Canadian Rockies Hiking Blog
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Jasper National Park trails reopen
Some of Jasper National Park's most popular trails reopened this week as the danger from wildfire and rogue bears subsided. Rain and cooler weather dampened the Excelsior Creek Fire in the Maligne Valley, and allowed Parks Canada to lift travel restrictions for the...
Grizzly closure at Chester Lake
A grizzly bear moved into the Chester Lake cirque in Peter Lougheed Provincial Park on Sunday (July 19, 2015), resulting in the indefinite closure of that trail. It was a prime example of what happens when too many people wander into a grizzly's dining room, and we...
Gem Trek Bragg Creek map – new edition
Among five revised Gem Trek maps released last month is a new, much-expanded 1:50,000 sheet for Bragg Creek & Sheep Valley—a core area for outdoor recreation in Kananaskis Country. Gem Trek has long provided the best recreational maps for Kananaskis Country, and...
Banff’s high trails open early
Brian and I have been monitoring the arrival of an early 2015 hiking season. Neither of us, though, were prepared for just how quickly the snow at altitude would vanish, and neither of us can remember a season quite like it in the 40-some years we’ve been watching...
South Boundary Trail update
UPDATE: The section of South Boundary Trail referenced below in this post has been decommissioned and is now impassible. The South Boundary Trail now officially starts along the Cardinal River Road. The new route is described pages 236 to 240 in the Canadian Rockies...
Best Banff National Park spring hikes
The best Banff National Park spring hikes start in June, which has always been the start of our hiking season—the time when trails start opening up above the valley bottoms. But this year is well advanced as we enter the month. Thanks to dry, warm conditions and low...
Jasper National Park spring hikes
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...
Lake O’Hara bus schedule changes for 2015
Getting a seat on the bus to Lake O'Hara has always been a challenge, with keen hikers marking their calendars three months in advance to ensure they call on the correct day and ensure themselves access to this very special place. As of 2015, the process has changed...
Jasper National Park – decommissioned trails
2024 UPDATE: Although still a classified as a wilderness route, the trail between Maligne Pass and Maligne Lake has been resurrected. Camping is now permitted at the old campsites (although no bridges have been replaced), and the route is marked on Parks Canada maps...