David & Karen's Hiking Page

Rockies East

Jasper, Banff & Kananaskis

The Alberta Rockies are a tourist friendly area. There are several towns here and lots of commercial development. The weather is slightly better here too thanks to being on the far side of the continental divide. Glaciers aren't as plentiful, especially as you travel south however the sights are still marvelous.

Jasper: So far our hiking experience is this park has been rather limited. We have wandered through coin choked Maligne Canyon & soaked in Miette Hot Springs but lousy weather has kept us reading guidebooks instead out hiking the trails. The result of all that research are a couple areas of particular interest:

Maligne Lake - This is the lake in all the postcards, looking at the map however that pic, the one with Spirit Island, appears to have been taken from the boat tour. Hikingwise there are some trails that originate from vicinity of the boat launch, but the only one with any real views is the Skyline Trail although it goes north following a ridge for 27+ miles one way. I can't see us doing a one way backpack any time soon but I could see camping overnight in the Bald Hills area and trying to go as far as the 'Notch' in a long day hike.

Mt. Edith Cavell - This is the signature mountain of the park. Most people flock to the two small lakes and the easy trail on the northern approach to the mountain however there is a more challenging route that explores around the backside as well. We would like to try both one day, and if ever a long backpacking trip was an option, we would delve deep into the Tonquin Valley as well.

Icefields Parkway: The Columbia Icefield, a massive hunk of ice that chills at the Jasper/Banff park border. There is a big interpretative centre here and a featured bus tour on the Athabasca Glacier. You can hike to the toe of this glacier and along the way you will pass various monuments which mark the retreat of the glacier in years. It's amazing in once sense and in another it's just an uninspiring hike up a gravel hill with hordes of other people. If you really want to see the Athabasca Glacier take the trail from the Wilcox Creek Campground and hike a mile & half up to an open meadow where you will see more of the upper ice fall, likely big horn sheep, and no tour buses. We came in through the back door via Tangle Creek, which is OK if you have a bike to complete the loop but if we had to do it all over again we would have either scrambled up a nearby peak or ventured deeper into the park. On the Banff side of the border is the Saskatchewan Glacier, it's similar is size to the mighty Athabasca and has a couple short easy trails nearby to kick-start exploration.

Heading south toward Lake Louise there are two strikingly spectacular lakes Peyto Lake & Bow Lake. Peyto Lake has a good trail that curls around the south end of the lake and wanders over to the glacier & beyond while Bow Lake offers a couple of trail options. Starting at the lake's inlet (behind the lodge) an the official trail leads 2+ miles to � Bow Glacier Falls. A climber�s route branches off here and after a chilly ford & a lot of elevation gain you reach a hut at the edge of the Wapta icefield. Without ropes you can�t really reach any sort of summit thus the views are of the same scree you just spent hours climbing. A better option that requires a chilly thigh deep ford and a little route finding crosses the outlet of Bow Lake and climbs to Crowfoot Pass. Here you can attain views of Hector Lake and Mt. Balfour. The best views however are from yet another trail, the one directly across the highway that leads to Helen Lake. Rising above the lake is 9819ft Cirque Peak� a non-technical scramble and a great place to attain far reaching views of all the nearby lakes.

Lake Louise is a cross roads of two major highways, the site of a world class hotel and ski resort and some of the most spectacular scenery in the world. The lake draws in a lot of tourists but fortunately most stay to the west side of the lake on the trail between the two tea houses. The lake is best viewed from on high and that means climbing 9000ft �Mt. Fairview, a hands free scramble that is almost entirely on trail. The trail called the Saddleback runs from Lake Louise over to Paradise Valley and in the fall it has the added bonus of golden larch trees. However if it is larches you seek there is an even better display on the far side of Paradise Valley, in suitably named Larch Valley (top left). You can hike to here from Paradise Valley via Sentinel Pass however most people come in via Moraine Lake. Soaring above this valley is 11,621 Mt. Temple� . It is also a non-technical scramble albeit with some exposure and significant elevation gain, it's 5543+ ft from Moraine Lake. The lake is postcard famous, both for it's incredible colour and the magnificent backdrop, an unbroken like of rugged mountains called the Valley of the Ten Peaks. Most of these photos are taken from the top of a rockpile right next to the parking area. There is a trail that extends from this rockpile to another set of lakes but compared to this masterpiece you are bound to be disappointed, thus the name Consolation Lakes.

Banff Townsite is all about shopping, ski resorts and one small overly crowded hot spring, it's 'Wilderness-lite'. However one of the ski resorts, Sunshine Village, offers bus rides up to some pretty nice alpine. You can day hike around Rock Isle Lake� or if you more ambitious all the way to Healy Pass, both are extra fine during larch Season. This area also serves as a backdoor into Mt. Assiniboine a mere 18 miles away.

The frontdoor into Mt. Assiniboine actually starts in Kananaskis. From the Mt. Shark trailhead, going the most direct route you can reach the core area of this park in only 15 miles. Views of Assiniboine can be hard to get, if you have sunny skies and only one day to spare an alternative is the trail to Burstall Pass. It starts on a bike path, crosses a swampy alluvial flat (expect to get wet) but has about the best view you can get on a short hike. The most scenic part of Kananaskis has to be the lakes themselves. For a bird's eye view hike the short windy trail up to the top of Mt. Indefatigable, just remember to stay left for the true summit.