Trails
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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.
The Sunwapta Falls are a very popular stop along the Icefields Parkway. The upper falls are a huge draw for people, and why not, they are gorgeous. However, after driving about an hour from Jasper townsite, it is worth it to do the easy hike down to the lower falls as well.
I list this hike as moderate because there is a moderate climb, but this has to be one of the easiest mountain view hikes around.
The Egypt Lake Trail starts from the Sunshine Village parking lot in Banff National Park. You would definitely want to do it as a multiday hike so you can do some of the day trips that begin at the Egypt Lake campground.
This 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.
I had mixed feelings about this hike just after completing it, but it has been growing on me since then. The basic summary of this hike is: go right up the side of the mountain, steadily getting steeper, until you’re scrambling up to the viewpoint. Before setting off I really recommend purchasing a trail guide to help you find the start, as there is no cell service in the area.
I really enjoyed this hike. You encounter a little bit of everything before reaching a viewpoint for the falls. The trail is very well marked and begins in a decently sized parking lot. From Highway 11, just past the Two O'clock Creek Campground on your way to Banff, there are signs for Kootenay Plains on the highway where you should turn for the hike. The parking lot has a sign saying Siffleur Staging Area to confirm that you are in the right spot.
We didn’t go on a very long walk as you can tell, since the sun was setting, but it was nice to get outside and check out the area. I was really impressed by the food forest and glad to see it doing well! I would definitely recommend all Edmontonians get out and visit the MacKinnon Ravine—there’s a lot of exploring to do here and we just scratched the surface on this walk!
The Kinnaird Highlands trail has become my favourite trail in Edmonton to date. There is a nice mix of nature and cityscapes that keep you entertained on a leisurely stroll by the river. This trail doubles as an off leash area for dogs which Henry, my golden, loves. Sarah was not present for this walk but we did have my dad, Henry, and Penelope (the black dog).
I 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.
We 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.
This 5km return started from the Snow Valley parking lot and goes through the Whitemud Ravine to the Alfred H. Savage Centre, and then returns along the same path. From the parking lot we walked along the flat path through the ravine to the Alfred Savage Centre before returning. The trail follows the creek as it winds through the woods.
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.