Hiking Canada: The Itinerary

Over the past several months I've put a considerable amount of hours into mapping out a game plan for the two weeks that we will spend in Canada hitting some of its most famous parks and locations including Banff, Yoho, Mt. Robson, Jasper, Lake Louise, Glacier, and Garibaldi. It is my hope that future visitors to the area will find the following resourceful.

The number one consideration that I looked for in choosing hikes in Canada is whether the trail puts me into high elevation and past the tree line quickly. I do enjoy the mystery hidden deep in old growth forests from time to time, but the hikes I enjoy more are the ones where I walk among the clouds with expansive views.

The second consideration in narrowing down the list of potential hikes is whether it can fit in and be accomplished with all of the other hikes that are planned during the two weeks. There are many hikes that fit criteria number one, but due to trail length or driving distance, the addition of it meant the removal of another or several others.

When you begin planning a trip of this nature, I encourage you to start piecing together your trip months in advance. It is actually a necessity because of its popularity -- many campsites and hotels are booked full many months prior. Further, some of the trails require advanced planning for logistical and access purposes. One set of trails, for example, requires you to attempt to place a reservation exactly three months to the day in advance, and even then, it is virtually a lottery to land a spot. So start early.

As for trail info, you can find some great blogs out there with information from hikers who have done the trails you're interested in. Also, if some of your hikes are in the Canadian Rockies, you will want to purchase "Don't Waste Your Time in the Canadian Rockies." This book basically offers what the title suggests.

Rainstorm and possibly even snowstorms will no doubt alter the following itinerary. For those occasions, I have back-up trails that are more suitable for those conditions. If everything goes perfectly, here's our game plan for 11 hiking days.

Day 1: First, hit Helen Lake Trailhead at around 6am and attempt to summit Cirque Peak and back by noon (9.9 miles roundtrip). Next, head north up Icefields Parkway to Parker Ridge Trailhead. Do an abbreviated (2.5 mile hike) to the ridge and back. Finally, continuing up the parkway, do (5-8 miles) of Wilcox Pass.

Day 2: First, helicopter out to Berg Lake in Mt. Robson Provincial Park. After touching down at the drop-off point, set up a campsite at Berg Lake to lighten the load. Next, do Snowbird Pass and back to Berg Lake (roundtrip 13.2 miles).

Day 3: From Berg Lake, hike to the trailhead, returning to rental car (13 miles).

Day 4: First, do a short very early morning walk at Mt. Edith Cavell to Angel Glacier (1.5 miles). Continue south on Icefields Parkway to Peyto Lake and do a brief hike there (1 mile). Finally, continuing south, do the Valley of 10 Peaks/Sentinel Pass hike (round trip 7.2 miles).

Day 5: Hike Citadel Pass, perhaps out to Fatigue Pass, and back (round trip is roughly 12 miles).

Day 6: Hit the trail by 6am and do the Plain of Six Glaciers hike at least as far as the Plain of Six Glaciers Teahouse (round trip 8.6 miles). Next, do the Iceline Trail (8 miles). Finally, make it to the shuttle on time that will transport us into the Lake O'Hara region.

Day 7: Hike Lake O'Hara Alpine Circuit (roughly 7 miles).

Day 8: Heading west, do an early morning hike in Glacier National Park (Canada version) to hike Glacier Crest Trail (6.5 rigorous miles).

Day 9: Now in Canada's Coastal Mountain region with the town of Whistler as our staging point, hit Wedgemount Lake trail (roundtrip 9 tough miles).

Day 10: Take the gondolas up, and then do the Musical Bumps and Singing Pass, hiking out to Russet Lake and back to town (roughly 18 miles).

Day 11: Hike Panorama Ridge (Garibaldi Provincial Park) (18 miles).