09-05-2021, 06:40 AM
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#41
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First Line Centre
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Yesterday we decided to go for a short one at C-Level Cirque. It's about 9-10 km round trip. There's a bit of elevation for the last km but the view of the Lake is spectacular. The trail is quite busy but manageable.
I usually hike about a dozen times a year but this year I haven't been out since May. Even that short one yesterday kicked my butt.
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09-06-2021, 05:06 PM
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#43
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Lifetime Suspension
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Not sure, but JC feels like a place ripe for incidents.
Usually overcrowded, people treating it like the zoo more than a cliffed canyon with rapids in the wilderness, probably doing dumb things to get a good angle for a photo.
I've slipped a few times just trying to climb through that cave since it's always wet. Now you have families in sneakers and flip flops and inexperienced tourists trying to jam through there.
Seems inevitable.
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09-06-2021, 06:21 PM
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#44
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Franchise Player
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: Somewhere down the crazy river.
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Johnston Canyon can get pretty sketchy when there’s ice on the ground. I am surprised there haven’t been more winter incidents with people without micro spikes.
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09-06-2021, 06:58 PM
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#45
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Franchise Player
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It’s well railed so it’s mostly just broken bones.
I’ve been there when a person broke a wrist. From the article this sounds more like a crime than a hiking injury.
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09-06-2021, 11:57 PM
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#46
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Franchise Player
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: Somewhere down the crazy river.
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The last time we went in winter there was enough of a gap that if a kid slipped, they’d probably end sliding through.
Sulphur Mtn was also and earlier in the Spring with the ice and some badly eroded parts of the trail. We normally don’t want to pay to go down the gondola, but that time we did. Same with around the top of Tunnel Mtn. Tunnel was probably worse.
I think our lesson after that was even at the popular hiking spots in Banff, in winter and spring spikes are necessary.
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09-07-2021, 08:05 AM
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#47
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First Line Centre
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: Calgary
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My wife and decided we're going to start hiking - we've always enjoyed it and decided to start taking it more seriously.
We were in Kananaskis over the long weekend and the trails were quite busy, which was expected. It struck me how lucky Calgarians and Albertans are to have a recreation area like that so close, with so much to explore and so much natural beauty.
Are there many other recreation areas in Canada or North America that have been set aside like Kananaskis? It seems like we're pretty fortunate.
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09-07-2021, 11:16 AM
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#48
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First Line Centre
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bob-loblaw
My wife and decided we're going to start hiking - we've always enjoyed it and decided to start taking it more seriously.
We were in Kananaskis over the long weekend and the trails were quite busy, which was expected. It struck me how lucky Calgarians and Albertans are to have a recreation area like that so close, with so much to explore and so much natural beauty.
Are there many other recreation areas in Canada or North America that have been set aside like Kananaskis? It seems like we're pretty fortunate.
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I don't have the data handy but I think it's safe to say that Calgary has some of the best hiking within an hour drive of anywhere in the country. I think it's something we tend to take for granted.
__________________
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09-07-2021, 11:35 AM
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#49
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Powerplay Quarterback
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bob-loblaw
My wife and decided we're going to start hiking - we've always enjoyed it and decided to start taking it more seriously.
We were in Kananaskis over the long weekend and the trails were quite busy, which was expected. It struck me how lucky Calgarians and Albertans are to have a recreation area like that so close, with so much to explore and so much natural beauty.
Are there many other recreation areas in Canada or North America that have been set aside like Kananaskis? It seems like we're pretty fortunate.
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Get the all trails app. Locate trails in different areas on the map and you can set bookmarks by area.
There is also an Alberta Hiking Association page on Facebook. It's a great place to get ideas from.
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09-07-2021, 11:56 AM
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#50
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Franchise Player
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bob-loblaw
My wife and decided we're going to start hiking - we've always enjoyed it and decided to start taking it more seriously.
We were in Kananaskis over the long weekend and the trails were quite busy, which was expected. It struck me how lucky Calgarians and Albertans are to have a recreation area like that so close, with so much to explore and so much natural beauty.
Are there many other recreation areas in Canada or North America that have been set aside like Kananaskis? It seems like we're pretty fortunate.
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Besides what we have here in AB might favorite places for hiking are Glacier National Park in Montana which is very similar to Kananaski/Banff and all the various parks (federal and state) in the 4 corners region of the southwest US. There is so much cool stuff to explore and hike and the terrain is quite a bit different in places like Zion, Bryce Canyon, Canyonlands, Moab and across to Carlsbad Caverns. Before kids I would go down to the US southwest every second year for at least ten days but I haven't been in quite a while. We were going to take the kids to Zion, the Grand Canyon and Carlsbad in the summer of 2019 but Covid ruined our plans.
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09-07-2021, 01:03 PM
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#51
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Lifetime Suspension
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bob-loblaw
My wife and decided we're going to start hiking - we've always enjoyed it and decided to start taking it more seriously.
We were in Kananaskis over the long weekend and the trails were quite busy, which was expected. It struck me how lucky Calgarians and Albertans are to have a recreation area like that so close, with so much to explore and so much natural beauty.
Are there many other recreation areas in Canada or North America that have been set aside like Kananaskis? It seems like we're pretty fortunate.
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This really dawned on me more this year as well.
