Wedge Mountain Summit

May 20, 2019. A spring ascent of a low summit in the Crowsnest Pass. Distance: 7.2 km round-trip Total Ascent: 490 m Elevation of Objective: 1917 m Hiking Time: 2h 13m I’d previously snowshoed up Wedge Mountain Trail in the Crowsnest pass and found it to be a pleasant winter outing. At that time I’d taken a […]

Mount Backus

January 13, 2019. A tedious climb to a low summit in the Castle Wilderness. Distance: 6.25 km round-trip Total ascent: 478 m Elevation of objective: 1800 m Hiking time: 3h 13m Steep, uphill bushwhacking. Barbed wire. Copious deadfall. Traveling through trees. Bare ground alternating with thigh-deep snow. These are the features that await on Mount […]

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 […]

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 […]

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.) […]

Prairie Bluff / Corner Mountain (South Ridge Route)

May 21, 2018. An easy scrambling route up a popular peak in the Castle Wilderness. Region: Castle Wilderness. Traditional territory of the Blackfoot, Ktunaxa, and Tsuu T’ina First Nations. Distance: 7.4 km round trip Total Ascent: 722 m Elevation of objective: 2255 m Time: 3h 16m Safety and Disclaimer Topographic map of my route (red line) and other possible routes […]

Bertha Peak Attempt

July 30, 2017. A solo attempt at an easy-to-moderate scramble in Waterton Lakes National Park. UPDATE: The report of my successful ascent ca be found here. I’ve been wanting to scramble this peak for a while. Bertha Lake is a perennial favourite, and ever since I found out there was a scrambling route up to […]

Mount Lineham and Rowe Lakes

July 21, 2017. A solo trip, with a challenging hike/easy scramble to the 2nd highest mountain peak in Waterton Lakes National Park, and a visit to a family of mountain lakes on the return trip. Region: Waterton Lakes National Park. Traditional Territory of the Blackfoot, Ktunaxa, and Tsuu T’ina First Nations Distance: 24 km round-trip Total Ascent: 1433 […]

Turtle Mountain North Summit

June 3, 2017. *Update as of May 24, 2020* Region: Crowsnest Pass. Traditional Territory of the Blackfoot, Tsuu T’ina, and Ktunaxa First Nations Total distance: 6 km round-trip Total ascent: 824 m Elevation of objective: 2105 m Total time: 3h 15m UPDATE: In the 3 years since my last visit, there have been some changes, both in […]