Good hikes in the Calgary/Banff area

[Minnie]

We're finally getting to the point we can get back into doing some exploring and hiking again. We spent 2 summers ago, just starting out with day trips from Calgary, south down to Waterton/Crowsnest Pass and out to Canmore/Banff/Lake Louise and attendant areas. Occasionally we get out to Radium/Invermere and we do the loop back from Radium, to Golden and then back east on Highway 1, through Field, etc.

Of course, my daughter's accident changed all that and we've done very little - we hadn't done a lot before that, but we had gotten a start at least. My husband's had his knee repair (ACL) and needs to get busy on building up muscle, etc, again. My daughter is doing well enough now, at times, that we can begin to start on this again.

We have done the Bankshead hikes/tramps, a bit of hiking up on the Spray Lakes road, up near Takkakaw Falls, here and there along the Radium highway, around Waterton a very little bit and so on. A fair amount of small hikes west of Turner Valley - Sandy McNabb/Blue Rock. Grew up going to that area all the time. Nothing major.

We will need easy hikes to begin with, to build ourselves back up, both in experience, stamina and strength. We'd like to work up to some scrambles and ridge walks (unless there's a ridge walk that's an easy hike, lol) and major day hikes, and maybe eventually even some back country hiking/camping trips.

I had a book at one point, that I grabbed at the library, about day trips from Calgary and we did a few of them, but there wasn't a lot about hikes in there. I did have another book that I had just taken out, right before my daughter's accident, to start researching hikes/scrambles but I ended up taking it back fairly quickly because it was painfully obvious we weren't going to be doing any of it, for quite a while - I can't recall the name of it but it gave a lot of information - degree of difficulty, degree of ascent, that sort of thing, going from easy/beginner to difficult/expert. Oddly enough, we managed to find a couple of 'strolls' that we could push her chair along and we went as far along those trails as we could, which wasn't terribly far but our main goal was just to get out there so that we weren't sitting at home staring at four walls all the time (or hospital rooms/doctor's offices).

So I'm asking all you smart people for your ideas and suggestions for good hikes. Cowperson has given me a few ideas but I'm sure he's an even deeper well of information on this and I know there are more of you out there that do the hikes/scrambles, etc, so you probably are a wealth of information as well. I did a quick search but didn't see another thread along this line but I may have used the incorrect search criteria, so if it's a repeat, my apologies.

[Minnie]

We are actually headed west in the next few minutes. We haven't really decided where we're headed - we're kind of just going to go and see what happens. We're eyeing Brown-Lowery or even just going to Banff for the day and no hiking. Just want to get out on such a gorgeous day.

[GGG]

My favourite two books are

Where locals hike in the Canadian Rockies and How not to waste your time in the canadian rockies. These two books provide a wide range of difficulty and every hike in the books is worth doing.

When you start wanting to do scrambles and ridgewalks again the best book is Kanes Scrables in the Canadian Rockies but don't be fooled by his easy ratings. Even his easy hikes are serious hikes / scrambles. His easy means Not likely to get killed rather than easy.

For winter right now I like the spray lakes road area south of Canmore, Chester Lakes is nice and faily easy (5k, 300m elevation each way or so). Peter Lougheed has the hike around upper Kanaskis lake as well as a short hike out to Rawson lake which is nice in the winter. If you want easier than that Banff has Stoney Sqaw, Tunnel Mountain, Stewart Canyon, Lake Lousie Lake shoreline (avalanche risk if going south of lake) which are all short really easy hikes.

Closer in Prarie Mountain can be done any time of year although sometimes ice is a concern and Moose Mountain is a nice half day hike in May once the road to the base opens as all but the top gets snow free fairly quickly.

Tons of options, if you can refine it by the distance and elevation you think you are capable of in is much easier to narrow down to recomend specific hikes.

[Cowperson]

You can get this four book series of trail guides for Kananaskis Country at Chapters. I've found them to be excellent.

http://www.amazon.ca/Gillean-Daffern.../dp/1927330092

Cowperson

[Minnie]

We went out to Brown-Lowery for the afternoon. We did all of one loop but halfway through, we headed off to go up to Lookout. We got about halfway there and started back. My daughter was tiring and the sun was getting a little lower in the sky and we wanted to be sure she wasn't overdoing it. We have to be careful with that, as it doesn't take much right now, to do her in. We headed back down and finished out the loop we started.

My husband and I could have done a lot more but as I said, if she's with us, we have to start slow and work up to the major stuff. So for now, a few KMs at a time - we figured places like Brown-Lowery, that are well marked, well traveled and nothing hugely strenuous are good places to start and hopefully, by August, maybe everyone will be up to a ridge hike. If not, we'll do the ridge hike next year.

Someone told my husband about Crypt Lake, so he wants to try that. I also want to do Larch Valley in the fall. I know it's overdone by everyone but I would like to see it anyway.

Thanks for the book tips. I'll check those out immediately.

[GGG]

Crypt Lake is an amazing hike but on the difficult end of dayhikes. Make sure you have done something in the same ball park before attempting it. One of the issues is you are hiking on the clock as you need to be done in time to make it on the boat out. I found i had plenty of time but some people turned back early or just got to the end and had to hurry back.

Instead of doing Larch Valley and fighting the crowds at Moraine lake you can do the Sunshine Meadows to Healy Pass loop. Larches are just as spectacular with none of the crowds and best of all you can take a bus upto sunshine meadows to knock off 600 or meters of elevation.

Enjoy getting out there.

[Minnie]

Originally Posted by GGG

Crypt Lake is an amazing hike but on the difficult end of dayhikes. Make sure you have done something in the same ball park before attempting it. One of the issues is you are hiking on the clock as you need to be done in time to make it on the boat out. I found i had plenty of time but some people turned back early or just got to the end and had to hurry back.

Yeah, I suggested we wait for Crypt Lake, until next year. I think that's a build up to it one. I think he and I could do it by this fall, if it was just us working hard over the next few months, but I don't think our daughter will be up to this year and she's almost always with us - and if we're in Waterton? Yeah, no way in hell she wouldn't be with us, hahaha - Waterton is her favorite place anywhere.

Instead of doing Larch Valley and fighting the crowds at Moraine lake you can do the Sunshine Meadows to Healy Pass loop. Larches are just as spectacular with none of the crowds and best of all you can take a bus up to sunshine meadows to knock off 600 or meters of elevation.

Enjoy getting out there.

Awesome, thank you so much.

A quick picture from today, just as we started up the trail. Such a perfect day - we dressed properly and I ended up stuffing my mittens in my pockets - hands were too warm, LOL.

[cmyden]

+1 for 'Don't Waste Your Time In The Canadian Rockies The Opinionated Hiking Guide'

http://www.amazon.com/Dont-Waste-You...dp/0978342755/

The couple that wrote the book have hiked pretty much everywhere, and like hikes that are A) not boring and B) offer a great reward to effort ratio.

[Northendzone]

We did grassi lakes outside of Canmore this summer. I have a 10 yr old that likes to complain and a 7 yr old that is about as athletic as a potato.....

Kids made it up the difficult trail......