57: Kananaskis - Why You Should Visit This Area!

Welcome back to the Banff Travel Podcast. I'm Celine and I live just outside Banff National Park, which means I get to explore places like Canonaskis on a regular basis, and it honestly never gets old. Today we're heading just outside Banff National Park to explore a Canonaskis country, and I'm gonna walk you through everything, the best hikes, a one-day itinerary, and what you actually need to know before you go.

Okay, so first things first, Canonaskis. It isn't actually one single park. Canonaskis Country is a huge mountain recreation region west of Calgary, where BAMF covers sixty six hundred square kilometers or twenty five hundred square miles, Canadaskis spans roughly four thousand square kilometers or fifteen hundred square miles of parks and protected land.

It's made up of more than 10 different areas and parks like Bow Valley Provincial Park, Canadaskis Valley, Peter Loheed Provincial Park, Spray Valley, and the Highwood Pass area. And each one definitely has its own highlights. Now for most people you won't even know you're going from one park to the other unless you're really paying attention to the sign. What they all have in common is this, incredible mountain scenery and a huge variety of things to do.

With over 150 official hiking trails that include everything from family-friendly walks to multi-day backcountry trails and other activities like cycling, paddling, climbing, camping, fishing, alpine. Snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, wildlife viewing, you definitely will find something for everyone. Now, Canadaskis actually draws around five million visitors a year, which puts it on par with or even a little bit ahead of band.

So it's not some hidden secret, but it isn't as well known to visitors to the area. Now, the visitation growth has been substantial. Like many outdoor recreation areas, the visitation exploded in 2020 during COVID and hasn't gone back down. You know, popular trails like Grassy Lakes and Troll Falls can absolutely be very busy on summer weekends.

The difference is Canada's has far less tour bus infrastructure. It has far fewer organized group tours. So it tends to feel a little bit wilder, a little bit more local, even when it is business. So there's a few things that you do need to know before you go. Number one is you need a Canonas conservation pass to park at any of the trailheads. It's tied to your vehicle's license plate, so you can't get it until you have your rental car.

If you head into Canadascus and you forgot to get it that day, you can stop in at the visitor center. Or if you've gone past there, you aren't likely to have cell service. So you're probably not going to do it in the parking lot, but just make sure you get it before midnight that night.

Second, if you're planning to visit the Highwood Pass area, that section of Highway 40 does get closed from December 1st to June 15th every year. So just know you may not be able to go to all of the areas depending on when you're visiting. Number three, and I know I say this in every episode, but cell service in the mountains can be pretty spotty. Some places it's just non-existent. So download your offline maps before you leave. Take those screenshots of anything important you might need.

Number four, again, always check trail conditions before you head out. Trails are frequently closed due to bear activity or for other reasons in Canadaskis. And then you want to always have a backup plan. If you arrive and a trail is closed or the parking is full, it's really important to have a backup plan on what you can go out and do, especially on weekends. Finally, heading out early is always a good idea. You'll just beat the crowd.

In Banff, a lot of the visitor experience is concentrated around, you know, those really iconic spots, but mostly the spots that are easy to get to and easy to get. those incredible views. You know, Moraine Lake, Lake Louise. Okay, well maybe those aren't easy to get to, but once you have your shuttle, it's easy to get to them. Um, Johnson Canyon is easy to get to, Lake Minawanka, those are the places that get very busy.

You're gonna find something similar in Canonaskis, like almost everywhere. The easier the stop is, or the easier the hike is, the busier it's going to be. Upper Canadaskis Lake is an example in Canadascus that can be insanely busy on a weekend because it's an easy place for people to drive right to the lake and just get out and enjoy the lake. Barrier Lake is another one that's very similar going to be busy.

Because people can just drive right to it. Now that being said, Outside of that, one thing I really love about Canonascus is how wild it feels. Even when you're at a popular trailhead, there's still this sense of being genuinely out in the wilderness. There's just less infrastructure, less buses, less paid activity. And I know for a lot of you who are coming here, that's kind of what you're looking for

Alright, so let's talk hiking because this is honestly one of the main reasons most people will make the drive out to Canonaskis. The trail selection in Canonaskis is fantastic and there's really something for everyone. For easy hikes, I always recommend Troll Falls. It's a super easy stop. It's a beautiful hike for families or anyone who wants something short and satisfying. It's only about

Three to four kilometers out and back, the trail's wide, forested. You end up at this really pretty waterfall. You know, kids will love it. I've done it in literally every season multiple times, and it just never disappoints. Even in the winter, you know, it actually turns into this incredible frozen ice wall, which, you know, we all love frozen waterfalls. Now many people may not know this, but Grassy Lakes is actually in Canonaskis, despite its proximity to the town of Canmore.

