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Canada

This 14-day course gives you an educational opportunity to explore Western Canada, its people and environment. Students will prepare for the trip by reading and discussing books, current events and information on the area and preparing outdoor classroom curriculum that will be delivered during the trip.

You will analyze, compare and contrast the management of natural resources, customer and visitor relations, special events, hotel and restaurant management, tourism, community relations, cultural entrepreneurship and transportation networks with U.S. sites you have experienced.

You also will see Olympic National Park located just across the Straights of Juan de Fuca. Here you will gain comparative insight into how different countries provide services for all the topics presented above. You will prepare a journal during the trip that will summarize your interpretation of western Canada and northwestern United States.

Location

The first stop in this experience takes you to Calgary, Alberta. The Calgary Stampede began in 1912, and this is a wonderful opportunity to see the inner workings of this worldwide event. Here you will begin to unravel the similarities between the wild west of the United States and Canada.

Next stop is the Banff area, home to Canada's longest cave system and southernmost herd of woodland caribou. Banff is named for Banffshire, Scotland, the birthplace of two major financiers of the Canadian Pacific Railroad.

You will depart Banff for a short hop to Lake Louise. Lake Louise is most famous for its Chateau on the Lake Hotel. It has been considered the most photographed place in Canada and arguably North America.

You will travel a short distance west into Yoho National Park to experience the uniqueness of the Spiral Train Tunnel system. Several scenic points are along the way as the group moves toward the Crossing Resort. Peyto Lake in particular is full of loons making their ominous call.

A side stop to Lake Abraham will also be memorable as you learn about glacial lakes and their distinctive characteristic only visible in the winter and spring.

As the group travels to Jasper, Alberta, you will experience the Columbia Ice Fields (the largest source of fresh water in North America), Athabasca Falls, and the Valley of Five Lakes. A late arrival into Jasper will be our gateway to Jasper National Park, Canada's largest national park.

Next stop is Vancouver to visit Stanley Park and then on to Victoria to sea kayak. An early departure from Victoria to Port Angeles will bring you to Olympic National Park. It is known for its biological diversity — eight kinds of plants and 15 animals are found on the peninsula, but nowhere else on earth.

From here the group will travel to La Push, the Quileute Indian Nation Reservation, and stay in their exclusive resort on the coast of Washington. This will be the farthest point west on the trip where the sunset seems to go on forever.

A final stop at Friday Harbor, Wash., will give you a chance to whale watch.