Fall - Canadian Rockies

2023-10-07

Wenkchemna Pass

Wenkchemna Pass, situated in the heart of the Canadian Rockies, offers hikers a challenging ascent leading to unparalleled vistas. From the pass’s pinnacle, one stands atop the Continental Divide. On the Alberta side, the iconic Ten Peaks rise majestically: Mounts Babel, Fay, Little, Bowlen, Tonsa, Perren, Allen, Tuzo, Deltaform Mountain, and Neptuak Mountain. Over on the British Columbia side, the towering summits of Mount Goodsir, Chancellor Peak, Mount Vaux, Mount Des Poilus, and Yoho Peak add to the grandeur. The […]

2023-10-01

Mount Yamnuska Traverse and West Col Descent (solo)

Yamnuska is a classic introduction to scrambling. Chimneys, chains, – all looks and sounds scary and it is indeed a little bit shaky. But the biggest surprise this Sunday was a foot deep snow which essentially turned everything above the tree line into a nice winter hike. I left crampons in the car but apparently my Helly Hansen boots have nice grip which works very well on fresh packed snow. With some extra care on icy rocks I made it […]

2023-09-26

Grizzly Peak (solo)

A nice short half-day hike with one easy staircase-style scramble section about 500 meters from the trailhead. The rest of the trail goes around the peak to the col connecting Grizzly and Evan-Thomas, and then straight to the summit. Once I got there, I was out of weather luck, and the view of nearby mountains Evan Thomas and Packenham was a bit cloudy, but still exceptional: It make sense to walk from the summit all the way to the Opal […]

2023-09-22

Old Baldy Peak via alternative route (solo)

This route to Old Baldy is mentioned by Andrew Nugara as a “shorter” approach (we did the “longer” one as a loop this spring, but were out of time and did not make it to the summit back then, only to the ridge, – still very nice, like on the photo above). Alternative route is indeed shorter than the official hike from Evan-Thomas Day Use Area, but it does not mean faster at all, – the route up to the […]

2023-09-17

Pigeon Mountain (solo)

After my off-trail Collembola solo I was exhausted, but sunny days with no wildfire smoke were literally a treasure this Summer, so next day I decided to ignore all knee pain and to take advantage of the weather and do something long enough for a nice day but easy and adrenalin-free. Pigeon Mountain totally fits this description: very moderate but steady incline, no scrambling, no loosing shit, no exposure, but very rewarding all the way to the summit once you […]

2023-09-14

Peaks visible from Opal Ridge South

A few pictures taken during our Opal Ridge South Loop hike, with visible peaks later labeled by PeakVisor application.

2023-09-07

The Rimwall

On the picture above there is The Rimwall mountain, as it’s seen from the Wind Ridge, which we hiked a few weeks ago. Looks pretty intimidating from Dead Man’s Flats side, but from the South-West slopes it’s a surprisingly very pleasant hike, moderately challenging and highly rewarding. Allocate half day for it, but to really enjoy it you do need good weather. Don’t get scared away with foggy Spray Lakes in the morning, it happens more often that you might […]

2023-09-02

Mount Sarrail

Start early: it’s a long hike. Park at the Upper Kananaskis Lake lot closest to the Rawson Lake. First 9 kilometers along the shore of Upper Kananaskis Lake and then after left turn on the fork to Aster Lake through the forest next to Hidden Lake are plain and easy. After the tree line an established and scenic path ascends through a couple of boulder fields. And this is where all the fun begins. The ridge goes on, and on, […]

2023-08-13

Larch Valley to Paradise Creek via Sentinel Pass

This year Parks Canada closed Moraine Lake Road for private vehicles and the only way to get to the lake and its amazing trail system is their shuttle (as a local, I am not considering other overpriced options like taxi or commercial shuttles, leaving them exclusively for tourists). The first shuttle departs from Lake Louise Ski Resort at 6:30 AM (so in the fall you even can catch the iconic sunrise on Moraine Lake), the last return bus from Moraine […]

2023-06-09

Fairview Mountain

Fairview Mountain (2744 m, 9003ft) is situated along the southeastern shoreline of Lake Louise. It was named in 1894 by Walter Wilcox, and the name reflects the view from the top. From Lake Louise the cliffs look intimidating, but the mountain is easily ascended via a trail around the backside on the southern slopes of the mountain. The trail starts in the left corner of the main Lake Louise viewpoint and goes around the mountain to the col between Fairview […]

Wenkchemna Pass

Mount Yamnuska Traverse and West Col Descent (solo)

Grizzly Peak (solo)

Old Baldy Peak via alternative route (solo)

Pigeon Mountain (solo)

Peaks visible from Opal Ridge South

The Rimwall

Mount Sarrail

Larch Valley to Paradise Creek via Sentinel Pass

Fairview Mountain

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