Summer Activities: Guided hikes open up Banff National Park and the Canadian Rockies
This is the kind of view of Lake Louise you can expect at the start of a guided hiking tour in Banff National Park. Imagine the looks you'll get as you climb!
BANFF, Alberta – When you vacation in the Canadian Rockies, you’ve come to one of the most scenic and beautiful places on the planet. There are many ways to see it, many roads that wind through Banff National Park, Jasper National Park, and the locations all around them. But often you will find that the best way, if not the only way, to appreciate the stunning landscape all around you is to get out in the middle of it on your own two feet.
But where to start? There are, quite literally, thousands of kilometers of trails to be explored. Some of them are flat and easy; some of them are for only the most experienced hikers; the majority are somewhere in between. As long as you’re careful to stick with your experience level, you really can’t go wrong with any of them, because there is something to see on every trail. Even so, the sheer volume of choice can be daunting. That’s where we come in.
Where you have trails, invariably you will find experts to guide you, if you so desire. Bearing that in mind, here are four hikes in particular we think might serve you well in getting started. These tours are available on different days throughout the week. Each includes hotel pick-up and return, a packed lunch and hiking poles, if you want to use them.
- HIKE TO YOHO VALLEY (Sunday): The moderate hike begins in Yoho Valley and is set to the awesome soundtrack of the roar of Takakkaw Falls. You’ll climb from the valley floor upward toward Yoho Lake, and along the way you’ll get magnificent views of Canada’s second-highest waterfall. The lake itself is a welcome respite from the climb and a beautiful resting point. Hardy hikers may choose to climb even higher for some truly spectacular mountain views. The group leaves Banff each Sunday morning at 8:30 a.m., and Lake Louise at 9 a.m.
- HIKE TO THE PLAIN OF SIX GLACIERS (Wednesday and Friday): The easy-to-moderate hike begins on the shoreline of Lake Louise, and a more scenic opening is hard to imagine. The first part of the hike winds all around the lake, giving you a good look at the shifting hues of its waters. The higher you get, the thinner the crowds become. Eventually the trail becomes a single track, and it’s then that you get a real appreciation for the sheer size of the valley and the peaks that surround it. One special treat on your path is the Plain of Six Glaciers Tea House. You’ll get there when you get near to your final destination. We strongly recommend you bring a little cash along, as it serves tea and cakes all day, and they are delicious! Once you leave the tea house, you’ll get to see the six glaciers themselves, all feeding into the valley and Lake Louise. That’s just the basic hike, of course. The variable difficulty comes from the many options available to you on the hike, which will be determined by the skill of the group. The group departs each Wednesday and Friday from Banff at 8:30 a.m., and from Chateau Lake Louise at 9:15 a.m.
- HIKE TO STANLEY GLACIER (Tuesday and Thursday): Here’s an easy one. It’s a most unusual hike because it takes you through the Vermillion Pass area, which has seen two devastating fires recently: the first in the late 1960s, the second in 2003. You’ll get an up-close look at the regrowth of the forest in this blackened area, and you might be surprised at how lush and alive it is despite the fires. It’s a pretty easy climb all the way; stronger groups will climb higher. At the end you’ll get to see the glacier creeping down the sides of Mt. Stanley. The tour group departs Banff each Tuesday and Thursday at 8:30 a.m.
- HIKE TO LARCH VALLEY (Monday and Saturday): This moderate trail isn’t always available, but that’s one of the many things that makes it one of the truly special hiking experiences in the Canadian Rockies. The trail is prone to bear activity, which makes it occasionally unavailable for hiking … but that also means that when you can get on the trail, there’s a chance you might spot a bear in the distance! It begins on the Valley of the Ten Peaks at Moraine Lake, then climbs fairly sharply on a well-maintained trail up to Larch Valley. It eases up on the climbing for awhile, giving you a nice stroll through Larch Forest, before it rises up again toward Sentinel Pass. You’ll get wonderful looks at the Ten Peaks, Moraine Lake and the enormous Mt. Temple as you complete the hike. More experienced groups may choose to hike even further up toward the pass to get looks at Paradise Valley and glimpses of Mt. Aberdeen and Mt. Hadoo. The tour group leaves Monday and Saturday from Banff at 8:30 a.m., and from Chateau Lake Louise at 9:15 a.m.
