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.
Read MoreBig 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.
Read MoreThis 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.
Read MoreThis blog post was going to have a very different name, photos, and level of epicness but weather conditions and a healthy dose of fear changed our plans a weeee bit.
Read MoreThe Flag Hill hike is very short, but you should think about doing it if you have twenty minutes or so to spare while in David Thompson Country. The hardest part of the hike is finding the start. But when you do find the trail and complete the hike you get nice views for the minimal effort you spent.
Read MoreI give this trail a 3/10, but it get props for getting a bit of revenge so I will bump it up to 3.5. The big downfall is that it is too repetitive and there are other better trails in the same area. Again I would recommend the Shoreline Trail or Amisk Wuche over this one.
Read MoreThe trail takes you across floating boardwalks, through marshland and along beaver ponds, as well as through upland forest. There is a well marked parking lot near Astotin Lake on the other side of the road where the trail begins.
Read MoreWe went for a walk at Chickakoo Lake in search of interesting birds to photograph. While we didn’t see much in the way of birds—not even that many chickadees!—we did have an exciting hike full of slips and laughs, although it did have a slightly tragic end.
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