If you're looking for an early season backpacking trip in Banff National Park, you'd do well to choose the hike to Glacier Lake. On a scale of difficulty, it's an easy, mellow one and a great choice for families. The hike is 9 kilometres one way with just 238 metres of elevation gain. In early summer, when so many other trails are buried under a metre or two of snow, it's a real treat to…
If you're looking for a long day hike or a backpacking trip in the mountains, within a few hours drive of Calgary, check out Three Isle Lake in Kananaskis Country. It's a great choice as it also offers several options to continue beyond the lake - including the difficult but reportedly fabulous Northover Traverse along with the easy hike to South Kananaskis Pass and Beatty Lake. Fortunately the hike up to the lake is worthwhile…
I first learned about the South End of Lawson hike via Instagram. Someone had hiked it under cover of snow and their photo caught my eye. The hike sounded intriguing - and the views from the first photo I saw were outstanding. After a bit of research, John and I decided we'd do the hike one June day on the way up to a two night stay at Mount Engadine Lodge as the trailhead is…
If you live in the Calgary - Banff corridor chances are pretty good that you already know how fantastic the hiking is along the Kananaskis Trail (Highway 40). But out of town visitors largely have no idea that the hiking here is on par with much that is available in nearby Banff National Park. Most of the hikes on the Kananaskis Trail don't see anywhere near the number of people you see in the national…
If you live in Bragg Creek you're spoiled for choice when it comes to hiking. Fortunately for those of us who live in Calgary, all of the trailheads for the Bragg Creek hikes described below are less than an hour's drive away. All the trailheads are accessed off of Highway 66, with the Fullerton Loop and Sugar Mama hikes the first ones you reach, only 15 kilometres southwest of Bragg Creek. These seven Bragg Creek…
I tried upping my street cred (okay, hiking cred) recently while having pints with a group of fellow hikers. Emboldened by a pint (or two) of IPA, I claimed out aloud: “You know, you could say that I’ve hiked with Robert Redford and Martin Sheen.” The deafening silence was quickly followed by an outburst of derisive laughter that basically suggested: “Dream on, dude!” While I haven’t actually hiked with either of these stars—I have shared…
If you want a unique hiking experience, then the Aravaipa Canyon hike needs to go on the must hike list. The canyon, located between Phoenix and Tucson in the Aravaipa Canyon Wilderness, sits in a landscape of soaring cliffs with a beautiful creek flowing through it year-round. Massive trees, thick riparian vegetation and lots of birds and wildlife make this a one of a kind Arizona experience. Reportedly when the leaves change colours in the fall,…
I have been very lucky to spend a lot of time doing hikes in Canada - across all provinces and territories. What I look for in a great day hike is superlative scenery - with my preference being coast, lake or mountain views or even something that makes the hike unique. The Mingan with its fantastic eroded rock monoliths would be a great example. I'm not a fan of hiking miles through forests without a…
On a busy trip to St. Mary and Glacier National Park in Montana, John and I squeezed in the Iceberg Lake hike in the Many Glacier area of the park. We did it in mid-September when the colours had started to change and after the summer crowds had left. The Iceberg Lake hike is 9.8 miles round trip and the elevation gain is a very manageable 1,275 feet or 389 metres. Finding the trailhead for the…
The Prairie View Trail - Jewell Pass hike in Kananaskis Country is a good choice in the shoulder season when you want to get outside but don't want to commit to a long drive. It takes less than an hour to get to the trailhead from Calgary. The Prairie View Trail hike is a very popular one. It's definitely not one of the prettier hikes in Kananaskis Country but in the off-season when you just…