North by Northwest
Road Trip

Arrive at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, pick up your car and proceed to your hotel. Discover some of the Emerald City's attractions tonight.

Drive north to Vancouver, Canada's spectacular western gateway. Discover this stunning picturesque city in the afternoon. We suggest riding the tramway to the summit of Grouse Mountain or perhaps renting a bike to tour Stanley Park.

A full day at leisure in Vancouver, or we suggest a trip to the quaint provincial capital of Victoria on Vancouver Island and the famed Butchart Gardens. Return to Vancouver in the early evening.

Today follow the path of the prospectors that went up the Fraser River Canyon on their way to the gold of the Cariboo region. In the afternoon, continue your journey through the interior of British Columbia along the Thompson River, named after the famous trapper and explorer David Thompson. Reach the rugged interior town of Kamloops by late afternoon.

Continue north, where the beauty of Western Canada's wilderness is apparent in the region of the Monashee Mountains. Travel famous Yellowhead Highway by Mount Robson, the highest peak in the Canadian Rockies, before reaching Jasper National Park.

The Icefields Parkway runs along the ridge of the Rockies. See the Columbia Icefield, the largest body of ice south of the Arctic Circle. Visit Lake Louise before arriving in Banff.

You will have time for a leisurely stroll in Banff before continuing through the Bow River Valley to Calgary. In the afternoon, we suggest a visit to the 1988 Winter Olympics sites.

Drive south to beautiful Waterton Lakes National Park that shares the international boundary with Montana's Glacier National Park. This geological wonderland encompasses 1,600 square miles of Rocky Mountain peaks, offering spectacular vistas at every twist of the road. Drive the Going-to-the-Sun Road (weather permitting) before continuing to Kalispell.

Travel past Flathead Lake and cross the Continental Divide through the Big Sky country of western Montana, where the Blackfoot and bison co-existed for centuries before America's great westward expansion. Yellowstone, America's first National Park, is today's destination.

See the dramatic peaks of the Grand Teton mountains as you drive to the rustic town of Jackson.

Today drive west and visit the lunar landscape of Craters of the Moon National Monument, which boasts one of the nation's highest concentrations of volcanic features. Continue to the awe-inspiring cascade of Shoshone Falls, called the Niagara of the West, to Twin Falls, Idaho.

Drive through the vast Boise National Forest, where a segment of the historic Oregon Trail can be seen. Continue to Boise, The City of Trees, and Idaho's state capital. In Baker City, we suggest a visit to the National Historic Oregon Trail Interpretive Center, which focuses on life along the Trail (admission not included). Continue to Pendleton, home of the yearly Pendleton Round-Up-Rodeo.

Continue northwest to Yakima. This important agricultural region produces apples, cherries, pears, peaches, and apricots which are shipped to markets all around the world. Continue to Mt. Rainier National Park, an ice-clad extinct volcano towering above its surroundings. Overnight in nearby Yakima.

This morning, continue to Seattle with Mt. Rainer an ever present spectacle. Arrive in the early afternoon with ample time for last minute shopping, experiencing 360-degree views from the Space Needle, or discovering the Explore Music Project Museum, a leading-edge, nonprofit museum, dedicated to the ideas and risk-taking that fuel contemporary popular culture.

Return your hire car at the airport and board your flight home.