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Mount Assiniboine Park closed by wildfire
Update July 31, 2017—Though trails in the southern half of Mount Assiniboine Provincial Park reopened Wednesday, July 26, increased fire activity and a forecast of continued hot, dry weather prompted BC Parks to close the park again on Monday, July 31st. For the...
Wildfire closes Banff, Kootenay trails
Update July 31, 2017—Trails in the Sunshine Meadows and north along the Bow Valley Highline (Simpson Pass, Healy Pass, Egypt Lake, Whistling Pass) reopened Wednesday, July 26. But increased fire activity prompted Parks Canada to close the trails and Sunshine Village...
Outdoor gear made in Canada
Reviewing outdoor gear made in Canada is a good way to celebrate the country on its 150th birthday. Not the least being companies that design and manufacture innovative and quality products in Canada for hikers. I'm a big fan of "Made in Canada", and I recognize the...
High country snow lingers on Canadian Rockies trails
An above average snowpack in the Canadian Rockies will likely plague many high trails until late July this year (2017). Trails above 2200m (7,200ft) on north and east facing slopes will be particularly vulnerable to lingering snow banks. While snowpack tracked close...
Travel restrictions on Cavell Road
Motorists who want to drive the Cavell access road to the base of Jasper's Mount Edith Cavell this summer will require a special permit, and only 180 are being issued for each day. The restrictions are due to ongoing construction at the road's southern terminus and...
Elk Lakes’ refurbished trail system
The core trails in B.C.'s Elk Lakes Provincial Park are fully functional again following a three-year recovery from the floods of 2013. But one of the most popular trails into the park via West Elk Pass has been relocated and no longer travels direct to Upper Elk...
New eBook guides to National Park trails
A new series of trail guides in eBook format has been published by Summerthought. Designed for Kindle readers, tablets and iPhones, and utilizing the free Kindle app, the series works as an affordable alternative or supplement to the Canadian Rockies Trail Guide. Each...
More free shuttle buses in Banff for 2017
There will be more Roam buses and Parks Canada shuttles plying the roads of Banff National Park this summer as the park and Town of Banff gear up for the busiest summer ever. Parks Canada shuttles will be free, and Roam bus fares nominal. The expanded shuttle...
Ticks, Permethrin and Canadian hypocrisy
Once again, tick season is upon us. For most in the Rockies wood ticks are an annual nuisance that we suffer for a couple of months. The only defence is to tuck our pants into our socks and check ourselves carefully for the beasties following every hike. But in many...