Category: Canada
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Hiking Deer Ridge Trail Near Calgary
Deer Ridge Trail offers great bang for buck. This lightly trafficked trail that is accessible from the Sibbald Lake day use area and campground. It is a good half day hike, and takes less than an hour to get to the trailhead from Calgary. This trail can be made into a nice loop using part…
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Hiking Jumpingpound Trail Near Calgary
Jumpingpound Loop is an easy, mostly flat hike that is under an hour away from Calgary. It is at a relatively low elevation. This means it is usually accessible in the early spring, and sometimes throughout the winter. This is a good hike to consider if you want to stay below the tree line. You…
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Glenbow Ranch Provincial Park: Hiking Bow River Loop
Glenbow Ranch Provincial Park is an historical cattle ranch that is only about 14 kilometers away from Calgary’s northwest edge. The ranch runs along the Bow River, and on a clear day there are wide panoramic views of the Canadian Rockies. There is a mix of paved and dirt trails throughout Glenbow Ranch. Glenbow Ranch…
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Hiking Fullerton Loop Near Calgary
Fullerton Loop Fullerton Loop is a half day hike hike just west of the town of Bragg Creek. The trails are easy to follow, and there are signs at all of the trail intersections to make sure you don’t get lost. This hike takes about 2 hours to complete. Distance: 6.9 km Elevation gain: 240 m /…
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Early Season Hikes Near Calgary
These early season hikes near Calgary are my tried and true early season warm-ups, and are all between 5-10 kilometers. They are close to Calgary and easy enough to give your legs and lungs a chance to get back into shape before tackling bigger summer excursions. Ole Buck Loop, Sibbald Area Distance: approx. 5.4 kmElevation…
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Elk Lakes Cabin: Leaning Into Winter
Elk Lakes Cabin is a great winter getaway for folks who like to put a little bit of work into getting to the destination. If there’s something Canada is known for, it might be winter. It also might be beer or it may, in fact, be duct tape. But, for the sake of this post,…
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Arethusa Cirque: Fall Hiking the Golden Larches
Arethusa Cirque is the perfect way to experience the mountains in September. Along the western edge of Treaty 7 territory, on the traditional lands of the Niitsitapi, Ktunaxa, Iyahe Nakoda, and Tsuut’inna, there is a secret season between summer and fall called larch season. Driving west on Highway 1 between Banff and Lake Louise, it…
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Bikepacking the Kettle Valley Rail Trail: Rock Creek to Kaleden
The Kettle Valley Rail Trail is a long-distance bike path that follows the now abandoned Kettle Valley Railway from Castlegar to Hope, British Columbia. In July 2019, Tiffany and I cycled a 200 kilometer section from Rock Creek to Kaleden. We have a habit of going overboard when we try things for the first time.…
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Hiking at Eagle Hill Near Calgary
Eagle Hill is a great hike for getting back into the swing of things. You get pretty good distance and elevation gain, but without any real punishment. It’s south-facing, and in the lower foothills, so trails are usually doable pretty early. We went out this year on April 17. There was slush and mud, but…
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Accidental Travel Moments: A Winnipeg Case Study
Travel often leaves too little to chance. Between lodging, transportation, excursions and dining reservations, sometimes it can feel like every moment has been researched and planned down to the minute. So, when I booked my first trip to Winnipeg in the fall, I decided to just wing it. From the discount flight to the last-minute…