by Brian Patton | Mar 17, 2017 | Backpacking, Books |
When Ben Gadd asked me to write the Foreword to The Canadian Hiker’s & Backpacker’s Handbook back in 2008, I was surprised and a bit taken aback. Wasn’t there already a wealth of “how-to” books about hiking and backpacking on the... by Brian Patton | Jan 8, 2016 | Backpacking, Banff National Park, Great Divide Trail |
Of a number of trails that have disappeared since the first edition of the Canadian Rockies Trail Guide, Howse Pass may be the most famous. The trail up the Howse River to Howse Pass and the Columbia Valley beyond was first travelled by North West Company fur trader... by Brian Patton | May 5, 2015 | Jasper National Park, Wildflowers |
If you are looking for Jasper National Park spring hikes, it may seem counterintuitive to head north for the earliest hiking in the Canadian Rockies, but the Athabasca Valley is always the first to provide dry, snowfree trails and mild weather in May. Aside from being... by Brian Patton | Oct 31, 2014 | 2013 Floods, Banff National Park, Trip reports |
One of the pleasures of writing this blog is receiving queries from backpackers seeking advice on trips into remote reaches of the Mountain Parks. I received a couple of these this spring, including one from a Jim Shipley of Calgary, who was planning a two-week trip... by Brian Patton | Aug 13, 2014 | Backpacking, Jasper National Park, Trip reports
It isn’t news to active hikers and backpackers in Jasper, but the South Boundary Trail as it appears in the 9th edition of the Canadian Rockies Trail Guide doesn’t really work anymore. In the last edition of our guidebook, we alluded to problems between Breccia Canyon...