The Canadian Rockies: Great Hike Info.
The Canadian Rockies offer towering mountains, pristine lakes, and rocky glacial streams. Need help deciding where and when to go and what to see? Make your trip the best yet... The Canadian Rockies make for rugged and remote hiking because of the steep grades and glaciers but the beautiful views make up for it... IF you're up to the challenge. The reason I say "if" is because it's not a hike for the beginner because there's usually a long trek in unless you take one of the highways that brings you closer to your destination. Keep in mind that the location and elevation make for cold and snowy weather most of the year and as always weather can and does change quickly in the mountains. The weather in the Canadian Rockies is unpredictable due to elevation and rugged terrain, it has been known to snow in June. Snow doesn't melt from the mountain passes until the middle of summer. June has the most rainfall and is cooler than July and August, so... Plan your hiking trip for July or August when the humidity is low and daylight lasts until 11:00 pm at the height of the summer season. July/August's average high temperature is about 77º F (11º C) with lows averaging 44-45º F (about 7º C). Average rainfall during July/August is about 2 inches (5.1 centimeters) and days with measurable precipitation are 13 per month. Average daily sunlight peaks at 16.5 hours in June and tapers off to about 14 hours during August. As with any hiking and especially mountain hiking make sure to protect yourself from the sun with clothing, hats, and sunscreen. If you want to do more than hike make sure you know what you're doing. With the steep terrain and glaciers hiking could quickly turn into climbing requiring crampons or ropes. Ten of the highest summits are: Mount Robson, Mount Columbia, North Twin Mount, Clemenceau, Mount Alberta, Mount Assiniboine, Mount Forbes, South Twin, Mount Temple, and Mount Hungabee.
Recommended Canadian Rocky Mountains Books/Resources Scrambles in the Canadian Rockies, 5/5 rating, by Alan Kane: Get this book! If you're looking to summit high canadian mountains without a ton of climbing gear this is your book. The author offers 150 of his favorite hikes ranging from easy to hard with detailed descriptions. There are pictures so you'll have an idea of what to expect. You'll want to throw this book in your bag with your hiking gear. Moon Handbooks: Canadian Rockies, 5/5 rating, by Andrew Hempstead: A book to help you decide what to do between hikes. Listings of 200+ restaurants, Bed and Breakfasts, backpacker lodges, and more. If you and your traveling buddy have different tastes this is a good book because of the variety of suggestions. The Canadian Rockies, 5/5 rating, by Douglas Leighton: This is more of a coffee table book than a hiking guide, but if the photographs in this book don't inspire you to hike the Canadian Rockies nothing will. You might even want to get it just to help you decide what to see on your trip. Douglas Leighton's photographs have been published in both National Geographic and in Audubon Society Books. Don't Waste Your Time in the Canadian Rockies: An Opinionated Hiking Guide to Help You Get the Most from This Magnificent Wilderness, 4/5 rating, by Kathy Copeland: What the authors are trying to say is don't waste your time on bad hikes in the Canadian Rockies. The focus of this book is on quality hikes with awesome views. It doesn't have any maps and the information is less detailed but combine it with a book that does and you'll be on your way. Not wasting a day of vacation is worth a couple of bucks to me. The Canadian Rockies SuperGuide, 5/5 rating, by Graeme Pole: Detailed information on National Parks in the Canadian Rockies. This book has nice color photographs, maps, history, and wildlife information. Oh yeah, the author has also written five best-selling human and natural history books on this area. Canadian Rockies Access Guide, 4.5/5 rating, by John Dodd, Gail Helgason: This book mostly covers hiking the National Parks in Canada's Rocky Mountains from Banff to Yoho. Basic (read not detailed) maps, descriptions, distances, elevation gain, difficulty, and even what footwear to use. Moon Handbooks Alberta and the Northwest Territories, Including Banff, Jasper, and the Canadian Rockies, 5/5 rating, by Andrew Hempstead: More of a travel book than a hiking guide, but again it will give you something to do on your 'down' time. ;-) Accommodations from camping to nicer hotels, restaurants, things to do, and more. If you're looking for detailed information that other guides miss, get this book. Classic Hikes in the Canadian Rockies, 4/5 rating, by Graeme Pole: This guy has lived in this area for over 20 years and has a love of nature. This book focuses more on hikes the author suggests which is fine unless you want to go down a different trail, at which point you'll want a more diverse guide. But the information he covers is well done. Trails.com Trail Finder - Deluxe Edition, 4.5/5 rating: This is a one year subscription to access 1,000 guide books, 30,000 trails, and "unlimited" topographic maps of North America, Canada, and more. As the resource is online it is continuously updated which is cool. If you want waterproof maps though you'll have to seal your own. A good addition to your equipment used for camping. You can find the Trail Finder at BackCountryStore.com Banff and Jasper Map: You can find this map at REI.com. Sorry I can't recommend it as I don't know anything about it, but REI does usually carry quality hiking gear and offers a "100% Satisfaction Guarantee." National Parks
The
Canadian Rockies
are located in the provinces of Alberta, British Columbia, and Yukon. With Banff, Elk Island, Jasper, Waterton Lakes, and Wood Buffalo in Alberta. Glacier, Gulf Islands, Gwaii Haanas, Kootenay, Mount Revelstoke, Pacific Rim, and Yoho in British Columbia. And Ivvavik, Kluane, and Vuntut in Yukon.
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