Recommended Hikes

Once you are prepared, here are my recommendations for hikes.

I’m showing the recommendations on AllTrails maps which is one of two sources I look at when picking a hike. I like AllTrails for the huge active user base: There are lots of trail reports from people and you can get an idea about recent conditions and any hazards or problems people were facing. But because of the variety of people on the app, their assessment of difficulty or risk is not easy to gauge.

So I always look at a second source, and typically for me this is Bob Spirko’s blog. Here you will find more detailed trail reports, pictures, and GPX/KML tracks to download. I’ve done many hikes with his tracks over the years and they are immensely helpful. Note he has the Hiking and Canada Trips sections (the latter contains scrambles and the more serious stuff).

⚠ WARNING:
Bob Spirko is very experienced and has done a lot of hikes and scrambles. If you are new to the Rockies, avoid anything he found difficult or risky.

In the following sections, you will find my hiking recommendations.

Easy Hikes

If this is your first time in the Rockies, if you go alone, have a hard time limit, or if you have limited mobility, this category is for you. Easy hiking does not mean less adventure.

Moderate Hikes

This will get you a workout, and a serious one if you are not generally active or used to mountain hiking. The feeling of reward will kick in.

Difficult Hikes

You must have done some mountain hiking before to do hikes in this category. Preparation is essential. Do not do these hikes alone. Difficult hikes require a lot of energy and time.

Scrambles

Scrambles are serious hikes that require the use of hands and feet. You are almost climbing (minus the gear), and there are serious risks like terrain traps, risk of falling, rock fall, exposure, and others. If you are not sure you can handle this, don’t do it - stick to hiking.

Backcountry Hikes

These are multi-day trips that require you to bring your own camping gear, food, etc. - and you must book the backcountry campgrounds in advance.

Winter Hikes

All of the hikes in the above categories are mostly for the summer. You can still hike in winter, but the amount of snow, accessibility, and risks are considerable. The hikes suggested in this category are doable, and low risk (as low as can be) in the winter months.

Hikes to Skip

The following hikes I did not enjoy for some reason, and I would not recommend them.

  • Sulphur Mountain: Too busy, no good views until you reach the summit (which you can do by gondola)
  • Moose Mountain: Used to be good, now the fire lookout is fenced off so you don’t get to hike the last 10m to the peak.
  • Hikes starting at Cave and Basin in Banff: These are walks on a boring, paved road.
  • Lady MacDonald (“Teahouse” and ridge): Too much effort for the view, and you only get views at the end.
  • Fullerton Loop: Too much tree coverage, no good views.
  • Tower of Babel: Sketchy, sliding scree on the uphill.
  • Healy Pass: Boring uphill in the forest. The pass is itself is nice, but not rewarding at all until you get there.
  • Lake Minnewanka Lakeshore: Very busy and once you’re going, the view doesn’t change much.
  • Tunnel Mountain: Busy, not many good views thanks to the trees. It’s not very high.
  • Barrier Lake Lookout / Yates Mountain: Long boring forest sections. Very busy.