Was up in Kananaskis for the last few days with my family (incl small kids).
Really enjoyed the time, but as a reminder for those who have dogs, if the sign says "Dogs on leash", keep your dogs on their leash.
We have 2 dogs, kept them on a leash, but had to leave the Barrier Lake area when off leash dogs would run up into our space, up to our kids without the owner being in control of the dog. I don't care if you think your dog is harmless, mine don't like other dogs coming up to the kids. It agitates them and gets them worked up unnecessarily. We chose the area in part because it was a "Dogs are to be Leashed" area. Show some respect.
Interestingly, I spoke to a person who works in the area and his dog (pitbull) has been attacked 7 times while leashed and muzzled by off leash dogs. Perhaps they get too excited out in the mountains.
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Yeah, I remember the sign there last year had the trail off the North Interlakes closed because of bears feeding on berries there. I don't know if that has changed. Maybe there is a different path up.
Has anyone hiked Mt. Indefatigable? Or know anyone who has? I am thinking of hiking it next week but curious to know how the trail is. The actual route was decommissioned in 2005 due to three generations of grizzlies living the area, but what is the likelihood I will encounter bears if I am in a group of 4 making noise while hiking?
Some friends were up there last weekend and it looked fine in the pictures.
I have done it a few times since 2005 (last time in 2011 and saw the sign) and did not encounter bears. The trail was very obvious and we saw at least 20 other hikers. I think that would be a great place to go with a group of 4.
About half way up there is a split in the trail that takes you left up to the south peak or continue towards the north side of the mountain. Both are impressive but I preferred the view from the south peak (one of best I have seen in Kananaskis).
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Any suggestions for quiet, relatively easy, and scenic hikes close to Calgary? Asking for a friend that wants to find a spot to propose outside of the city.
I suggested that it would be very difficult to find something that fulfilled all four conditions...
Any suggestions for quiet, relatively easy, and scenic hikes close to Calgary? Asking for a friend that wants to find a spot to propose outside of the city.
I suggested that it would be very difficult to find something that fulfilled all four conditions...
Arethusa Cirque. 20-30 minutes up hill to a meadow with a pretty stream and larch trees. It's almost at the top of highwood pass and most of the hoards are at Ptarmigan Cirque leaving you with a private mountain bowl in which to propose. Anyone who does hike there is on their way to somewhere else.
Second choice would be Elbow lake, but it's crowded on the weekends. Again, only 20-30 minutes up and large enough to find a private spot.
If the effort could be stepped up a bit, I always thought it would be fun to propose at Deception Pass near Lake Louise.
Or if they want to do something a little different, Tryst Lake combined with dinner at Mt Engadine Lodge. That's a fantastic choice. It's about an hour hike and likely very private.
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Has anyone hiked Mt. Indefatigable? Or know anyone who has? I am thinking of hiking it next week but curious to know how the trail is. The actual route was decommissioned in 2005 due to three generations of grizzlies living the area, but what is the likelihood I will encounter bears if I am in a group of 4 making noise while hiking?
I would say its hit and miss. I love that mountain and its just beautiful, but sometimes there is a lot of activity and sometimes none. I have hiked it with no bears and that was obviously great. Another time we were hiking around the lake and then going up and a ranger stopped us because there were seven bears in the area and they were shutting things down. Its kind of hit and miss in that sense.
Speaking of bears, what is the best thing to have on you? Bear spray, bangers, 12 gauge sawed off shotgun?
I carry spray, bangers (since they're both used for very different things), and a knife (of which I don't expect to be of much use). I'm assuming the 12 gauge was a joke, but there's a lot of studies out there that say spray is more effective than a gun in an attack.
Third party forum information, but apparently out of the dozen or so sprays approved for sale in Canada, only 3 are recommended. Counter Assault, Guard Alaska, and UDAP. I guess some brands trade off distance for spray time or vise-versa. Take that FWIW I guess. I use Frontiersman simply because that's what MEC carries.
I generally avoid the use of bangers. IMO better off to just have them mosey along on their own, but they're good to have in case. You can also buy flares for the pen launchers too for signalling in an emergency.
Don't forget to bear call. Not too many people seem to do it. Generally the best defence is not to surprise them, but I'm certainly no expert.
Last edited by DownhillGoat; 07-09-2015 at 08:56 AM.
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I spent a couple nights camping at Illecillewaet in Glacier Park (BC) near Rogers Pass. The campground and surrounding park are really nice and considerably less busy than some of the parks closer to Calgary. We hiked up the Asulkan Valley to the glacier which made for a moderate to challenging day hike with great mountain views.
There is also lots of early Canadian history in the area that was interesting to learn about, including ruins from Glacier House, the popular hotel/resort from the 1900's that was abandoned following some severe avalanches and rerouting of the CPR.
