Southfork Lakes

October 23, 2018. A chilly river crossing followed by a steep ascent to a trio of high mountain lakes. Region: Castle Wildland Provincial Park. Traditional Territory of the Tsuu T’ina, Ktunaxa, and Blackfoot First Nations Distance: 10.1 km round-trip Total Ascent: 745 m Elevation of objective: 2026 m Hiking time: 4h 39m July 2022 update: I haven’t gone […]

North Head Trail Loop

September 15, 2018. A scenic seaside descent on Newfoundland’s most popular hiking trail. Region: Signal Hill National Historic Site. Traditional territory of the Beothuk people. Distance: 4km loop Total Ascent: 164m Elevation of Objective: N/A Hiking Time: 1h 8m My exploration of the trails on Signal Hill felt like time well spent when I first arrived […]

Signal Hill & Quidi Vidi Harbor

September 12, 2018. Two easy hikes connected by an picturesque village stroll near St. John’s Newfoundland. Region: Signal Hill National Historic Site. Traditional territory of the Beothuk people Distance: N/A Total ascent: N/A Elevation of Objective: 160 m (the max elevation, attained at Ladies Lookout) Hiking time: N/A (My usual route-mapping apps weren’t working on this […]

Guinn’s Pass via Galatea Creek

August 22, 2018. A long hike in smoky weather to a picturesque pass in Kananaskis Country. Distance: 19.2 km round trip Total ascent: 991 m Elevation of objective: 2443 m Hiking time: 5h 49m I had a free day to go hiking without the kids during our Kananaskis vacation, so I decided to explore the Galatea […]

Black Prince Cirque

August 21, 2018. A short hike with kids to a rocky cirque in Kananaskis Country. With summer holidays approaching their conclusion, the family and I have once again had a chance to spend a few days in K-country. Looking over our hiking options, it struck me that over the preceding years we’d hit most of […]

Lakeview Ridge West

July 22, 2018. An easy scramble to the summit of Lakeview Ridge at the eastern edge of Waterton Lakes National Park. Although I’ve been visiting Waterton since childhood, I’ve never explored the area around the bison paddock. This section of the park is at the eastern boundary and accessed by a different turn-off than the […]

Vimy Peak

July 18, 2018. A challenging bike-and-hike to the summit of Waterton’s iconic peak. Many (possibly most) promotional pictures featuring Waterton Lakes National Park will show the amazing views the park offers – of mountains not actually in Waterton. A common photograph is of the picturesque Prince of Wales Hotel looking south across Upper Waterton Lake […]

Loaf Mountain

July 15, 2018 – A long hike culminating with minor scrambling to the summit of the highest peak in the Castle Wilderness. Though it lacks the dramatic, rocky profile of Victoria Peak, Loaf Mountain is actually the tallest peak within the Castle Wilderness with a summit elevation of 2640 m. There are multiple possible routes […]

Iceland – The Golden Circle and Snaefellsnes Peninsula

July 8-12, 2018. I have recently returned from an excellent 5-day stay in Iceland. The island is a hiker’s paradise, and I’d planned on hiking two of the more popular trails during my visit (Mount Esja and Glymur waterfall). Unfortunately, the weather didn’t cooperate. There was rain and low cloud in the Reykjavik area and […]

Victoria Ridge

June 9, 2018. A bike-and-hike leading to an easy scramble to the summit of a scenic ridge in the Castle Wilderness. (Post updated September 3, 2021 to reflect changes to access. Old access instructions have been deleted but time and distance information below still reflects the old route. The new route can’t be biked easily.) […]