Although I have lived pretty close to the Yellowstone area and visited part of the rockies in the US, I have never seen the Canadian rockies. The Canadian rockies in and around Alberta are awesome. It’s a heaven for outdoor lovers.
The rockies aren’t as high as the Alps, Andes or for that matter, the Himalayas. But, they are very accessible and picturesque. The alpine meadows, clean air and pristine landscape are the things that will remain with you rest of your life.
What’s there to do?
Hiking, biking, trail running: you name it, rockies has it for you. There’s plenty of trails starting from easy to hard grade all around Canadian rockies. The hikes are divided into various locations over the rockies.
In the Jasper area, there’s the Maligne Canyon Trail. Limestone gorges welcome the hikers on this particular trail. The trail even surprises the hikers with suspension bridge (something you often seen in Asia). The trail is about 8 Kms. east of Jasper Highway.
Next up, is the valley of five lakes trail.It takes about two-three hours to complete. This is a day hike that is extremely popular with families. The trail starts off the Jasper Highway 93 rest area sign.
If you are looking for harder hikes and are a little bit more adventurous try the Athabasca glacier hike. You can even try your luck on the Canadian Mt.Everest Expedition trail. Although the name sounds interesting, beware that this is nothing like climbing Mt.Everest. It’s at a much lower altitude where you can go without oxygen tanks strapped to your back.
Besides hiking, you can bike on these trails. Although, keep in mind that it can be very daunting. If you want to take your adventure to the next level you can even try some rock and ice climbing. The best part about Rockies is that it has got waterfall ice right off the road. You can just pull over, grab your ice tools and start climbing. It’s that easily accessible.
With National Parks like Bnaff, Jasper, Kananaskis, there’s a wealth of stuff to do in this area. I can’t wait to get back to the Canadian Rockies some day. Mountains have always been my nirvana.
When to go and where to stay:
There’s plenty of Bed and breakfast inns all around. Also available are cheap hotels and motels where you can crash for the night.
You can buy yourself an Alberta Vacation guide for pretty cheap online. This will help you get a more detailed look at what you can do and where you can play.
From what I have gathered, there’s no specific time for the Rockies. In summer, there’s obviously less snow, You can just hike around and enjoy the majestic giants looming over you. In winter, wind chills can be pretty bad. So, throw on a few more layers to enjoy the outdoor activities comfortably.
So, if you are craving for outdoors, come on down to Alberta. You can base yourself out of Edmonton or Calgary and play all you want. I have heard that people who coming down to Alberta don’t feel like leaving the place. It’s that scenic and beautiful.
