Canadian Rockies Hiking Blog
Backpacking with Luci® lights
Technology continues to bloom in the backcountry, but one of the best and simplest I discovered this summer is the Luci solar-powered light. LED lights are nothing new on the trail. LED light output and reliability is used in headlamps and even strip-lights to...
Jasper’s South Boundary Trail revisited
We originally hiked and measured Jasper Park's South Boundary Trail many years ago, but a lot has changed since then. Wildfires, floods, rampaging grizzly bears (well, we did have a rampaging grizzly bear). The only way we can keep the Canadian Rockies Trail Guide...
Drones in Canadian National Parks
Technology always seems to be testing the National Park experience these days. In August, I took a short evening hike to a waterfall in Banff National Park. When I got to the viewpoint, I was greeted by three hikers photographing the falls with a buzzing,...
Larch Valley Hike: On the Busiest Day of the Year
Although the hiking season is generally spent trying to avoid the crowds, today we headed up to do the Larch Valley Hike on what is surely the busiest day of the year. This was due to a combination of factors: late September (with larch trees at their golden...
Golden larches gild the Rockies
Just like Halloween and Christmas, alpine larches (Larix lyallii) are providing an annual celebration in the Rockies' high country. And despite rather grim weather last weekend, hundreds of larch enthusiasts hiked through mud and rain to pay homage to this unique tree...
Waterton’s Red Rock closed
The Red Rock Parkway in Waterton Lakes National Park was closed early this season (Sept 8), which cuts off access to several popular hikes in the park's northwest sector. The closure will facilitate major reconstruction of the roadway, the lower parking lot at Red...
Johnston Canyon trail closure
Banff National Park’s Johnston Canyon trail will close on Tuesday, September 15, so Parks Canada can tend to restoration and infrastructure upgrades on the 2.7-km trail leading through the heart of the canyon to Upper Falls. Johnston Canyon is easily the busiest trail...
Hiking with headlamps
"I have been one acquainted with the night. / I have walked out in rain—and back in rain. / I have outwalked the furthest city light."—Robert Frost Every day-hiking checklist tells you to pack a headlamp or flashlight and extra batteries. I must admit, I don't always...
First snow, first frost
It started looking like the end of summer on Friday, August 21st as snow blanketed much of the high country above 2200 m. Heavy precipitation and falling temperatures brought several cms of fresh snow to the high country throughout the Mountain Parks. Meanwhile,...