Take a Hike

Bourgeau Lake/ Harvey Pass is one of my favourite hikes from my Banff days. I did it once in 2016 to the lake only, and once in 2017, to the pass, and with a partial attempt to the summit of Mt. Bourgeau, aborted due to very windy conditions. Also, for someone who loves hiking as much as I do, summits aren't really my thing. I love mountain passes, glacial lakes, forests of all kinds, shorelines, waterfalls, and all sorts of ecosystems, but summit pushes haven't always worked the best for me, so it depends on the hike for how much I push for that. Instead of trying to change the type of hiker I seem to be, I am trying to embrace it. Anyway, about this hike.           Length: 7.5 km one way from trailhead to Bourgeau Lake           Elevation gain: 725 m           Hiking time: 6 hour round trip           Length: 9.7 km one way from trailhead to Harvey Pass    ...

Mt. Louie is an 11km round trip with 714m of elevation gain. The trailhead is 4km south of town, parking in the Cowlick Creek staging area. The trail is estimated to take 4-6 hours. As someone who prefers starting hikes early, a 7am start time to beat the heat was great. As a bonus, even on a long weekend, there were very few other cars in the parking area, and we didn't see anyone else on the trail on our way up, only on the descent. The trail is quite steep, with much of it travelling up a northwest facing ridge with exposed, erosion-resistant conglomerate rock (no switchbacks). There are also less steep sections through forests that give a change of scenery and take you through some diverse ecosystems.  The trail starts on what appears to be an old access road (which can be pretty muddy), which  quickly brings you to a manmade canal linking  Grande Cache and Victor Lakes. This was extremely beautiful in the early morning. It was also pretty wet from the dew. There is a...

Late making plans for the August long weekend meant that my usual go-to spots were off the table. I don't usually go away for holiday weekends since my comfort zones in the National Parks are usually too busy. But this time, a couple of friends and I headed to Grande Cache (about an hour's drive north of Hinton) for a wonderful weekend of camping and a bit of hiking. When we got to town, it was extremely hot. So we started with a short hike to a waterfall. Muskeg Falls is 16km south of town, on the east side of the highway. The trailhead is in a small rest stop parking area, easy to miss. The hike itself is short, starting in the trees. If you are a forest lover like me, it is a perfect start to the weekend. Beautiful, but don't forget your fly dope. The mosquitoes here are vicious. I got devoured over the weekend. All worth it.  The trail starts pretty easy, although lots of roots to provide tripping hazards. Lots of green, lots of mossy trees, wild berries. Pretty much a ...