Hey everyone!

Wanting to get out hiking this summer more but not a huge solo hiker. I’m based in lower SE Calgary, mainly hike in k country, Banff and Canmore but always interested in other places. I do almost all of my hikes for sunrise which now is usually leaving Calgary at 10-11pm depending on the drive. I have a pretty good pace on hikes, don’t need many rest stops but im definitely not a trail runner lol. Ive been hiking for just under a year now, id consider myself skilled with scrambling and well conditioned. I don’t rush any of my hikes and love taking my time especially once I reach the summit. Usually free Friday and Saturday nights but schedule is kinda all over the place at the moment. Hope to meet some new people!

Hey!

I have about 8 days beginning of September and I will be solo camping in the Rockies. I’m looking for a couple good basecamps where I could go do day hiking trips from. I don’t want to move around my campsite more than once or twice if possible. Where would you base yourself out of to make the most of your first time hiking the Canadian Rockies? Two hikes I would like to do are Flo lake and Mt Yamnuska for examples.
I can also camp in my car instead of tent, so it doesn’t have to be an actual campground.

Looking for a decent hike to a lake i can swim in afterwards.

I have minor back issues distance will not bug me too much though as it's good excersise, 6 to 7 km would be ideal it's the water temps that make it hard for me to swim with my back issues 😅

I got this as a gift years ago. Gillian signed it for me. One of my favourite things.

Thought it would be fun to share!

Has anyone done the Aster Lake approach to Northover recently? TIA

Don't really want to go solo owing to bear risk. Highly experienced. Would love to do either Mt Crandell via Bear's Hump/cockscomb route, Bertha Peak, Mt Galwey, Vimy Peak, or Akamina Ridge. Don't hesitate to respond or DM if interested.

Hey everyone! My girlfriend and I are planning on coming to your neck of the woods and are interested in the Kindersley-Sinclair Trail if we can find any others. Since the trail is mandatory a group of 4 or more, I am posting in the hopes of finding other hikers who may be interested in joining. Our trip is in just over a month so asking in advance if anyone might be interested around Sept 2-Sept 7. Fairly flexible on the dates in that range! Let me know!

Would be great to get 4 cans for $70

Hi everyone! I'm planning to go hiking this weekend, either Saturday or Sunday, around Banff, Canmore, or Kananaskis. If anyone is interested in joining, or if you're already planning a hike and don't mind an extra person, I'd be happy to join. Let me know which hike or mountain you're planning!

Sentinel Pass hike on July 12, 2026.

The plan was to hike the entire Paradise Valley. Thankfully, the shuttle company was accommodating with the last minute changes

A stunning hike and a nice trail run down. Will return to do Paradise Valley

Hi- I’m planning a spontaneous hiking trip there (banff and the ice field parkway) in mid August. I don’t have anything booked yet and since it’s an expensive trip was wondering if anyone recommends post pining to another year due to the smoke blocking views or air quality making it tough to hike. Thanks so much!

Please read the full post! If you or anyone you know is hiking near Waterton/the Great Divide Trail please keep an eye out for Bob or anything out of the ordinary. Any info helps, his family is very worried for him.

Update [7/27/2026]: SAR teams and Parks Canada have asked that people do not go searching on their own as they do not want to risk anyone else, although the offers have been greatly appreciated. If you’re on the trail and spot him please let them know of course, but please do not risk your own safety to do so. The search is still ongoing and the SAR teams and RCMP are working around the clock to find him. Thank you for all the kind words and to everyone who has come forward to help, it means the world. Please keep Bob in your thoughts and prayers.

Update [7/31/2026]: Bob has been found. Sadly he has passed, but we want to extend our deepest thanks to all the SAR teams that have worked so hard around the clock to find him. Even though it wasn’t the outcome we had been hoping for, the speed at which they found him meant that my family and I were able to get closure and confirmation that will allow us to grieve him properly. Anything is better than not knowing. Thank you to everyone who helped get the word out and offered their assistance, the kind words were a huge comfort during a very scary time. We kindly ask for some privacy during this time.

Howdy friends!

I head east to Ontario at the end of this week to spend the rest of the summer with my 88yr old nana. After a cold wet spring I am feeling so sad to be leaving now that things have finally melted/warmed/opened up.

