Hiking Archives - Hike Bike Travel

Beautiful Upper Elk Lake Near Sparwood, BC

21 of the Best Hikes in BC to Add to Your Bucket List

British Columbia is a dream destination for hikers and backpackers. The geography of the province is diverse with landscapes that include rocky coastlines, ancient forests, lakes, sandy beaches, mountains and even an inland desert. Deciding what part of the province you want to focus on is important - not just from the perspective of what landscape you like to hike in but because distances are huge. Did you know that British Columbia is the size…

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Two Standout Hikes in Merritt, British Columbia

This post from writer Sylvia Dekker takes you on a couple of hikes near Merritt British Columbia - a community you might have stopped in for gas or coffee while driving the Coquihalla Highway between Vancouver and Kamloops or on the way to the Okanagan via Kelowna. If you're like me, you probably didn't know about the great hiking and backpacking opportunities in the region. Now you will! The area surrounding the Merritt, British Columbia…

Grand Scenery On The Headwall Lakes Hike

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The Headwall Lakes Hike in Kananaskis Country

The Headwall Lakes hike in Peter Lougheed Provincial Park is a wonderful choice if you want a wilder, slightly more challenging hike than nearby Chester Lake. While the trailhead shares the same parking lot as the Chester Lake hike, the two hikes feel completely different. On the Headwall Lakes hike you won't see many people, perhaps 10% of what you'd see on a typical day on the Chester Lake hike. The trail to Headwall Lakes…

Looking For Fossils At The Walcott Quarry

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The Burgess Shale Hike in Yoho National Park

The Burgess Shale hike in Yoho National Park has been on my radar for years. Most of the appeal - before I actually did it, was the fact that the Walcott Quarry where the Burgess Shale fossils are located, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and I love checking out UNESCO sites. However, despite the fact that I have a degree in geology, I confess that I am not overly interested in fossils, mildly interested…

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The Larch Valley Hike – Sentinel Pass Hike in Fall

It's larch season in Alberta. What that means is seemingly sane people do insane things. Take myself for example. Yesterday, I rose at 3:15 AM and was in the car driving towards Lake Louise by 3:30 AM. I had been closely monitoring the weather forecasts across three stations and was keen on picking a clear day in the mountains. Even though the forecast wasn't ideal, the weather looked to be worsening over the week so…

Fantastic Canadian Badlands Scenery In Big Knife Provincial Park

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A Hiking Road Trip in the Canadian Badlands of Alberta

The Canadian Badlands cover a large swath of south central Alberta, equivalent to an area slightly larger than Hungary. From northeast of Red Deer south to the United States border and east to Saskatchewan, you'll find Canada's finest badland scenery. But that's not all. The Canadian Badlands are home to one of the greatest collections of dinosaur bones in the world, loads of super-cool geologic formations including hoodoos along with 35 provincial parks and natural…

Cool Weather But A Great View At The Top Of Sunset Pass

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Sunset Pass & Sunset Lookout Hike – Icefields Parkway

I discovered the Sunset Pass and Sunset Lookout hike accessed from the Icefields Parkway in Banff National Park completely by chance. I was researching campgrounds to stay in that are a short hike in from the trailhead. Without looking into the details too much, the Norman Lake Campground on the way to Sunshine Pass seemed like a good choice as it is approximately 4 km from the parking lot. But to get there you have…

Can't Beat The Backdrop On Top Of Paget Peak

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Paget Lookout – Paget Peak Hike in Yoho National Park

The Paget Lookout - Paget Peak hike in British Columbia's Yoho National Park was not our first choice on a summer weekend. But our plans to hike to the summit of Mt. Saint Piran were thwarted when we arrived at Lake Louise - the starting point, to find the parking lot full. In these COVID times it's always a good idea to have a Plan B as many trails and parking lots have been unbelievably…

The View From The Far End Of Chester Lake

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The Chester Lake Hike in Alberta (+ Three Lakes Valley)

The Chester Lake hike is one of the classics you must do in Kananaskis Country. It's been called the most popular trail in Kananaskis Country - and yet on the summer weekend I hiked it, the parking lot was far less busy than the one that offers access to Black Prince Cirque and Galatea Lakes. That may be a function of the distance from Calgary but I have to say I was pleasantly surprised. Chester…

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The Wind Ridge Trail near Dead Man’s Flats, Alberta

If you live in the Calgary - Canmore corridor or you're on your way to Banff National Park, I highly recommend a stop at Dead Man's Flats to hike the Wind Ridge Trail. It's a fantastic day hike - though steep - with superlative views the minute you're out of the trees. The Wind Ridge Trail hike is easy to confuse with the West Wind Pass hike. Wind Ridge Trail is accessed from the Trans-Canada…

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