Lys Ridge

September 21, 2024. A long, scenic ridge walk on the Autumnal Equinox. Lys Ridge is situated between 2 picturesque valleys in Castle Wildland Provincial Park. Grizzly Creek runs in the valley to the west of the ridge and the South Castle River runs in the valley to the east . The two converge around the […]

“Frankie Peak” & “Larry Mountain”

September 8, 2024. A long ridge walk tagging two lesser-visited summits in the Castle. It has been more than 4 years since I visited Whistler Mountain, and I had always meant to return and continue beyond the summit to tag “Frankie Peak” and “Larry Mountain”. These two unofficial summits are of equal height and stand […]

Mount Haig and Gravenstafel Ridge

August 5, 2023. A return to Mount Haig to deal with the “unfinished business” of Gravenstafel Ridge. Almost exactly 4 years ago I climbed Mount Haig. That day I decided to return to my car by descending down to Haig Lake and following the trails out. For whatever reason I didn’t feel like ascending adjacent […]

Syncline Mountain

July 29, 2023. Tagging 2 of the 3 peaks of a distinctive mountain in the Castle Wilderness. Nugara describes the route for Syncline Mountain in More Scrambles in the Canadian Rockies 3rd edition. The mountain has 3 summits, and the eastern-most is the true summit. It’s also the lowest of the three. I’m not sure […]

Tombstone Mountain & Boot Hill

July 9, 2022. A long day out tagging two peaks just west of the Alberta/BC border. Region: Castle Wilderness. Traditional Territory of the Blackfoot, Tsuu T’ina, and Ktunaxa First Nations Distance: 22.5 km round-trip Total Ascent: 2100 m (different apps gave different results, the high end was 2300 m) Elevation of Objective: 2499 m (Boot […]

Drywood to Loaf Mountain Traverse

June 18, 2022. A scenic long-distance ridge walk in the Castle Wilderness. Region: Castle Wilderness. Traditional territory of the Blackfoot, Tsuu T’ina, and Ktunaxa First Nations Distance: 30.4 km loop Total Ascent: 2127 m – there is substantial and repeated loss and regain of altitude along the route Elevation of Objective: 2634 m (the summit […]

Barnaby Ridge

September 24, 2021. A spectacular autumn scramble and ridge walk in the Castle Wilderness. Region: Castle Wilderness. Traditional territory of Tsuu T’ina, Ktunaxa, and Blackfoot First Nations Distance: 19.9 km round-trip Total Ascent: 1712 m (there is substantial gain/loss/gain of altitude along the ridge, which is then repeated on the return trip) Elevation of Objective: […]

Rainy Ridge and Middlepass Lakes

June 18, 2021. A bike and hike trip to a true hidden gem of the Southern Rockies. Region: Castle Wilderness. Traditional territory of the Ktunaxa, Tsuu T’ina, and Blackfoot First Nations Distance: 23.8 km round-trip Total Ascent: 1300 m Elevation of Objective: 2463 m Total Time: 6h 46m Safety and Disclaimer I decided to visit […]

Mount Gladstone (via North Castle)

June 11, 2021. A bike & scramble featuring some great views but also some prolonged hiking off-trail in dense forest. Region: Castle Wilderness. Traditional territory of the Tssu T’ina, Ktunaxa, and Blackfoot First Nations Distance: 20.5 km round-trip Total Ascent: 1500 m (the route involves some gain/loss/gain of altitude) Elevation of Objective: 2453 m Time: […]

North Drywood Falls

May 29, 2021. An easy and popular family hike to an attractive waterfall. Often just referred to as Drywood Falls, this trail is a favourite all-season destination. It involves a walk along a valley bottom following a broad gas exploration road, eventually reaching a point where the road ends and a short footpath carries on […]