“Since 1971 the most trusted source of Canadian Rockies hiking information”

Canadian Rockies Trail Guide

Canadian Rockies Hiking Blog

Search the Canadian Rockies Trail Guide blog

Generic selectors
Exact matches only
Search in title
Search in content
Post Type Selectors
Best October hikes in Banff National Park

Best October hikes in Banff National Park

This post describes the best October hikes in Banff National Park - so don’t write off the autumn hiking season when the larch needles fall or the first snow dusts the high country of the park. October and even November have always been a favourite time to exploit the...

Best Larch Hikes in the Canadian Rockies

Best Larch Hikes in the Canadian Rockies

Every September, alpine larch (Larix lyalli) needles turn a brilliant gold at higher elevations throughout the Canadian Rockies, and hikers are inspired by some of the best weather of the season to go in search of autumn splendour in the high, subalpine forest of the...

Checking out the Larch Webcam at Lake Louise

Checking out the Larch Webcam at Lake Louise

Wondering if the alpine larch needles in the Canadian Rockies have turned gold yet? Check out the Lake Louise Ski Resort webcams, including one on the shoulder of Whitehorn Mountain near the top of the Ptarmigan Chair (2400m/7874 ft). Peak of autumn colour is usually...

Helen Lake: Feisty grizzly prompts trail closure

Helen Lake: Feisty grizzly prompts trail closure

Banff National Park's Helen Lake Hiking Trail is one of the most popular day hikes from the Icefield Parkway. It is also a favourite summer feeding ground for grizzly bears, particularly sow bears with cubs. Sometimes hikers and bears have coexisted peacefully. But a...

Kootenay National Park wildfires, 2013

Kootenay National Park wildfires, 2013

The photo to the left show the Numa Creek Wildfire as seen from Highway 93 through Kootenay National Park during late afternoon on August 22, 2013. Kootenay National Park's Numa Creek wildfire, which has been smouldering since late July, blew up into a major...

Grizzly closes trails in Kootenay National Park

Grizzly closes trails in Kootenay National Park

Already suffering trail closures from bridge washouts and the Numa Creek fire, Kootenay National Park has closed several more trails at the north end of the park due to grizzly bear activity. The closure went into effect August 20, 2013. Trails affected by the closure...

Hiking the Canadian Rockies highest trails

Hiking the Canadian Rockies highest trails

By mid-summer, all of the snow has disappeared from the highest hiking trails in the Canadian Rockies parks and most hikers are in a bit better shape than they were in the spring. If you’d like to hike to the highest trail-accessible points in the parks, this is the...

Hiking above the washouts in Banff National Park

With the closure of the Sunshine Village Road and washouts on Pharaoh Creek as a result of the June 2013 flood, its been a discouraging summer for getting to Sunshine Meadows and Egypt Lakes. But backpackers travelling from Spray Valley Provincial Park to Highway 93...

Waterton Lakes National Park hiking after 2013 flood

Parks Canada has announced that damage to the Akamina Parkway in Waterton Lakes National Park resulting from spring flooding is major and the road will be closed for the rest of the 2013 summer. In order to relieve some of the traffic that is pressuring the Red Rock...