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Big bend is a swell hike in Jasper. You could do this as a day trip or a short overnight stay. The trail starts at Sunwapta Falls which was nice for those of us that enjoy waterfalls. Since the waterfalls are a main tourist draw the parking can be iffy, so I would get there early if you can. There is an option to continue further down the trail but I do not think you can get all the way to Fortress lake anymore as the bridge was washed away. The hike to Big Bend Campground is a very easy trail and would be well suited to basically all skill levels. This trail would be a great introductory backpacking trail for kids or first timers.
We kinda messed up this one, but I think it all worked out quite nicely. This hike is in Jasper National Park close to the Miette road in a little roadside pullout. From the small parking area there is a more popular path going right up to Roche Miette, along a fire road, for the popular scramble at the end. We took the other path, with the intention of going into the canyon. Both trails meet up if you want to make a little loop out of it. We intended to do a loop but conditions did not allow it, but I will get into later.
This one was a gooder. I think this might be my new favourite hike. The hike starts at the Takakaw Falls parking lot in Yoho National Park. This hike is part of a bigger trail system so you can either extend or shorten the hike if you want. I think the reason I enjoyed the hike was all the different stops along the way.
This one is a must do in Canmore if you are in the area. I think everyone should do this hike at least once, but be warned you will never be alone along the trail. The latest time we did this hike was on a snowy November day. I cannot recommend doing it at this time more, I believe that we experienced the best possible conditions for the trail as shown in the video.
The Allstones Lake Trail is a fairly popular (for the area) trail along the David Thompson Highway near Nordegg. It was an 8.8km hike for us with 654m of elevation gain.
The Berg Lake Trail was probably my favourite backpacking trip to date and I think the number three most beautiful place I have visited. We did a three day trip, one day hiking in, one day exploring and one day hiking out. I would say that the hike is not overly difficult barring one segment (which we will get into later). I think the best way to describe the hike is by breaking it into various segments as each part was quite different. Also, I would recommend staying at either Marmot or Berg Lake campground, but we will get into that later.
Coliseum Mountain was our big hike on May long weekend this year. It starts right across the highway from the town of Nordegg in the Shunda subdivision. The trail involves numerous switchbacks through the forest before breaking through the trees to enjoy the views. But hang in there, because the views are great!
The Whitegoat Falls hike was fraught with controversy from the very beginning, but ended up being my favourite outing of our May long weekend. Sarah’s mom her and friends had done this hike last year and ended up horribly lost, and may not have even seen the falls, so we were hesitant even before we started.
First off, let me say that Maligne Canyon is gorgeous, and if you have not been there do not let my opinions stop you from checking it out. Now that being said, you have to go in the winter! Maligne Canyon is a sight in the summer but a spectacle in the winter.
This was a big one for us. The Tonquin Valley hike is one of the big two hikes in Jasper (the other being The Skyline Trail). I have very mixed feelings on this hike, there were some areas of amazing beauty along this trail but there was also some very wet trails and a monotonous trudge back to the car, which may have been our own fault.