I was recently granted the great pleasure of hopping on the Rocky Mountaineer for a train trip up to Whistler and then back the next day via their Whistler Sea to Sky Climb service. The three and a half hours in each direction was perhaps the most relaxing amount of time I have ever spent inside of a vehicle, ever.
Having driven the Sea To Sky Highway what feels like countless times in my life (thinking back I actually can't remember the last time I was a passenger on a trip up it) I looked forward to kicking back and just enjoying the ride for once. Sure the highway was upgraded for the 2010 Winter Olympics and it's safer than it's ever been but there really is no safer nor more comfortable way to travel than by rail, and after experiencing this trip I most definitely recommend you do it at least once in your lifetime, if not every time you visit Whistler.
View of the Cheakamus Canyon from the Rocky Mountaineer
I jumped the gun by showing you that photo above as it's pretty far into the trip but I really wanted to show off one of the most breathtaking views afforded during the trip which starts under the Lions Gate Bridge.
Directly under Lions Gate. HERE is a photo you may remember from a previous blog post taken directly above it!
Advantages of taking the Rocky Mountaineer over driving, aside from the obvious? Well, I've never been served a delicious omelette in my car, nor have I ever slowly enjoyed a piece of back bacon followed by a few cups of coffee, brewed right there in the car. Nobody has ever offered me complimentary alcohol while driving either. Wait, that last one is a good thing... but you get the point!
Complete strangers rarely wave to me when I drive by them in my car. I was actually kinda surprised by it but everybody waves at the train. Everybody who sees the train going past them, they wave at the train. This results in people on the train smiling and waving back. It's awesome.
While driving my car I've never noticed that on the opposite side of Howe Sound, before you get to Squamish, the side of the mountains are dotted with beautiful waterfalls.
And on the same token, as the train veered away from the Sea To Sky and deeper into the forest it afforded close up views of tucked away waterfalls never seen from the window of a car, by drivers nor passengers.
The car I usually drive up the Sea to Sky doesn't pull a unique open-air observation coach that was originally constructed in 1914 by Canadian Pacific Railway which allows for even closer views of the breathtaking scenery. No it doesn't.
However, I do have one of these in my car! It's an emergency brake, and I never pull it when I'm driving up to Whistler. I didn't pull this one either. Nobody did and nobody would because when you're on this train you're busy relaxing, eating, drinking, enjoying the views while also being told stories and facts about the areas the train goes through by the good folks serving you.
Again: you should go! Take a look HERE at all of the different options available for trips. And I probably don't need to tell you that there's plenty to do once you get off the train (visit WhistlerIsAwesome.com!), and Rocky Mountaineer offers a variety of packages that include all sorts of accommodations and activities.
