If you’re reading the classic print edition of this story, there is a good chance you’re spoiled with opportunity for adventure outside your door. The surrounding mountain ranges, rivers and valleys are timeless in their beauty, but here are a few suggestions of old and new activities for the valley.
Smell the flowers
The flowers blossomed two weeks early in Sunshine Meadow, and this weekend will provide prime viewing for paintbrush, western anemone (a.k.a. hippie on a stick), arnica, purple fleabane and valerian amidst classic Banff National Park big mountain landscapes.
Criss-crossing the continental divide, hikers can choose a short jaunt to Rock Isle Lake, a longer ramble around Grizzly Lake, or push on to Healy Pass and beyond. The possibilities are plentiful once in the high alpine, and the route to Mount Assiniboine is a tempting overnight option.
Hikers can use the Healy Pass trail, or save their legs with the White Mountain Adventures shuttle at $27 per person, departing from the base of Sunshine Village. Sunshine Meadows Wildflower week is also slated to kick off on Aug. 4, with daily interpretive programs. Grizzly bears were spotted in the meadow last week, so be sure to take bear spray. Other wildflower options include the popular Helen Lake and Bourgeau Lake to Harvey Pass.
Iron Road adventure
Mount Norquay’s Via Ferrata routes are a hot ticket item this summer. An early season local’s day sold out in minutes, and iron road lovers are still clamouring to scale Mount Norquay on two, four and six-hour excursions.
This year, you can finally reach the summit (2,450 metres) with the full day guided hike across suspension bridges and fixed routes. No climbing experience is necessary, although the route is not for the faint-hearted, as it includes a three-wire bridge over a chasm. The full day includes an ACMG guide, lunch and an aprčs hike meal, and costs $299 per person, plus GST.
Farther afield, other ski hills are also jumping on the via ferrata bandwagon, as Kicking Horse Resort opened its rout this year. The deluxe Canadian Mountain Holidays also opens its summer season this week, which includes several via ferrata routes, including the famous Mount Nimbus jaunt.
ambling routes abound throughout the Canadian Rockies, including the daunting Mount Temple (3,544m) a 10-hour hike up the highest peak in the Lake Louise area.
For a shorter day, the chains section on Mount Yamnuska is as close as you can get to the iron and rock combo and should take between five and seven hours. The only cost is about a thousand calories on the scenic climb upwards.
Tight shorts, leather lungs
For roadies searching for a path beyond the Legacy Trail, Bow Valley Parkway from Banff to Lake Louise will soon receive a 2.5-metre paved shoulder, much to the delight of cyclists.
But there is no need to wait, as the road still offers a great opportunity to explore the park. Coupled with a loop around Lake Minnewanka, the route will host the Banff GranFondo again this year.
Skinny tire enthusiasts in search of a bigger challenge can take on Highway 40 to Highwood Pass, reaching the highest paved section of road in Canada. Prepare for a mach-3 descent. For something a little more relaxed, the Town of Canmore has re-painted a number of its bike lanes, while the Town of Banff is encouraging all visitors to leave the car at home and bring the bike instead.
Baggies or death
Mountain bikers are spoiled with choice. Montane Traverse, Horseshoe Loop and the G8 trails pack the sunny side of the valley in Canmore, while the Nordic Centre and Highline Trail dominates the dark side.
Banff National Park has a range of beginner trails (Healy Creek, Spray River Loop), great intros to single track (Tunnel Bench Loop) to more advanced routes such as The Toe, the Lake Minnewanka trail to the new Topp Notch trail, named after local bike advocate Doug Topp.
The new trail has an assortment of ladder bridges, skinnies and wooden overhanging corners, all accessible from Tunnel Mountain, south of Buffalo Mountain Lodge. Strong riders can finish it in 30 minutes, and usually link it with Star Wars trails for a bigger ride.
The bridges on Goat Creek Trail have been replaced, so riders can once again tear it up from Banff to Canmore for a 21-km backcountry ride, a nice alternative to the bumpy Rundle Riverside.
Good ole hiking
Flood damage has completely revamped many popular trails (Heart Creek Trail feels completely new), so this weekend is a good chance to see the work done on your old favourites in Kananaskis Country.
Ribbon Lake and Black Prince still show flood damage, so be sure to check trail reports at www.albertaparks.ca before heading out.
In the national parks, Cory Pass and Mount Bourgeau are close to Banff, yet remote enough to achieve much sought after “contemplative communion with nature” status. Both should be considered day hikes. The path to Bourgeau Lake is well graded, and the push to Harvey Pass is well worth the effort. Cory Pass is a definite grunt, short on switchbacks, but rewards with views of Vermillion Lakes on the way up, and the odd Gargoyle Valley near the top.
The most ambitious new hiking/mountain biking project in the Rockies is still two years away from completion. The 70-km High Rockies route, linking the Goat Creek trailhead to Elk Pass is currently under construction to Buller Creek, but several sections use older trail and are free to explore. The province has yet to approve the entire section, however, one proposal across Blackshale Creek would see a ropeway ferry installed, similar to cable car crossings on the West Coast Trail.
