6673, www.moosenetwork.com) is an excellent way to travel to and around Alberta, with most of the focus on the Canadian Rockies. It runs along a number of different routes, including an 11-day loop originating in Vancouver and traveling to Jasper and Banff via Whistler ($520 per person), a five-day trip between Vancouver and Banff via the Okanagan Valley ($305), a two-day Banff–Jasper–Banff trip ($120), and a two-day Banff–Vancouver shuttle ($120). On any of these trips, you can get on and off wherever you please (and jump aboard the next bus as it passes through) or bond with the crowd and stay on the fixed itinerary.

Nights are spent at hostels en route. This cost isn’t included in the tour, but your reservation is (so you don’t need to worry about trying to find an empty bed at each stop). Food is also extra, but often all travelers pitch in a token amount to purchase dinner at a grocery store along the way. Buses run 3–7 times a week during a May–mid-October season.

© Andrew Hempstead, from Moon Western Canada, 3rd Edition