April 16, 2003 -- One of Canada's most awesome spectacles is the world-famous Calgary Stampede, a giant western free-for-all of a rodeo (and more) that spills out of its own dusty arena and takes over the whole city every July. It runs this year from July 3-11. And while it's a five-star attraction in and of itself, the whole experience can be enhanced by using that most western means of transportation, the train.
To that end, Rocky Mountaineer Railtours has organized the Calgary Stampede Package, letting you ride the rails either to or from Calgary. The packages, happily, sell from just US$439 per person, based on double occupancy. For those dollars you get three nights' lodging in Calgary during the Stampede, an afternoon tour of the city, tickets to the rodeo and grandstand shows, a sky ride across Stampede Park, admission to the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame, and a Stampede souvenir. You must book by May 31, 2003, to avail yourself of this package, and it is expected to sell quickly.
Calgary calls the event "The Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth," and says there will be over 500 rodeo contestants and over one million guests at the grounds.
As fun as the Stampede can be, I believe the rail tour before or after is even better. The two-day, two-night journey takes you between the beautiful coastal city of Vancouver in British Columbia and the Rocky Mountain destinations of Jasper or Banff and Calgary, in Alberta. The regular season for the rail tour runs from mid April through mid October, with more than 50 packages ranging from two to 17 days. Based in Vancouver, Rocky Mountaineer Railtours is the largest private passenger rail company in North America, by the way.
Their "classic" two-day tours, around which this package is built, run east and west between Vancouver and Calgary and start at US$400 per person, based on double occupancy, and is called the RedLeaf Service. A GoldLeaf Service covering the same route starts at US $786, again based on double occupancy.
For more information, contact the firm at www.rockymountaineer.com or phone them at 800/665-7245 (US & Canada) or 604/606-7245. You can also send an e-mail to reservations@rockymountaineer.com.
For more information on the Calgary Stampede, just click here for our review and event contact information.
Have you been to the Stampede? Tell us all about your rootin' tootin' time in our Community Boards.