Fraser Discovery Route Fact Sheet
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| What: |
| In May 2006, Rocky Mountaineer Vacations introduced a third route for the acclaimed Rocky Mountaineer train in Western Canada, the Fraser Discovery Route. Carrying guests through the diverse beauty of British Columbia’s interior, this journey offers adventure, discovery and Rocky Mountaineer's renowned level of legendary service, experience and scenery. The two-day, all daylight rail journey begins in Whistler, BC |
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| and travels through towering canyons, lush ranchlands and snow-capped mountain peaks to the quaint town of Jasper, AB in the Canadian Rockies. The Fraser Discovery Route is named in recognition of Simon Fraser who explored the region in the early 1800’s. |
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| Where: |
The Rocky Mountaineer travels 1034 km (642 miles) along the Fraser Discovery Route in both eastbound and westbound directions, opening up the seldom seen interior of BC to travellers from around the world. It departs in the morning from the four-season resort town of Whistler, British Columbia, weaves through the Cariboo Chilcotin region, and reaches its destination of Jasper, AB, with an overnight stop at the end of day one in Quesnel BC. The Rocky Mountaineer Fraser Discovery Route links with the Whistler Mountaineer train operating between North Vancouver and Whistler. |
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| When: |
The Rocky Mountaineer Fraser Discovery Route is a two-day train journey departing on selected Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays between May and October. To complement the rail service, package tours have been introduced to provide travellers with the option of fully exploring all that the region has to offer. |
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| How: |
The Rocky Mountaineer Fraser Discovery Route offers two choices of service:
GoldLeaf Service guests enjoy true comfort and exceptional personal service in the bi-level glass domed coaches, featuring panoramic views on the upper level and an elegant private dining room on the main level where à la carte breakfasts and lunches are served. Onboard Attendants provide fascinating interpretive commentary on the passing landscape.
Prices start from $1159 CDN per person, based on double occupancy.
RedLeaf Service provides guests with assigned, spacious, comfortable reclining seats, large picture windows, and at-your-seat meal service in a non-smoking, air-conditioned, traditional rail coach environment. The trip is highlighted by the individual attention and colourful, interpretive commentary provided by a dedicated Onboard Attendant.
Prices start from $559 CDN per person, based on double occupancy. |
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| Heritage: |
Riding the rails on the new Fraser Discovery Route offers a truly unique experience in an area rich in British Columbia history. Fascinating tales of the regions through which the train travels are told onboard and include stories of cowboys, cattle drives, the Cariboo’s most ancient occupants, the Aboriginal people and the first European explorers, who came to the region in the 1790’s looking for fur to trade. But perhaps the most interesting stories are those of the famous gold rush. In the 1860’s, long before a rail line was built through the Cariboo, word of gold and lots of it, spread throughout the world. So they came, thousands of visitors, enduring treacherous conditions for their chance at wealth. The Cariboo Gold Rush attracted fortune seekers from as far away as Russia, China and Australia, forcing local politicians and entrepreneurs to build a road to the area as well as saloons and hotels. Many of these historic structures still exist today as do some of the gold seekers descendants who have been living in BC’s interior for nearly 150 years. |
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| Sights: |
As the Rocky Mountaineer travels in the eastbound direction and leaves the resort town of Whistler, BC, it passes through river canyons and the lush farmland of the Pemberton Valley. Following the shores of Anderson and Seton Lakes, the train hugs the water’s edge and on clear days the reflection of the picturesque mountain scenery seems close enough to touch. As the train reaches the highest point of the day’s journey, guests enjoy the vistas of the Cariboo Plateau, with its rolling hills, endless forests and vast cattle ranches. The journey continues eastward to the mighty Canadian Rockies and dramatic mountain scenery. Entering the Rocky Mountain Trench and the upper reaches of the Fraser River, guests are surrounded by the Rocky Mountains rising steeply to the north and the Cariboo Mountains to the south. The route then leaves the Fraser River at Tete Jaune Cache, and climbs past Mount Robson, the highest peak in the Canadian Rockies at 3,954 metres (12,972 feet), to the top of the Yellowhead Pass and the border to the province of Alberta. The journey ends as the Rocky Mountaineer descends through Jasper National Park to the resort town of Jasper. |
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| Who: |
Rocky Mountaineer Vacations offers unique Canadian vacation packages and four spectacular rail routes through British Columbia and Alberta. Best known for the world-acclaimed Rocky Mountaineer train, a two-day, all daylight rail journey through Canada’s West and the Canadian Rockies, the company also offers trips onboard the Whistler Mountaineer train, a daily three-hour experience between North Vancouver and Whistler, BC. Since its inception in 1990, the company has grown to be the largest privately owned passenger rail service in North America and will welcome its one millionth guest in 2008. In 2007, RMV was honoured with the World Travel Award as “World’s Leading Travel Experience by Train” for the third consecutive year. |
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| Rolling Stock: |
When travelling on the Fraser Discovery Route, the Rocky Mountaineer uses a GP40-2 locomotive in combination with two bi-level custom-built glass dome coaches for its GoldLeaf Service and two traditional railcars for RedLeaf Service, all of which are from the existing Rocky Mountaineer fleet. There are 260 seats available on each Fraser Discovery Route departure.
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| Websites: |
www.rockymountaineer.com |
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| TOLL FREE RESERVATIONS #: (Canada/US): 1-800-665-7245 |
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