It's shoulder season in terms of hiking in the Canadian Rockies. Once the calendar reads October, any day that doesn't require gaiters paired with MICROspikes, crampons or showshoes is a great day for hiking! The first weekend of October we took advantage of one such day to hike to Rockbound Lake. We were less than …
Continue reading Hiking Banff National Park – Rockbound Lake
Last weekend we suffered a serious case of gold fever! The result? We joined hundreds and hundreds of people hoping to find Larix lyallii (aka alpine larch). Our search area was Larch Valley, so of course we found them - in all their golden glory! A few weeks ago we accepted an invitation from one …
Continue reading Hiking Banff National Park – Larch Valley / Sentinel Pass
Cascade Mountain commands the attention of visitors arriving in Banff National Park via the east gate near Canmore. Topping out an elevation of 2,998 meters (9,836 ft), it's the highest peak in the immediate vicinity of Banff. While few have the physical conditioning and experience to undertake the scramble to the summit, there are a …
Starting just behind the Cave & Basin National Historic Site, we moved pretty quickly along the paved Sundance Trail. The pathway is definitely wide enough for walkers, bikers and in-line skaters to share, and we will consider cycling this trail on our next visit. But since the early morning fog and low-lying cloud prompted us …
Continue reading Hiking Banff National Park – Sundance Canyon
All through last summer we kept our fingers crossed that we'd be able to use our Sunshine Meadows shuttle tickets during wildflower season. But to our disappointment, the June flood damage was so extensive that the shuttle service didn't run again in 2013. So as soon as online bookings opened for the 2014 hiking season, …
Continue reading Hiking Banff National Park – Sunshine Meadows