Chester Lake & Three Lakes Valley

July 10, 2017. A solo hike to high mountain lakes in Kananaskis country. Region: Kananaskis Country. Traditional Territory of the Stoney, Tsuu T’ina, Ktunaxa, and Blackfoot First Nations Distance: 15.6 km round-trip Total Ascent: 600 m Elevation of Objective: 2460 m Total Time: 4h 31m This post was updated July 27, 2021 with some map improvements to more closely match […]

Hiking with kids

July 9, 2017. Today was day 2 of a short family hiking vacation. We did this last year with our kids, doing one short hike a day. Last year we hiked Rawson Lake, Ptarmigan Cirque, Grassi Lakes and Elbow Lake. This year we only have 3 days but the intent is the same: short, fun […]

Ptarmigan Cirque

July 8, 2017. This was a family outing with kids, aged between 5 and 11. Ptarmigan Cirque is definitely in my top 3 in terms of best hikes to do with kids (Grassi Lakes and Bear’s Hump would be the other 2 on that list). There’s a bare minimum of uphill slog followed by amazing […]

Table Mountain

June 24, 2017. June 2025 update: There have been no notable changes on the route except that there are picnic tables and a kiosk at the trailhead and the cairn on the “shoulder” has been pulled down. The post has had minor updates of format and content. Table Mountain is in the Castle Wilderness area […]

Bovin Lake

June 23, 2017. I decided to make my first foray in to the Castle Wilderness by checking out Bovin Lake. The trail is described in Ambrosi’s Southern Rockies Trail Guide, and seemed like a reasonable half-day objective for a solo expedition. The weather was partly cloudy and slightly cool, with a possibility of rain, so I […]

Writing on Stone Provincial Park

June 17, 2017 This isn’t really a report on a hike, but rather a nod to one of our family’s preferred outdoor playgrounds. Today was a “free” day for our family, and I was anxious to do a hike, specifically Goat Lake in Waterton. We didn’t have anyone to watch the kids, though, so we […]

Crowsnest Pass “Reconnaissance”

June 16, 2017. I went out to the Crowsnest Pass to work half a day on June 16. I decided to take the opportunity to try a hike. My intent had been to hike to Window Mountain Lake, which is described as a reasonably easy hike in Ambrosi’s Southern Rockies Trail Guide. The weather was […]

Turtle Mountain North Summit

June 3, 2017. *Update as of May 24, 2020* Region: Crowsnest Pass. Traditional Territory of the Blackfoot, Tsuu T’ina, and Ktunaxa First Nations Total distance: 6 km round-trip Total ascent: 824 m Elevation of objective: 2105 m Total time: 3h 15m UPDATE: In the 3 years since my last visit, there have been some changes, both in […]

Bertha Lake and Bertha Bay

Hike Date: May 27, 2017 Region: Waterton Lakes National Park. Traditional territory of the Blackfoot, Tsuu T’ina, and Ktunaxa First Nations Distance: 11.4 km round-trip to lakeshore, add 4.5 km if you circle the lake, add 1.6 km to round-trip if visiting Bertha Bay Total Ascent: 540m, add 100 m if visiting Bertha Bay Elevation of […]