by Brian Patton | Nov 5, 2019 | backpacking, Banff National Park, gear, Jasper National Park
A veteran solo backpacker looks back to a decade of exploration on the remote trails of Banff, Jasper and the Willmore Wilderness and provides useful tips for today’s wilderness travellers. Back before there was text-enabled GPS units, solar panels with power...
by Brian Patton | Nov 27, 2018 | backpacking, Canadian Rockies, Jasper National Park
Five intrepid backpackers celebrate the end of a hot, smoky summer with a soggy ten-day trek from the North Saskatchewan River to Maligne Lake on the Great Divide Trail. Fog, drizzle, rain, sleet, snow! Jim Shipley and his buddies did something this summer that I...
by Brian Patton | Nov 16, 2018 | backpacking, Banff National Park
The old trail to Castleguard Meadows via the Alexandra and Castleguard Rivers is a tough slog. But those who make it there, either by the fading trail or over the Saskatchewan Glacier, will never forget this remarkable region. Finding the way on this remote route,...
by Brian Patton | Jul 1, 2018 | backpacking, Canadian Rockies, hiking, Home page News, Mt Assiniboine Provincial Park
Last July 1st, blog correspondent Jim Shipley and his buddy Frank hiked to the top of The Nub in Mount Assiniboine Provincial Park to celebrate Canada 150. As Jim’s photo attests, it was a little bit snowy backpacking into the park via Bryant Creek and Wonder...
by Bart Robinson | Feb 26, 2018 | backpacking, Mt Assiniboine Provincial Park
Assiniboine Provincial Park visitation has increased steadily over the past several years, prompting one backpacking friend of ours to refer to the summer camping scene at Magog Lake as “Burning Man in the Mountains.” While clearly hyperbole, the comparison does point...
by Bart Robinson | Jan 20, 2018 | backpacking, Banff National Park, Kootenay National Park, Yoho National Park
Building on the online backcountry reservation system unveiled for Jasper two years ago, Parks Canada is expanding the system to include Banff, Yoho and Kootenay in 2018. The system will become fully operational at 8:00 am MST on March 1st, providing an online means...
