The Foran Grade and Windy Point hike is a great choice for anyone who lives in the Calgary area and is eager for a hike that delivers great mountain views starting early in the season. I wouldn't do this hike in the summer when there are more interesting choices, but I'd come back again in the fall to catch the vibrant colours. The effort to reward ratio on this hike is high. The Foran Grade…
The Horton Hill hike, just an hour's drive from Calgary in Kananaskis Country isn't going to be the kind of hike most people are looking for. There is no trailhead, signage, or even a formal trail, though there is the odd piece of fluorescent flagging tape around. But it is surprisingly easy to find your way to the top, if you have any sense of direction and you just head up. Horton Hill is the…
One of the great pleasures in my life is camping and backpacking in the Canadian Rockies. With years of experience under my belt, I don't give much thought to the difficulty of a trip unless it's a real out there wilderness experience. But I know that there are lots of wannabe backpackers that are nervous about taking their first steps and spending a night in a tent, many kilometres from a trailhead, especially when it's…
The town of Nordegg Alberta is an undiscovered gem in the Canadian Rockies. Situated almost exactly halfway between Rocky Mountain House and Saskatchewan River Crossing, it is in an area well-suited for year-round adventures. When John and I stopped in for a snack in Nordegg years ago while on the way to do a loop drive back to Calgary via Highway 11 and the Icefields Parkway, we didn't really give the town a second glance.…
The Mesa Butte hike is a short, easy hike that is ideal after a lazy morning of eating pancakes and drinking coffee or a pick me up after a long day at work. The hike is located near Millarville, Alberta in Mesa Butte Provincial Recreation Area. The trail starts directly across from the Mesa Butte Equestrian Campground. Even though the Mesa Butte hike is a short one that you can knock off in 1 -…
If you love snowshoeing, then Jasper National Park is a terrific place to visit in winter. Enjoy kilometres of untracked trails, sublime mountain views, snowy meadows, quiet lakes, and a pretty good chance of seeing an elk. Winter is long in Jasper - and so is the season for snowshoeing, especially at higher elevation locations. On the days when the snowpack is thin, hike the trails instead, with a pair of icers tucked in your…
Winter in Jasper is divine. Once the snow arrives, the town is transformed into a true Canadian winter wonderland. Not only is it a quiet place to visit in winter compared to the summer, it's an exceptional base for cold weather-adventures. Anyone who is prepared to bundle up and enjoy the fresh air and outdoors, will love to explore the area. There's so much to do from skiing and boarding to skating, ice walks, winter…
Abraham Lake in Alberta's David Thompson Country is the largest reservoir in the province. Water is backed up behind the Bighorn Dam (built in 1972) on the North Saskatchewan River. There is a fascinating phenomenon that happens every winter when methane gas bubbles derived from below get trapped in the ice on the lake. This creates wonderful patterns and effects in the ice. The ice bubbles are thought to be derived from decomposing organic material…
If you're a new visitor to Banff National Park, you may find the selection of Banff hikes overwhelming until you get your bearings. Rest assured that any of the hikes described should satisfy your cravings for sublime Canadian Rocky Mountain scenery. Not all have gorgeous turquoise lakes on route, but all are worthwhile and some more so that others depending on the season. It has taken me nine years to find the time to do…
Are you itching to go somewhere, anywhere for a change of scenery and a reboot? How about a winter road trip to southwest Alberta? If you live in the Calgary - Edmonton - Canmore corridor, you can knock off the drive in as little as 2.5 hours if you're coming from Calgary and in just six hours if you're driving from Edmonton. I'd suggest a loop drive - taking Highway 22, the beautiful Cowboy Highway…