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September 25, 2020 In Outdoor Edventures

Top Five Hikes

 

Giant Steps

  • the rock formations on, and around, the waterfall on Paradise Creek are one of the most unique geological structures anywhere
  • when you do this hike during the second half of September, the larch trees are a splendid yellow color
  • the trail is on the longer side at 21 km, but there are only 550 meters of elevation, so it’s not overly challenging
  • for some reason, not a lot of people know about this area, as they gravitate to Moraine Lake or Lake Louise

 

 

Mt. St. Piran

  • another hidden gem amongst one of the busiest tourist areas in the Bow Valley
  • a steady climb for 900 meters to the summit
  • panoramic view of the towering peaks in this area are unparalleled with many unique rock formations
  • the return voyage down the backside into Lake Agnes is a fun but challenging route through some steep rock slides and narrow chutes
  • this is also a trail whose beauty is augmented during the larch color change season

 

 

Stanley Glacier

  • there are countless large and small waterfalls along the south wall of this amphitheater valley
  • this trail is relatively easy until the end of the outbound section where you have a steep climb up towards the base of a glacier
  • the lower part of the trail was ravaged by fire in 1968 and 2003, but the resultant regrowth contains some beautiful wildflowers

 

 

Arnica/Twin Lakes

  • another spectacular larch season hike
  • the view from a ridge just past Arnica Lake provides stellar views of Twin Lakes and along the Bow Valley Corridor
  • another trail that is not as well known as others in the area, but that is changing due to the influence of Instagram

 

 

Tent Ridge

  • the whole ridge, which extends for several km, offers panoramic 360-degree views of mountains for miles in every direction
  • challenging hike due to some scrambling and the ascension of two peaks
  • the ridge is very exposed, so it’s not for beginner hikers

 

 

It was hard to narrow the list down to five hikes, as there are dozens of spectacular hikes in this part of the world.

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