Skoki Valley and Lake Merlin

August 9-11, 2026. Three days hiking with two nights at the iconic Skoki Lodge. Region: Banff National Park. Traditional territory of the Tsuu T’ina, Stoney, Ktunaxa, and Blackfoot First Nations Trailhead to Skoki Lodge via Deception Pass: 11km one-way Lake Merlin from Skoki Lodge: 7.7km round-trip Skoki Lodge to trailhead via Packer’s Pass: 11.6km one-way Trailhead […]

Mount Edith

July 20, 2021. An excellent day of scrambling, tagging the 3 summits of Mount Edith. Region: Banff National Park. Traditional territory of the Tsuu T’ina, Stoney, Ktunaxa, and Blackfoot First Nations Distance: 15 km Total Ascent: 1350 m Elevation of Objective: 2554 m Total Time: 10h 30m Notes: My GPS went haywire where we lost […]

Mount Bourgeau

July 17, 2020. A full-day hike in Banff to the summit of the most accessible Canadian Rockies peak above 2900 m. Region: Banff National Park. Traditional Territory of the Ktunaxa, Tsuu T’ina, and Blackfoot First Nations. Distance: 25-30 km round-trip (1 of my apps and my Garmin measured the trip at 30 km, another app measured […]

Lake Minnewanka

July 15, 2020. A short, fun, walk/hike in Banff. Perfect for kids. Region: Banff National Park. Traditional territory of the Blackfoot, Ktunaxa, Stoney Nakoda, and Tsuu T’ina First Nations. Distance: 2.8 km round-trip to Stewart Canyon bridge Total ascent: 49 m Safety and Disclaimer Lake Minnewanka is right outside the Banff townsite. As a result, it is a […]

Tunnel Mountain Circuit

February 8, 2019. A short winter hike around the base of Banff’s Tunnel Mountain. Distance: 5.0 km loop Total Ascent: 153 m Elevation of objective: N/A Hiking time: 1h 25m Last February I had the chance to follow the trail up to the summit of Tunnel Mountain. This year I decided to put together a route that […]

Tunnel Mountain and Stoney Squaw Mountain

February 10 & 11, 2018. Two easy snowshoe trips to the tops of a pair of low mountains in Banff. I had a conference in Banff over the past weekend, so part of my preparation was making some plans to snowshoe. There was a winter storm which rolled through the province just before the start […]