Grassy Lakes is another easy favorite, roughly four kilometers. Now there's definitely some elevation gain, but the payoff is those stunning blue green lakes tucked up against those towering cliffs. On a sunny day, that watercolor is unreal. You know, it's almost like somebody turned up the saturation on your photo.

So that's always a great one to do. It can also get busy. If you're worried about parking, you can actually take Rome Route 12 for free from Canmore for that hike. So that's always a good summer option as well. Heart Creek Trail is another easy option. It's just under five kilometers. It's really a great family hike. You know, multiple little wooden bridges crossing back and forth over the creek.

It ends at a canyon with a hidden waterfall that you can hear. And it's just one of those easy hikes that's great for everyone. And it's also very close to Canmore. If you're looking for more moderate hikes, Rosson Lake is always top of my list. You start from Upper Kanadaskis Lake, so you get to see two lakes in one hike. You climb through the forest.

just under eight kilometers return. But at the top you come out at this alpine lake that's surrounded by these dramatic rock walls. It's just really beautiful. It's one of those spots where you can arrive and just stand there, you know, take it all in for a few minutes, maybe have a picnic up there. And if you're looking for a challenging hike, you can even continue on from there up Sorrel Ridge, which has some of the best views.

Chester Lake is another moderate hike that I love. I love it all year long, you know, wintertime, summertime, but especially in the fall. You'll climb through the forest and then it opens up to this meadow and the lake there. And especially beautiful if those large trees are changing color. And then past the lake, there's these huge boulders called elephant rocks. So make sure you wander over there to see them. It's a really great hike.

Another one of my favorites in the moderate category is West Wind Pass. It's one that you can get some really stunning views without that full day commit. So just under five and a half kilometers, but you get that feel of a mountain pass, sweeping views over the Spray Lakes reservoir. So the view to effort ratio is really good on this one. And then for you really experienced hikers, Tent Ridge is one that, you know, you're just gonna rave about.

Now it's a proper ridge experience with some dramatic views. It's the kind of day that's gonna make you feel like you've really earned your dinner, but there is some hands-on scrambling involved, so you need to make sure that you have the experience to do this hike. As I always say, you're responsible for your own safety. You need to do your research before heading out. And this is definitely one you're going to want to make sure that it's within your wheelhouse.

Wasuch Ridge is another great option if you want a more demanding day with big scenery. And then close to Canmore, Wind Ridge is another one of my favorites. It's a big hike, but again, if you really enjoy hiking, you're gonna love it. Many of these do go through grizzly bear territory, so you need to make sure you've done your research on venturing into bear country, you know, carry your bear spray, make sure you know how to use it, make a lot of noise.

All of those things. This is especially true for the areas around Tent Ridge, Ross and Lake, Sorel Ridge. Those trails and areas are frequently closed to bear activity. I'll of course link to my full Canonascus hiking guides in the show notes so you can dig into all of these in more detail and maybe explore some of the other ones that are in there. like the Black Shales Suspension Bridge, Cars Springs, Rummel Lake, and lots of other options.

There are just so many other trail options out there, you know, some easier ones in Bow Valley Provincial Park. So those blog posts go through difficulty levels, distances, what to expect on each one. And then of course some pictures so you can get a feel for what you're gonna be seeing and to help you choose the height.

Okay, so hiking gets most of the attention in Canada. But I do also want to talk a little bit about biking here because it's also a great way to enjoy this area. I know it's a little harder if you're not from around here because you don't necessarily have a vehicle where you can transport bikes. But just know that you can rent bikes in the Canadaaskis Village from Canadaaskis Outfit.

If you're looking for a paved, easygoing ride, Canonaskis has some great options. The Bill Milne Evan Thomas Pave Trail is one of my favorites for this. It's roughly eight and a half kilometers paved. It's a path that winds through meadows and forest with some Constant views. So that's eight and a half kilometers one way. It's multi-use, so you may find some walkers on it, but it's wide, it's well maintained.

And it's really nice for a scenic ride where you can actually look around and enjoy where you are. The great part about this one is that you can access it from Canadaskis Village where you can rent by. Bow Valley Provincial Park also has a great paved trail that works really well for families, and especially if you're camping there.

If you're camping in Peter Lowheed Provincial Park, there's a 12 kilometer paved trail system there that connects the campgrounds and day use areas. So that actually makes it incredibly convenient. You can literally roll out of your campsite and start riding. If you're a mountain biker and you've come here with your own bike and you want some single track, you know, Canonaskis has that as well. The High Rockies trail is

one of those great mountain biking trails in the region. It's a more serious trail that spans a big chunk of the park, but you can also just ride a section of it as an out and back. If you don't have your own bike, Terrace Trail is a good moderate option right from the Canadaskis Village. And then of course worth mentioning is the Canmore Nordic Center, which is technically part of Canadas. It has an excellent single track trail network, plus you can rent bikes right there at Trailsport.

