by Brian Patton | Aug 31, 2020 | backpacking, canadian rockies trail guide, Home page News, Kootenay National Park
Kootenay National Park is celebrating its centennial with a “Kootenay Then and Now: Recreate the Photo” contest. Since we began our fieldwork on the Mountain Parks’ first comprehensive trail guide 50 years ago, I thought it would be appropriate to...
by Brian Patton | Jun 12, 2020 | backpacking, Canadian Rockies, canadian rockies trail guide, COVID-19, Home page News
We’re still wondering whether there will be much backcountry travel in the Mountain Parks during this coronavirus summer. But you can still make dozens of virtual treks in the Canadian Rockies on the YouTube channel while you’re waiting. These...
by Brian Patton | May 9, 2020 | backpacking, COVID-19, hiking, Home page News, National Parks, Provincial Parks
Hiking and backcountry access in the Canadian Rockies during COVID-19 Updated July 28, 2020 Parks Canada began lifting COVID-19 restrictions and closures in the National Parks on Monday, June 1. Most trails and day use areas are now open throughout the Mountain...
by Brian Patton | Mar 17, 2020 | backpacking, Canadian Rockies, canadian rockies trail guide, gear, hiking, technology
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 were text-enabled GPS units, solar panels with power...
by Brian Patton | Mar 12, 2020 | backpacking, Home page News, Jasper National Park
Winter is finally losing its grip on the Canadian Rockies. The first robins have made an appearance, not to mention the first grizzly bears. It won’t be long until we hear the sound of the first mosquitoes buzzing in our ears. Even if you’re not looking forward...
by Brian Patton | Feb 26, 2020 | backpacking, Banff National Park, canadian rockies trail guide, Home page News
Gavin Fitch is a lawyer in Calgary, the President of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society and a self-described “hardcore crazy backpacker”. As an active backpacker plying the remote valleys of the mountain parks over the past decade, he has experienced...