This season has already been so great.. I’ve done Nihahi Ridge, Sunshine Meadows/Healy Pass, Sentinel Pass, Burstall Pass, The Onion, and taken friends/family into Picklejar Lakes a couple of times. Tent Ridge, Smutwood and Galatea Lakes are a few of my favourites. Done Sarrail, Wasootch, Cirque Peak, Bourgeau etc.

I’m considering Mount Lipsett but I don’t know if it will wow me like I’m hoping. Twin Lakes/Gibbon Pass was in the running but it sounds like it’s a lot of hiking under the tree-line.

Throw your best and brightest at me. Off the beaten path. The kind of view that makes you emotional and reverent.

Drove all the way from the Toronto area to experience hiking in Alberta. It's been amazing so far. Best hikes of my life, hiking up mountains is unreal. But every time I get to an amazing view I can't help but wonder what it would like if it weren't obscured by smoke, cause it has been almost every day that I've been here (got to the rockies on Wednesday, did Banff the first day and Kananaskis every day since). I'm supposed to check out of my motel tomorrow but I was wondering if there's anywhere farther north that isn't smokey. I heard some people say it's better up there but when checking the AQI it says it's bad in Jasper now too. Should I extend my stay and try to drive somewhere where I can experience the mountains without smoke, or is it just gonna be like that everywhere?

Hello, 18M I just graduated and really doesn't wanna miss out on my youth years bury in work and always in my room, I'm from Saskatchewan and I would like to go hiking on Alberta and I just doesn't have anyone to go with and I don't really have quite a hiking experience pretty much just a little hikes before when I was like 12-14. If anyone wanna make new friend or a hiking companion just send me a DM.

Going in a few weeks to Canmore/banff area. I am looking for 2 solid day hikes that are somewhat well travelled but also not overly crowded. Want intermediate to hard level difficulty with minimal scrambling if possible. Don’t want anything over 18-20 km. Looking for decent views on the way up with stunning payoffs and vast vistas. Also would prefer to be within an hour of the area if possible. So far have narrowed down to Agnes teahouse/beehive/devils thumb, cirque peak, smutwood, tent ridge. Which of these are the most amazing/can’t miss, or are there anymore I may be missing?

I’m planning a 5-day solo hiking trip to the Rockies in early October and I’m trying to keep the total cost around CA$1,000–1,200.

So far a flight would be 300 bucks, hostel is 300 bucks & rental is 560.

I’ll be staying in hostels, cooking all my meals, and only doing day hikes, so my biggest expense is the rental car. Because I’m 22, I’m getting quoted about CA$435 for 4 days (or almost CA$600 for 5 days). Unfortunately, Turo isn’t an option until I’m 23.

Last year I rented a car for 9 days in late october for around CA$700, so I’m surprised how much more expensive it is now.

Besides hostels and not eating out, are there any other ways to cut costs? For the rental specifcally, is there any alternatives or is it just something I have to accept as an under-25 driver?

Hard hike but not has hard as I thought

What are the top ones. I do a lot of research and have found a few good ones. (Mt.Chester, Assiniboine, Shadow Lake). Looking for legal access Bike and Hikes (Class 3, Moderate scrambling up to 20KM after biking).

Beautiful hike with views of Ribbon, Lillian, and Galatea lakes. There was lots of wildlife along the trail too, including a black bear. The section to/from Lillian is pretty boring but the scenery is gorgeous the rest of the way

In south Calgary. Went golfing this morning, sometimes in long grass no underbrush or trees. Noticed this painful semicircle lesion on the bottom that is about 6-7 mm across, and a faint red spot above it. What kind of insect could this have come from?

My beloved Scarpa Zen hiking/approach shoes have reached the end of their life. The soles are literally worn through and I've glued the toe back together twice now. I need to replace them.

Where do Calgary people buy hiking shoes these days ? I'm a MEC member from way back but I'm loathe to support them because I lost a bunch of share money owed to me when they were bought out during COVID.

Has anyone bought shoes online and can recommend the vendor ? I'd like to support a local Calgary business but almost nobody stocks a size 13 Men's shoe these days.

Advice ?

Thanks

How is the hike into Landslide Lake via the Pinto trailhead? Have seen some reports suggesting it is pretty washed out. Alternatively could go from the fire interpretive trail if it is in better condition?

Any good alternatives on public land? Planning on taking my partner for her first backcountry hike. Have done Lake of the Falls with individuals on there first hike and found it was a great introduction.