Paradise Lake

July 2, 2019 with August 5, 2023 update. A short hike to a tiny blue lake in the Castle Wilderness, with a return via Haig Ridge. It was another cloudy day with rain in the forecast, so I decided to return to the Castle Mountain Resort and explore another one of their newly marked-out trails. […]

Haig Lake Loop

June 23, 2019. An enjoyable rainy day hike to a picturesque lake. Distance: 8.3 km loop* Total Ascent: 460 m* Elevation of Objective: 1800 m Total Time: 2h 25m *Due to the fact that I wandered around en route, these figures may vary from the most direct route. Castle Mountain Ski Resort is the closest […]

Star Creek Falls

June 9, 2019. An easy hike around a waterfall in the Crowsnest Pass. Perfect for young kids. (Updated April 30, 2021 after I confirmed the loop-route and checked out the route up the canyon) Star Creek Falls is a picturesque waterfall accessible by a short trail. There’s a satisfying loop route – which I suspected […]

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 […]

Saskatoon Mountain

January 5, 2019 / January 8, 2022. A straightforward winter hike to a low summit in the Crowsnest Pass. Region: Crowsnest Pass. Traditional Territory of the Ktunaxa, Blackfoot, and Tsuu T’ina First Nations Distance: 8.29 km round-trip Total Ascent: 495 m Elevation of objective: 1820 m Round-trip time: 3h 17m (2019, minimal snow), 3h 40m […]

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 […]