Drywood Mountain

July 10, 2020. A full-day excursion involving biking, scrambling and ridge walking in the Castle Wilderness. Region: Castle Wilderness. Traditional territory of the Ktunaxa, Tsuu T’ina, and Blackfoot First Nations Distance: 25 km round-trip Total ascent: 1417 m Elevation of objective: 2473 m (official summit), 2485 m (ridge high-point) Total Time: 7h 33m Climbing Pincher Ridge last week, I spent […]

Pincher Ridge

July 3, 2020. An easy scramble (with some unpleasant bushwhacking) to the summit of Pincher Ridge in the Castle Wilderness, followed by a quick visit to Drywood Falls. Region: Castle Wilderness. Traditional territory of the Ktunaxa, Tsuu T’ina, and Blackfoot First Nations Distance: 14.7 km round-trip Total ascent: 1082 m Elevation of objective: 2426 m Total Time: 4h 49m Pincher […]

Avion Ridge via Goat Lake

June 22, 2020. A bike and hike to a high mountain ridge on the northern border of Waterton Lakes National Park. Region: Waterton Lakes National Park. Traditional territory of the Ktunaxa, Tsuu T’ina, and Blackfoot First Nations Distance: 21.6 km round-trip (approximately 10 km on bike) Total Elevation Gain: 886 m Elevation of Objective: 2370+ m Total Time: 5h 32m […]

Mount Ward

June 21, 2020. A straight-forward scramble with impressive views in the Crowsnest Pass. Region: Crowsnest Pass. Traditional territory of the Ktunaxa, Tsuu T’ina, and Blackfoot First Nations Distance: 4.8 km round-trip from the east shore of Window Mountain Lake Total Elevation Gain: 651 m from Window Mountain Lake Elevation of Objective: 2567 m Total Time: 2h 45m round-trip from […]

Whistler Mountain and Lookout

June 10, 2020. A steep on-trail ascent to a summit and abandoned fire lookout site in Castle Wildland Provincial Park. Region: Castle Wilderness. Traditional territory of the Ktunaxa, Tsuu T’ina, and Blackfoot First Nations Distance: 8.4 km round-trip Total Ascent: 840m (elevation is lost and regained on the way to the lookout) Elevation of Objective: 2190 m […]

Yarrow Ridge

June 1, 2020. A straight-forward scramble with rewarding views in the Castle Wilderness. Distance: 8 km Total Ascent: 632 m Elevation of Objective: 2052 m Total Time: 3h 23m I had intended to visit Waterton today, the first day of its reopening following the COVID19 closure. Unfortunately, upon reaching the park gate, I discovered that their computer systems were […]

Rawson Lake

February 8, 2020. A popular all-season hike to a gorgeous lake in Kananaskis Country. Distance: 7 km round-trip to and from the nearest part of the lake Total Ascent: 292 m Elevation of Objective: 1997 m Total time: 2h I have visited Rawson Lake a few times over the years. It’s the first “real” hike that my wife and […]

Troll Falls & Marmot Creek Upper Falls

February 7, 2020. A trip to K-country’s most famous accessible waterfall, followed by an exploration of a new trail to the less frequently visited Upper Falls. Region: Kananaskis Country. Traditional territory of the Stoney-Nakoda, Ktunaxa, and Blackfoot First Nations. Distance: 5.4 km round-trip Total Ascent: 100 m Elevation of Objective: 1,538 m Hiking time: 1h 30m Virtually every hiking […]

Byron Hill

January 27, 2020. A snowshoe trip to a low summit in the Crowsnest Pass. Distance: 8.2 km round trip Total Ascent: 643 m Elevation of objective: 1836 m Total Time: 4h 4m For my first summit of 2020, I decided to knock another objective off the list from Nugara’s A Beginner’s Guide to Snowshoeing in the Canadian Rockies. The […]

Carbondale Hill

March 17, 2018. A rewarding snowshoe trip up to a fire lookout in the Castle Wilderness. (see November 2019 update below for a shoulder-season report, and the May 2020 update for a summer hike with kids report) Distance: 9 km round-trip (winter distance due to road closure) Total Ascent: 496 m Elevation of Objective: 1798 m Total […]