Our local "playground" is world class.
Locals are starting to wake up to this as well, as hiking is perhaps the most pandemic friendly activity there is.
Most other places you'd get a brown murky lake in a forest with not much to see as your recreational spot.
We have it pretty good, dry/cool climate included.
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09-07-2021, 05:21 PM
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#52
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Farm Team Player
Join Date: Apr 2007
Exp: 
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We took a drive out to Bragg Creek/Elbow Falls today, and randomly decided to see what was a bit further and found Forgetmenot pond. I'd heard about it but had not been. Nice spot for an afternoon lunch....not much of a hike, tho...More like a walk around the block. Nobody else was there except two park rangers who said it's jam packed on weekends.
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10-01-2021, 06:57 PM
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#53
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Franchise Player
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Memento Mori
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Did the Prairie Creek/Powderface Ridge loop. Prairie Creek is excellent. Definitely a repeat for me. Couple of sketchy spots.
Powderface is nice but sorta boring.
A very easy "hike" is the Blackshale bridge. That was cool. Do it if you're nearby.
__________________
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10-04-2022, 10:29 AM
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#54
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First Line Centre
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Bump, sorry.
Maybe a long shot, but wondering if anyone has any recommendations on where to go see the larches, like a level 2/10 hike, little incline, absolutely no scrambling, paved would be amazing.
Thinking of going out this week.
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10-04-2022, 10:36 AM
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#55
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Franchise Player
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Sr. Mints
Bump, sorry.
Maybe a long shot, but wondering if anyone has any recommendations on where to go see the larches, like a level 2/10 hike, little incline, absolutely no scrambling, paved would be amazing.
Thinking of going out this week.
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Confederation Park. 
They are Siberian larches, the orangy yellow dots on the right. I haven't looked to see if that have started changing yet. I know this isn't what you expected, but it's easy and paved!
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10-04-2022, 10:37 AM
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#56
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Scoring Winger
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Quote:
Originally Posted by calgarygeologist
Besides what we have here in AB might favorite places for hiking are Glacier National Park in Montana which is very similar to Kananaski/Banff and all the various parks (federal and state) in the 4 corners region of the southwest US. There is so much cool stuff to explore and hike and the terrain is quite a bit different in places like Zion, Bryce Canyon, Canyonlands, Moab and across to Carlsbad Caverns. Before kids I would go down to the US southwest every second year for at least ten days but I haven't been in quite a while. We were going to take the kids to Zion, the Grand Canyon and Carlsbad in the summer of 2019 but Covid ruined our plans.
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100% agree, lots of stuff to do in the southern Utah area. Slot canyons, Escalante, Zion, GC, and BC. Hiked the narrows and was questioning the rating of it being a difficult hike until you walk on wet "baby heads" for 7 hours and your knees and ankles are trashed.
__________________
I have Strong opinions about things I know very little about.
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10-04-2022, 10:38 AM
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#57
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Crash and Bang Winger
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: Vernon, BC
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Sr. Mints
Bump, sorry.
Maybe a long shot, but wondering if anyone has any recommendations on where to go see the larches, like a level 2/10 hike, little incline, absolutely no scrambling, paved would be amazing.
Thinking of going out this week.
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Chester lake on the Smith Dorian, it is about half way between Spray lakes and the #40. If you want something closer to Calgary you could do Mt Loretta ponds. Both are easy hikes and I would personally suggest Chester lake.
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10-04-2022, 03:37 PM
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#58
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First Line Centre
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Lumby Lager
Chester lake on the Smith Dorian, it is about half way between Spray lakes and the #40. If you want something closer to Calgary you could do Mt Loretta ponds. Both are easy hikes and I would personally suggest Chester lake.
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Cool, thanks. I've never been to Chester. The 742 can be brutal this time of year if we take it from Canmore, yeah? (at least 5-6 years ago it was) Likely we'll take highway 40, but might make a Banff/Canmore day of it.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Fuzz
Confederation Park.
They are Siberian larches, the orangy yellow dots on the right. I haven't looked to see if that have started changing yet. I know this isn't what you expected, but it's easy and paved! |
It looks like you're telling me I've walked by larches just about every single spring, summer, and fall day for like four years. I've never even noticed.
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10-04-2022, 06:22 PM
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#59
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Franchise Player
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Sr. Mints
Cool, thanks. I've never been to Chester. The 742 can be brutal this time of year if we take it from Canmore, yeah? (at least 5-6 years ago it was) Likely we'll take highway 40, but might make a Banff/Canmore day of it.
It looks like you're telling me I've walked by larches just about every single spring, summer, and fall day for like four years. I've never even noticed.
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Decided to ride past them on my way home. Not quite the same as a mountain covered in them...
As for the road to Chester from Canmore, it all depends on when they grated it last. Not sure if that info is online or not.
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10-04-2022, 08:11 PM
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#60
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First Line Centre
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12 year old son, wife and I just finished a 2 night 3 day backpack from vista lake parking lot to sunshine
The larch trees at the top of gibbon pass were spectacular. Not an easy hike though. We went from twin lakes to Egypt lake campground in 1 day.
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Last photo is at Healey pass. After seeing basically no one Saturday there were hundreds of people on this trail from sunshine
Last edited by MacDaddy77; 10-04-2022 at 08:16 PM.
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