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Backpacking Banff

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Ben the Grate
Ben the Grate
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Backpacking Banff

  • February 23, 2002
  • Rated 4 of 5 by Ben the Grate from Dallas, Texas
Backpacking Banff

90% of visitors to Banff see the mountains through the window of a large tour bus, which is a shame, since these mountains hide perhaps the largest and most spectacular hiking trails on earth.

The Alps in Europe have grown more civilized and cultivated and populated. The Andes are too high to easily hike, the elevation becomes a serious problem, AND it's expensive to get there. The Himalayas escalate both those problems to ridiculous extremes. This leaves the Canadian Rockies... Easy to get to, comparatively low elevations, comparatively long hiking seasons, and it's CHEAP!

The first thing you'll need is a car. They're not TOO expensive, especially if you'll hike in late September, when crowds are gone and prices lower. You CAN hitch rides or pay for transfers to popular trailheads, but it's a total pain. Get your own car.

The second thing to take into consideration is hiking season. July is often too early for a lot of high-country passes, they are still snowed in or terribly muddy. August and September are usually perfect, with October bringing colorful leaves and still-nice trails.

Third is your ability. You can find spectacular scenery on short trails (Angel Glacier, Bow Falls), moderate trails (Hamilton Lake, Geraldine Lakes, all trails around Lake O'Hara), or multi-day backpacks (Yoho Valley, Fryatt Valley).

IT IS IMPERATIVE that you have a good trail guide, and BY FAR the best is the THE CANADIAN ROCKIES TRAIL GUIDE. It's so popular it's tough to find. The visitor's center in Banff always carries it, but in summer it's likely to be sold out. Try to order a copy on the internet at Amazon.com before you leave. This will help you plan your trip.

Other great guides are BACKCOUNTRY BANFF and HIKING LAKE LOUISE. If you like scrambling (mountain climbing with no experience or equipment), another must is the SCRAMBLES IN THE CANADIAN ROCKIES.

From journal The Quintessential Banff Experience

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