by Brian Patton | Jul 31, 2021 | canadian rockies trail guide, hiking, Home page News, Kootenay National Park, Wildfire
Climate change has replaced cloudy skies and rainy days with forest fire smoke. The summer of 2021 is no exception. One of the problems in the early days of the Canadian Rockies Trail Guide was cloudy conditions and showers. Thanks to these unsettled conditions, it...
by Brian Patton | Dec 26, 2020 | Banff National Park, canadian rockies trail guide, hiking, Home page News
The original Guide to Hiking Trails in the vicinity of Storm Mountain Lodge was published in 1978. The text and design was created by then lodge co-owner Jim Thorsell. After the lodge changed ownership, the book was out of print for three decades. Many things changed...
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 27, 2020 | Canadian Rockies, canadian rockies trail guide, gear, Home page News
Dr. Gerard Lachapelle from the University of Calgary refines elevations of peaks in the Canadian Rockies, elevating some and downgrading others. Two of the biggest problems in creating the first trail guide to the Mountain Parks was the accurate measurement of trail...
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 | 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...