Canadian Rockies Hiking Blog
Castleguard Meadows: The Gilroy Report
We've had quite a bit of interest in the Castleguard Meadows over the past few years. Several contributors have provided descriptions of this overgrown, difficult 35-km route. In May, Christian Gilroy sent another account of a 5-day in-and-out trip that he completed...
Hiking Kootenay Park 50 years ago
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 reminisce by...
Reopening the back door to Mt Assiniboine
Cut off by a collapsed suspension bridge in 2016 and devastation from the 2017 Verdant Creek Wildfire, the Simpson River-Surprise Creek-Ferro Pass route into Mount Assiniboine Provincial Park has been restored thanks to a new bridge and trail clearing up the charred...
Mountain elevations and trail distances
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...
Virtual backpacking in the age of coronavirus
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 lengthy video...
COVID-19 update for the Mountain 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...
Mountain films for the great indoors
Click on Epic Films for the Great Indoors to access the Banff Centre’s page featuring films from the cancelled world tour and 2018 available for free viewing at home during the coronavirus crisis. You can watch these selections on your digital tablet or computer, or...
Snow pillows predict a late spring
In these uncertain times, it's hard to guess what the 2020 season holds for hikers. But snow pillows are predicting one of the latest hiking seasons in recent years. Since I started writing this blog back around 2014, I've tried to predict when the first high trails...
The Loneliness of the Solitary Backpacker
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 banks,...