Okay, so let's say you've only got one day in Canonasis. You want to do a little bit of everything. You want to do a little bit of hiking, some great scenery, maybe get near the water. Here's a few ideas on what you could do. As you come in on Highway 40, you can stop at the Canadascus Visitor Center. It's always a great spot just to make sure you have up-to-date info.

From there you can head to Barrier Lake. Now this is one of those spots that you can either do a hike from, you can rent canoes, kayaks, paddleboards, you can do a short walk along the shoreline. Or you can just stop and take a look, take some pictures. Further down Highway 40, you can make a stop at Mount Lorette Ponds. It's a short paved walk around the ponds.

it you know, a great gentle warm-up before the rest of the day gets going. It's easy, it's beautiful. Also great if somebody needs something a little bit more accessible. Now, if you've just made a couple of quick stops at Barrier Lake, maybe walked around Mount Lorette Ponds, but you want to do an easy hike. Troll Falls is right nearby Canascus Village, so you can stop there and do that short, easy hike, and then head over to the village and grab some lunch.

If the weather's fantastic, maybe grab something and go check out the paved village rim trail with some great viewpoints. After lunch, you can continue to make your way south towards Upper Canadaskis Lake. At this point you're probably not gonna do a hike like Ross in Lake, but it's worth visiting, you know, standing on the water's edge, taking it in, the lake, the mountain peaks. It's really stunning. On the way you could have stopped at Peter Loheed Visitor Center.

It's worth a quick stop, you know, see if they have any good information about wildlife activity or if there's any bears around there. Now that's kind of a mix of scenic drives with a couple of short stops and a Easy hike in there. But if you'd rather skip that multi stop approach or you just want to do one really great hike. Then do that. Pick Ross and Lake, Chester Lake, or even something even harder like Tent Ridge if you're a strong hiker, and just let that be your whole day.

You know, Canascus is the kind of place where the drive to the trailhead is part of the experience. It's absolutely beautiful. The mountain scenery, scenic drive is well worth it. So you're not gonna feel like you missed out on anything.

Now just a few other things to know before you go or as you're doing your research. Every season is different, but wonderful in Canada. So summer, July, August, obviously peak season, the most accessible time to visit in late September to early October. Canadaskis has some of the best large hikes. Spring is beautiful, but again, you know, some of the trails and roads might still be closed, so you always want to check Alberta Parks Trail Report.

For example, Chester Lake doesn't open until late June. If you want some easy hikes with even some early wildflowers in late spring, Bow Valley Provincial Park is fantastic. Especially trails like many springs, again, winter, especially if you're into snowshoeing or cross country skiing, there's trails that are well worth the time in Kansas. Like everything around here, the mountain weather changes fast, so always bring that warm layer and a rain jacket, even in the summer.

As for wildlife, bears, cougars, elk, they're all out there. So carry your bear spray on every hike, keep it accessible, not buried at the bottom of your pack, make the noise on the trails, and always check the Alberta Parks trail reports for any active wildlife warrant. If you're wondering what to bring, you know, some good hiking footwear, especially if you're going to be doing some longer hikes.

Plenty of water, more than you think you're going to need, lots of snacks, sunscreen, a hat. Again, those offline maps downloaded before you leave home. There are very few places to buy food or get gas once you're in the park, so just pack more than you think you're going to need. Now I know this is a very quick overview of Canonascus, and I could probably talk for a lot longer about it going into more specifics on all of the hikes.

But I am working on a full blog post that's going to pull a lot more of this together. Everything we talked about today, those hiking recommendations, a one-day itinerary, where to stay, conservation pass, details all in one place. So it's not quite live yet, but it's coming soon. So in the meantime, head over to BAFTravelplanning.com forward slash podcast. That's where I'm going to put the transcript and notes from today's episode. Uh you can obviously get more links in the show notes as well.

But I'll also have everything there so you don't have to take as many notes when you listen. You know that you have a place that you can go skim through and pick out the parts that you were interested in. Of course, you can sign up for my podcast-only email list there. So this is going to be my email list just for you podcast listeners. It's if you want updates when the podcasts go live. Any links that I promise to send you, you know, those top three takeaways and any of those sorts of things.

Now, Kanaascus has all the things that make the Canadian Rockies so incredible, right? The lakes, the peaks, the wildlife, and the sense of being somewhere genuinely wild. Whether you go for one day or plan to come back again and again like I do, I really hope today's episode gave you enough to start planning some time in Canonascus. I know you're going to love it.

Thanks so much for tuning in to the BAMF Travel Podcast. If you found this episode helpful, please follow the show wherever you listen. It makes a huge difference and it means you'll never miss an episode. Of course, if you have questions about Canonascus or planning your BANF trip, come find me over at Banff Travel Planning dot com forward slash podcast. Until next time, happy trip planning and I'll see you on the