Banff National Park’s Egypt Lake area is gorgeous: a scattering of blue glacial lakes below rugged peaks. In between, you’ll find patches of meadows, majestic alpine larch trees, and well-maintained trails. It’s a moderate hike to the Egypt Lake campground, which makes a great base camp for exploring. It’s a tough backcountry camp to reserve, …
Trail guide
The Yoho Valley in Yoho National Park is a special place. In the Cree language, “Yoho” is an expression of wonder or awe. It pretty much means “wow!” And while it sounds cheesy, that’s what I kept saying when I spent three days backpacking the Yoho Valley Loop including the Iceline Trail. I had been …
With incredible panoramic views of the waters of Howe Sound dotted with small islands, the St. Mark’s Summit trail is one of Vancouver’s best hikes. I also love the gorgeous forest on the way to the peak. I’ve hiked this trail countless times and the view at the end always amazes me. While the first …
The High Falls Creek Trail is a great mini-adventure of a hike. It has gorgeous waterfalls in a steep canyon, mountain views, and the exhilaration of scrambling up some fixed ropes. While the scrambling sections make the trail a bit of an adventure, it’s doable for most hikers. And since this is a loop hike, …
If you’re in Whistler in summer, I recommend checking out the Blackcomb hiking trails. It’s a great network of easy and moderate trails that wind between alpine lakes and flower-filled meadows. They also have great views of mountains and glaciers. And my favourite part: lots of chances to see adorable marmots and pikas! You also …
Semaphore Lakes near Pemberton is a special place. It’s a short and easy hike to three gorgeous alpine lakes with incredible glacier views. And the logging road to get there is 2WD accessible (most of the time). I first hiked to Semaphore Lakes back in 2014. (In fact, an earlier version of this trail guide …
The Al’s Habrich Trail is one of my favourite hikes in Squamish. It has an excellent effort-to-reward ratio since the hike has spectacular views all the way along. And since it starts from the top of the Sea to Sky Gondola, you get up high in the mountains without working too hard. I live in …
These days, Elfin Lakes in Garibaldi Provincial Park is the closest backcountry camping to my house in Squamish – it’s literally just up the street. But I’ve been going to Elfin Lakes for two decades – it was my first winter backpacking trip back in 2003! I’ve hiked the Elfin Lakes Trail more times than …
The High Note Trail is the most spectacular hike in Whistler, but it’s also the most expensive. Here’s everything you need to know about hiking the High Note Trail so you can decide if it’s worth the price. I live in nearby Squamish, so I’ve hiked the High Note tons of times. Honestly, I like …
Note: I’ve updated my Mount Assiniboine hiking guide to include updated info for 2025 including the new requirement for reservations at Porcupine Campground. With its prominent Matterhorn shape, Mount Assiniboine is one of the most photographed peaks in the Canadian Rockies. And that makes hiking to Mount Assiniboine one of the most spectacular backpacking trips …