Opabin West and East trails anchor an easy loop to Opabin Plateau - a beautiful, rocky hanging valley above Lake O'Hara. The plateau is dotted with multiple alpine lakes, offers spectacular views of Lake O'Hara valley and is criss-crossed by a network of trails that pass multiple waterfalls, larch trees and more.
This hike is a scenic powerhouse: four waterfalls, a turquoise mountain lake, a wildflower-filled amphitheatre and an amazing view of the Waputik Icefield (including Daly Glacier, source of Takakkaw Falls). It's ample payback for the challenging 1150 meter elevation gain and total distance of just over 22 km. Allocate a full day to this hike and be sure to pack your camera!
As we planned our Iceland vacation the Fimmvörðuháls trail was at the top of our "must do" list. A few weeks have passed since we made the hike, but we talked about it again today and agree that it's one of the top 4 hikes we've ever done. Although fairly long (at 25 km), the elevation gain is very manageable. There's a tremendous variety to the landscape. And when it comes to waterfalls, Fimmvörðuháls is by far the most impressive waterfall trek we've ever done!
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
Although we were out on our mountain bikes several times this week (including a ride to the Canmore Nordic Centre, where we easily completed the green loop), it's been almost a week since our last hike. Since it's a long weekend here in Alberta, we anticipated many of the premier hiking trails in the Banff …