I need info on a hiking trip to British Columbia

I was wondering if anyone knew information on hiking and backpacking in British columbia. Me and my friend are 19 and trying to plan a 3 month vacation in BC. I am looking for as much info as i can possibly recieve. i am interested in things i shouldnt miss, the best day hikes, the best backpacking trips or any websites or anything that might be helpful in planning a trip to BC. If anyone has any info please e-mail it to me at [email protected] thank you so much

Do you plan on going to Alberta (Banff, Jasper etc.) too? If so, I can send you some info. Check out my Canadian Rockies photo gallery for some eye candy if you need some incentive to go there.

http://www.vftt.org/gallery/cr/index.html

- darren

Two things you should not miss out on:
1-Climb Mount Temple in Banff Nat'l Park
2-Go to Lake O'hara in Yoho National Park

I got shafted by bad weather but have recent pics and a TR here.

http://www.neil.webcentre.ca/outdoor pursuits/index.html

Google the above for plenty of hits.

Ditto what Neil said re Lake O'Hara. Picture an Ausable Club area, but with a 7 mile uphill bus ride into one of most picturesque jewels in North America. Tons of day hikes, alpine routes, lots and lots of above treeline travel with fabulous scenery. One thing to watch out for, they have some Grizzly Bears in the area, and close certain trails and routes in the summer until the bears move on. It would be a good thing to check with the Lake O'Hara Lodge a little before you get there. Also, ask them how soon you can reserve an interior campsite and a spot on the bus.

Another great trip is Moraine Lake and the Valley of the Ten Peaks. Superb !

The Canadian Rockies may have some of the most beatiful scenery anywhere I've hiked in the USA and Canada.

Peakbagr said:

It would be a good thing to check with the Lake O'Hara Lodge a little before you get there. Also, ask them how soon you can reserve an interior campsite and a spot on the bus.

Click to expand...

The Lodge has nothing to do with the Campground and allthough it does all the bussing dosn't handle bus reservations. To reserve a seat on the bus I think you have to phone the park. The #'s on the Yoho Park website which is...

http://www.pc.gc.ca/pn-np/bc/yoho/activ/activ15a_E.asp

Info

Here is a helpfull canadian site in western Canada where you should find some answers.
http://www.clubtread.com/aboutus.asp

yes please send me info

Darren,
yes i am going to alberta, jasper, banff,. im headed everywhere that i get info on out in that direction that looks interesting or that someone says "you cant miss this hike" so yes please send me some info on those parks!

thanks, donny

Must do:
Cirque Mtn.
Mt Wilcox
Mt Fairview - on a weekday, early in the am to avoid the crowds. We were lucky to get 45 minutes alone on top - awesome

The scrambles in the Canandian Rockies book is a good resource.

I would caution you not to take Mt Temple lightly. You must know your stuff.

Canadian Rockies...

Agree with John. Mt Temple is a big, beautiful mountain, but if you get off-route, of if its icy, you can get yourself into a lot of trouble quickly. Unless you've done something like Temple before, you might want to hook up with an experienced group or even get a guide for that one.

Valley of the Ten Peaks - Wonderful hike up a long valley surrounded by alpine terrain all day. About a 12 mile, 2,900' day.

Valley of the Presidents - Another great high valley hike of about 13 miles and 3,000' ascent.

Fairview and Saddle Mtns - The Noonmark of the area. Short at 7 miles r/t and 3,000' ascent. Get an early start to avoid the crowds. This is a good one to do mid-week. Great views.

Abbot Pass - A hike to a high Alpinist's hut up a scree chute to a saddle between Mts Victoria and Lefroy. The scenery is great and you'll have an excellent chance of seeing mountain goats up close. The hike/climb is around 8 miles r/t and 3,200' ascent from the Lake O'Hara interior campground.
There is rockfall off the mountains of both sides of the chute. Good to stay in the middle, and even better to bring a helmet.

Lake O'Hara - You must take a few days in around here. The hikes and alpine routes are spectacular.

Emerald Lake - Burgess Pass - Yoho Pass - Great hike, possibility of moose, bear and goats. 12 miles and 2,800'.

We did lots of other things in the 2 weeks we were there. A period of rain was ending as we flew into Alberta, and we had cloudless, mild days from early to mid-September. Almost any hike in the guidebooks where you get up high will be spectacular.

I agree 100% re the caveats on Mt. Temple. It is a very big and potentially scarey and dangerous mountain. And I very highly recommend doing it. I've done it 6 or 7 times (spent many a summer working in L. Louise) including downhill skiing the lower half. Note that in over 50 years and many thousands of ascents there has been one death on the ''tourist route'' of Temple.

Bc

I had an amazing time hiking in the Stein River Wilderness Area.

Stein River Area

no crowds (we had the huts all to ourselves), and all the beauty.
- above & below tree line trails
- glacier fed lakes, and snow fields in July
- no glacier travel risks (all have bypass trails for "only hikers")
- climbing spots all over the place (if you want: rock, ice snow, you name it)

NOTE: buy a can of pepper-spray (for the bears) - we never saw one, but in 3 months of stay - I'm sure you will run into one.


enjoy,

the wall.........

A must read: Bear Attacks: Their Causes and Avoidance (or something like that) by Stephen Herrero is a scholarly work that analyzes attacks, and outlines proper back country travel and camping techniques. In the book he discusses the use of air horns which proved to be particularly successful in reducing encounters in one ''experiment''. I was convinced (and paranoid due to being charged by a grizz) enough to get a recharcheable unit and a bicycle pump and use it whenever we bushwhacked our way above treeline on scrambles. Here's what it looks like:
http://http://www.neil.webcentre.ca/outdoor pursuits/rockies story/pics/hornclose.jpg