Bighorn No. 8, Alberta

The trailhead for Bourgeau Lake/Harvey Pass is on the west side of Trans-Canada Highway approximately 5 miles west of Banff.  The turn-off is approximately 0.9 miles past the Sunshine Village Ski Resort exit.  There is a small parking lot and a restroom at the trailhead. Enter through the gate to...

The Bourgeau Lake trailhead offers easy parking and bathrooms before departing. The hike begins with approximately an hour and a half of fairly easy walking through forest with several glimpses of the surrounding mountains and Wolverine Creek. This first stretch ends with a gorgeous waterfall, ...

Wasootch Peak is for people who's inner scrambler is screaming to push on when they're on Wasootch Ridge. This description will be focusing on the trail to the summit from the main cairn on Wasootch Ridge. For an excellent description on how to get to that cairn, check out Hike to the Top of Waso...

The start to this hike is located about 45 minutes west of Calgary and about the same East of Banff. Off the Trans Canada Highway take the highway 40 exit into Kananaskis and continue until you reach the Wasootch Creek area. There is ample parking, however during spring and summer months it can b...

Park at Wasootch Creek, Walk 2kms past the practice slabs5.7 Mixed- North RidgeFollowing the drainage on the right side that leads to the base of the esthetic tower. Then hike up the faint forested trail to the beginning of the climb.I found this to be a fun- easy scrambling route with quite a fe...

The trialhead is found on West Side Road on the west side of Spray Lakes Resevoir. In winter, West Side Road is closed to vehicles due to dogsled tours, but is still open to walking - it's a pretty neat experience to get passed by a dozen sled dog teams. Since the road is closed, it adds an extra...

Spray Lakes is one of my favorite areas in Kananaskis, and the view of Spray Lakes from the summit is absolutely breathtaking.The trailhead is located along the Smith-Dorrien Trail (Spray Lakes Road) – look for a yellow sign on the eastern side of the road, about 1 mile (1.5 km) south of the Drif...

Getting There: The Canyon is very well marked, but here are directions anyway if you're coming from Banff: Head West on the Trans-Canada Highway for about 5 km or so. Take the Bow Valley Parkway exit, and continue West for another 18km - you'll then see signs to your right for Johnston Canyon. Th...

It’s amazing how much varied scenery you see over the course of the very short 1.7 mile hike. Follow the catwalks through the canyon as the stunning turquoise water flows below. If you’re feeling up for a longer hike, you can continue along the trail to the Ink Pots (makes for a great winter hike...

The hike through Johnston Canyon to its Upper and Lower falls is one of the most popular hikes to do in Banff - mostly due the little effort required for the great reward.To start, take the Bow Valley Parkway (Highway 1A) - the parking lot and trailhead are clearly marked by a Johnston Canyon sig...

South of the Driftwood turnoff (approximately 4 km) on Spray/Smith-Dorrien Trail a large creek bed on the east of the road is the beginning of Spencer Creek. The trail is easy enough to find, just have to do a bit of looking.Once on the trail, you'll basically have no trouble at all. The trail it...

Mount Allan is a 14 km hike that gains 1400 metres of elevation and was one of my favourite hikes when I first moved to Calgary. On a recent snowshoe, a couple I crossed paths with mentioned they had just done Mount Allan in December, so I knew I had to put it on my winter list!The trail begins a...

History Note: This hike commemorates 13 passengers of three different air crafts that went down in the region in 1986. The first was a passenger plane, and the second two were search and rescue aircraft. There is a plaque at the top of the hike to commemorate the lives that were lost.  Take Hwy...

Ribbon Creek trail is accessible via Highway 40 at the turn off for Nakiska Mountain Resort. From there take a left at Centennial Drive and then a right onto Ribbon Creek Road. The hike begins at the far end of the Ribbon Creek Trailhead parking lot. There is an old coal mining cart at the start...

This hike can be done as a full traverse, starting at the Ribbon Creek Trailhead and taking you to Dead Man's Flats, just off of the Trans Canada Highway. Starting at the trailhead in the Ribbon Creek parking lot, go north on Hidden Trail. You will be on this trail for ~ 200 m before you need to ...

Do you like skiing wide open slopes of light, fluffy powder? How about staring off at massive, jagged peaks while you do it? Then do I have the resort for you… Sunshine Village in the heart of Banff National Park offers something for everyone on the slopes. There are ample wide open groomers for ...