Open Top Touring

About Open Top Touring

Open Top Touring runs convertible tours in vintage open-air vehicles that put you in the landscape rather than viewing it through glass. Their guides are obsessive about wildlife spotting and backcountry knowledge. This isn't narrated commentary from a bus window. You're riding in a small group where the driver stops frequently, backs up for elk, and takes side roads most tour companies skip.

The vehicles themselves are the experience. You get wind, sound, and smell of the forest instead of filtered air-conditioning. Routes cover the Icefields Parkway, Lake Louise approaches, and Bow Valley corridors where bears, bighorn sheep, and elk congregate. Bring layers because the open-air exposure makes temperature swings noticeable, and afternoons can be cold even in summer.

Book this for early June or September when wildlife activity peaks and crowds thin. July and August attract tour buses by the dozen, so you'll share sightings with other groups. The trade-off is obvious: you're exposed to weather and insects. Skip this if you need climate control or can't handle bumpy gravel roads. It works best for wildlife photographers, nature obsessives, and anyone tired of sealed-window touring.