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An absolute must watch for people who plan to be in bear country. Dispells a lot of myths and gives very good advice.
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But living an honest life - for that you need the truth. That's the other thing I learned that day, that the truth, however shocking or uncomfortable, leads to liberation and dignity. -Ricky Gervais
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Well my Skyline trip just got cancelled due to wildfires in the area.
Any suggestions for a 2 day (one night) hike I can get a backcountry permit for on short notice?
I can't help, but my wife was scheduled for that hike next weekend. Brutal timing for the fire.
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But living an honest life - for that you need the truth. That's the other thing I learned that day, that the truth, however shocking or uncomfortable, leads to liberation and dignity. -Ricky Gervais
Got back from a couple nights at Lake Ohara. Best hiking in the Rockies. We took the kids and did Mcarther Lake and the Opabian circuit having done Oesa a few years before.
By far the least effort to most reward hikes in the Rockies.
Also the campground there is very family friendly and usually has quite a few kids of a variety of ages at it, and because the fire and eating area is communal lots of other adults to socialize with.
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I'm heading out to Mt. Assiniboine provincial park in a few days for a 4 night trip. We're hiking in from Sunshine village and will be staying on Lake Magog for a few nights. Does anyone have any tips on what to explore in the area? I've got Wonder Pass and the Nublet (Nub Peak?) as must see places.
I've also heard that black flies are out in full force lately…
I'm heading out to Mt. Assiniboine provincial park in a few days for a 4 night trip. We're hiking in from Sunshine village and will be staying on Lake Magog for a few nights. Does anyone have any tips on what to explore in the area? I've got Wonder Pass and the Nublet (Nub Peak?) as must see places.
I've also heard that black flies are out in full force lately…
Go all the way up nub peak there is one narrow section between the nub and nub peak but the rest is just hiking. And the 360 pano from the top. Windy Ridge is a cool hike taking you up on the ridge over OG lake. At wonder pass hike up to the top of the ridge for a fantastic view. There is also a trail to the left that goes down to a good marvel lake viewpoint
Are you going in and out sunshine? Where are you camping. I'd recommend pushing to OG lake day one as it is beautiful compared to the treed halfway camp at porcupine. If you are going to OG instead of porcupine you can also stay on the highline through the Golden valley. Rather than through the trees at the bottom of the valley. The valley of the rocks sucks and goes on forever but outside of that it's one of the best hikes. Bring some cash for beer at the lodge in the afternoon.
Make sure you fill up with water at the pools at citadel pass and have enough to get to OG lake. As there isn't any water if you stay on the highline.
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Well my Skyline trip just got cancelled due to wildfires in the area.
Any suggestions for a 2 day (one night) hike I can get a backcountry permit for on short notice?
Sorry to hear. I was there around Canada Day, it's a beautiful area. On option you could try is paradise valley(by temple mountain). Getting in is hit or miss due to bears, but as a result you connote reserve more than a day in advance. Otherwise, you can look online, there is a PDF you can download that shows availability for all backcountry sites. I know when I was last looking at it twin lakes had a lot of availability this summer, and it's one of the nicer sites I've been to. About a 7 km hike in, starts with a 100m drop, goes up 600m then back down about 200m.
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Go all the way up nub peak there is one narrow section between the nub and nub peak but the rest is just hiking. And the 360 pano from the top. Windy Ridge is a cool hike taking you up on the ridge over OG lake. At wonder pass hike up to the top of the ridge for a fantastic view. There is also a trail to the left that goes down to a good marvel lake viewpoint
Are you going in and out sunshine? Where are you camping. I'd recommend pushing to OG lake day one as it is beautiful compared to the treed halfway camp at porcupine. If you are going to OG instead of porcupine you can also stay on the highline through the Golden valley. Rather than through the trees at the bottom of the valley. The valley of the rocks sucks and goes on forever but outside of that it's one of the best hikes. Bring some cash for beer at the lodge in the afternoon.
Make sure you fill up with water at the pools at citadel pass and have enough to get to OG lake. As there isn't any water if you stay on the highline.
Thanks for the info, that's exactly what I was looking for. We are hiking in from Sunshine and taking a heli ride out to Mt. Shark. I think we will likely end up overnighting at porcupine on the way in but will see about continuing to Og depending on how the group is doing for time and energy.
Sorry to hear. I was there around Canada Day, it's a beautiful area. On option you could try is paradise valley(by temple mountain)
Thanks for the info. I'll look into that one.
Unfortunately my buddy who planned to go with me bailed too. I ended up doing a solo trip of Rockwall out in the Kootenays. Paint pots to Floe Lake. It was quite nice.
