Mount Norquay, Alberta

The hike to Big Beehive begins at the base of Lake Louise. From the parking lot, hike along the paved trail on the northeastern shore of Lake Louise.  The Fairmont Chateau Hotel will be to your right with the lake to your left.  Continue toward the junction for the Lake Agnes Trail.  Keep right t...

Park in the visitor parking lot at the Chateau Lake Louise parking lot in time for sunrise at Lake Louise...not to be missed! Then follow the pathway to the right around the lake to the Lake Agnes turnoff (well marked, with a small bronze statue at the intersection.) The waterfall is just befor...

Park in the main Lake Louise parking lot. Be sure to have purchased your Park Pass. These can be purchased as you enter Banff National Park, or at the Banff and Lake Louise Information Centers. Follow the paved path along the lake shore in front of the Hotel, Chateau Lake Louise. At 0.8 km you wi...

Lake Louise is one of the most photographed lakes in Canada, with reason. Many tourist walk the paved path round and head home. They miss out though. Hiking to the various tea houses surrounding the lake is a must. An easy 2 mile hike from the lake lies a tea house perched on a hill in a tight ci...

Thousands of tourists flock to Lake Louise and Lake Agnes every year (maybe even every month) and by scrambling Mount Niblock you'll see the same magnificent sites while leaving the crowd behind and seeing so much more!Mount Niblock offers a bit of a challenge in that there are some rock ribs tha...

The Icefields Parkway has been named One of the World's Most Scenic Drives by National Geographic and with all the scenic hikes, stops, and viewpoints, it's easy to see why. Starting at Lake Louise, a friend and I decided to drive up the Icefields Parkway which goes through Banff National Park i...

The Icefields Parkway is a spectacular highway to ride (you can see the short video here). The shoulders are wide and well paved. Drivers are typically courteous, slowing down and giving you space as they pass, making the ride a great deal more enjoyable. Starting in Jasper you load up your bike,...

Park at the Evan Thomas parking lot to and the trailhead is in the south of that parking lot. It follows a well-defined trail up for most of the way before you start gaining elevation. When the trail starts heading south, keep an eye out for a small trail that will keep you heading east. This por...

Located on Highway 40 (Kananaskis Trail) and marked by the "Galatea" sign, there's not much more to this hike other than putting one foot in front of the other, but the amount of traffic it sees is a testament to the quality of this hike.Even on the backend of winter the numerous shades of green ...

Just off Highway 1 in Kananaskis Country is a beautiful pond that makes for a wonderful spot to enjoy the first light on the Canadian Rockies. Bring warm clothes as this place can be especially cold. Don't forget a camera and a blanket. I recommend going for sunrise as this is when the lighting i...

Drive south on Highway 40 and your adventure begins at Wedge Pond. Parking in the parking lot is easy enough if you're there early enough in the day (before 10:00). The trail up the Wedge starts near the bathrooms, and heads south - not southwest towards the pond. After only a few minutes of walk...

Head to the northwest corner of the parking lot to find the trail. For the first 5.5 km the trail is quite easy, with only modest elevation increase. At 5.5 km you will arrive at what is known as the gravel flats. Depending on the time of year the gravel flats can be either quite dry or a wide, s...

The trail begins along the berm beside Mud Lake. After a rather uninspiring 3 km (you can mountain bike this part) the trail narrows and enters trees where tangled roots twist across the path and you breathe in the smells of damp earth and moss.Ten minutes later the trail spits you across a spl...

No better way to watch the stars with friends than huddled up in your sleeping bag on top of a 3000m summit. This describes the bivy at The Fortress. Starting at the Chester Lake Trailhead, take the unmarked trail on the right side of the parking lot. These winter cross-country ski trails take y...

The hike starts at the Chester Lake trailhead along the Smith Dorian road in Kananaskis. The first few kilometers follow the old logging roads, now used as cross country skiing trails. Find the beginning of the trail at the upper right end of the parking lot, and continue to follow parallel to t...

Have you ever done a hike where you just don't want the day to end? Scramble the Fortress and you'll know the feeling. The thing that drew me to the Fortress was its summit elevation of 3000 masl, as well as its blocky, fortress-like profile when viewed from the north. It's so much more than that...