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.All Trips / British Columbia / North America / Western Canada
Yoho National Park: Yoho Valley, Twin Falls and Whaleback Circuit
In a region of beautiful and dramatic scenery, Yoho Valley holds its own. The Yoho Valley Road is only a few kilometers east of the small town of Field, British Columbia, just off the very accessible TransCanada Highway. Don’t expect to be here alone — this a popular area, especially on nice summer days. Many who drive into the valley just stop to see Takakkaw waterfall, then continue on with their car trip. At 384 m high (with 254 m “free fall”), Takakkaw — pronounced Tah-kuh-kah, Cree for “it is wonderful” — is the tallest of a number of memorable waterfalls you’ll find when exploring Yoho Valley. It is one of Canada’s highest waterfalls.
I generally like to hike alone or with a small group …
.All Trips / Alberta / Central Canada / North America
Banff National Park: The Subalpine Splendor of Sunshine Meadows
Those of us who enjoy hiking and backpacking grow impatient by early summer as we gaze to the mountaintops and their passes and wait for the snow up there to finally melt. We busy ourselves with low altitude hikes and camping and such, but as much fun as these can be we know the best scenery and the greatest hiking awaits in those higher altitudes. And when subalpine meadows emerge from their snowy blanket its time at last to start exploring!
In the Canadian Rockies the subalpine meadows are usually covered in snow until around the end of June or early July — and snow begins reaccumulating in early October, so the window of opportunity is narrow. But during those few months there’s a short but intense growing season with lush meadows and a large number and diversity …
.All Trips / Alberta / Central Canada / North America
Banff National Park: Sulphur Mountain
Sulphur Mountain is situated immediately outside of Banff, just south and west of the town, really almost part of Banff. The mountain is best known for its hot springs (whose odor gives the mountain its name) and its gondola ride (built for tourists and not associated with skiing). Tens of thousands of people each year enjoy its thermal waters, or take the 8 minute gondola ride to the 2,281-meter-high (7,486-foot) summit of Sulphur Mountain for one of the most famous views in Canada—a 360-degree panorama encompassing the town of Banff, the Bow River Valley and Banff Springs Hotel, and well known peaks like Cascade Mountain and Mount Rundle. But there is also …
.All Trips / Alberta / Central Canada / North America
Banff National Park: The majesty of Lake Louise, the Plain of Six Glaciers, & Lake Agnes
1) Lake Louise:
“Lake Louise” is a name that refers to a beautiful glacial lake, a village, and a ski destination. All of these places are in close proximity but I’ll always be using the term to describe the lake itself. I’ve been to Lake Louise several dozen times and don’t think I”ll ever tire of visiting.
Lake Louise is named in honor of Princess Louise Alberta, one of Queen Victoria’s daughters. Except for the Banff town-site, this is the most visited destination in Banff National Park and it is one of the most photographed lakes in the world, with good reason. Situated only a few miles off the Trans-Canada Highway, with a steep short drive to reach …
.All Trips / British Columbia / North America / Western Canada
Yoho National Park — Emerald Lake
Yoho seems a bit of an odd name, but it’s very appropriate to apply it to this region. To the Cree people Yoho meant “Awe and Wonder”. You’ll find that impression remains today when you visit this region, within which Emerald Lake stands out as one remarkable destination. It’s one of the great scenic treasures of the Canadian Rockies, rivaling the beauty of Lake Louise or Moraine Lake. Situated about an hour and a half drive from Banff, Emerald Lake offers memorable scenes of greenish water against a stunning backdrop of forested mountains, jagged peaks and glaciers. When the light hits the water at the right angle, you’ll see where the lake gets its name — …
.All Trips / Alberta / Central Canada / North America
Banff National Park: Johnston Canyon and Inkpots Trail
The most popular hiking trail in Banff National Park, if not the entire Canadian Rockies, is that in Johnston Canyon. It’s said as many as a million people walk at least part of this trail each year. I’m not certain why the trail’s so popular with tourists. Perhaps it’s because of the fairly unique opportunity to walk on suspended trails (“catwalks”) attached to the canyon wall in a narrow gorge, or the green scenery, or the rushing cascading waters. But there are certainly better options for views of the gorgeous Rockies than what you’ll find here.
I’d hiked this trail twice before and recall it being very busy in the summer, so I decided …
.All Trips / Alberta / Central Canada / North America
Banff National Park: Johnson Lake and the Bow Valley/Hoodoos trail
Sometimes one’s journey makes unexpected turns, which is true in life as well as in travel. As fate would have it, my career has taken me from Spokane in Eastern Washington to Calgary, Alberta, in Western Canada. The new job is interesting and offers great promise, but of equal importance to me in making this move was that I would be just over an hour’s drive from my beloved Canadian Rocky Mountains!
Among my earliest memories as a boy are of time spent vacationing in and around Banff with my parents and siblings. Having grown up on the prairies, the massive rugged Rocky Mountains were quite a novelty to me and I loved looking at them …
.All Trips / Idaho / North America / Pacific Northwest
Stevens Lake — A Hidden Gem in the Bitterroots
I love the sight of a sub-alpine lake set in a beautiful mountain range about as much as anything!. In this regard, Stevens Lake certainly does not disappoint. Its a great destination for a day hike or a weekend backpacking trip.
When Northwesterners talk about “Stevens Lake” we’re actually talking about two adjoining lakes (Upper and Lower Stevens Lake). These are located in the Idaho Panhandle just this side of the Montana border, not far from Lookout Pass, close to Mullan. The trail head is close to I-90 and located around 4000′ above sea level.
The trail works itself through a fairly steep forested hill before opening onto a fairly flat and pretty meadow. At the far south …
Tagged Bitterroot Mountains, hiking, Idaho, Stevens Lake
