Three books I would not be without (and highly recommend are):
| ♦Mt. Allan Centennial Trail (2819m/9,246')
| ♦Crypt Lake (1957m/6,420')
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| ♦Harney Peak (2203m/7,242') | ♦ Sulphur Skyline (2070m/6,790')
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| ♦Timber Lake (3366m/11,040') |
| Climbed: | August, 1993. |
| Elevation: | 2745 m = 9,005' |
| Elev. gain: | 1011 m = 3,315' |
| Ascent time: | 3.5 hours |
| Difficulty: | Strenuous hiking. |
| Location: | Banff NP |
| Trail head: | Lake Louise |
Follow the well graded hiking trail to the Saddleback (80min) and then on up to Mt. Fairview. On a sunny day, the southern exposure and no shade will make it tough going. Your efforts are well rewarded with magnificent views of Mt. Temple (3543m/11,621'), Mt. Victoria and the Victoria glacier. Scrambles list
| Climbed: | August, 1991. |
| Elevation: | 3757 m = 12,324' |
| Elev. gain: | 2,800 ft |
| Difficulty: | Strenuous hiking. |
| Location: | Rocky Mountain NP, Colorado |
| Trail head: | ? |
Lower portion of trail passes through forest. As one emerges from forest, tree line is quickly encountered. Steady ascent to summit. The ample wide summit perfectly describes this mountain. No summit register. Scrambles list
| Climbed: | July, 1998. |
| Elevation: | 2408 m = 7,898' |
| Elev. gain: | 700 m = 2,296' |
| Ascent time: | 2+ hours |
| Difficulty: | Easy Scramble. |
| Location: | Kananaskis Country |
| Trail head: | Goat Creek |
Cross the road and find the trail behind a small building beside the canal. Ascend the steep trail for 1.5 hours until tree line is reached. You can either continue by following the circular route which traverses right and circles back to the left to reach the summit. I took the more direct approach more or less straight up. While it may be warm down below at tree line, expect to don a jacket to protect you from strong cool winds. Up until 1998, this peak was formerly known as Chinaman's Peak. Scrambles list
| Climbed: | July, 1998. |
| Elevation: | 2560 m = 8,396' |
| Elev. gain: | 1000 m = 3,280' |
| Ascent time: | 3 hours |
| Difficulty: | Easy scramble, mostly hiking. |
| Location: | Yoho NP |
| Trail head: | Wapta Lake |
Follow the Paget Peak lookout trail as it makes its way to the lookout. It look me 70 minutes to reach the lookout. Follow the narrow trail up to some cliffs which you can avoid my circling left. After reaching a false summit (the one you see from the lookout), a moderate to stiff ascent over talus and grassy slopes leads you to the summit mass. A brief stint of scrambling through some boulders gets you to the top. On the descent, expect one hour to reach the lookout and another hour to reach the trail head. Scrambles list
| Climbed: | August, 1994. |
| Elevation: | 2949 m = 9,672' |
| Elev. gain: | 1570 m = 5,150' |
| Ascent time: | 5 hours |
| Difficulty: | Strenuous hiking up W slopes. |
| Location: | Banff NP |
| Trail head: | Banff townsite. |
A popular trail even with the heart stopping elevation gain. Near the top you have the option of slabs or more tedious scree. Once you reach the point where the summit can be seen, you must fight the loose scree to the summit. Sometimes it's two steps forward and one step back. No summit register. The true summit is reached after 10 minutes of summit ridge walking. Scrambles list
| Climbed: | July, 1999. |
| Elevation: | 2590 m = 8,495' |
| Elev. gain: | 900 m = 2,952' |
| Ascent time: | 3 hours |
| Difficulty: | Easy scrambling via S slopes. |
| Location: | Kananaskis Country |
| Trail head: | Goat Creek. |
Make your way back up the road until you find a trail branching left within five minutes or so. Follow the trail as it ascends through forest and minor rock bands. After reaching a clearing, the trail veers right to ascend beside the eastern cliffs. Shortly thereafter, tree line is reached and a full view of the southern slopes. Ascend scree slopes with some vegetation. You may encounter strong winds as you top out on the final slope leading to the summit mass. Make your way to the gully on your left -- the trail is easy to see from here but becomes faint as it ascends the talus slope. The gully challenges you with loose scree, few reliable hand holds and some exposure. However, once above the gully, the summit ridge is just minutes away. Once on the ridge, turn left and follow (more scrambling) to the summit. I found a cannister but no register in the summit cairn. After taking some pictures, I traversed the ridge back to the far east end of the ridge to another high point. It provides a better shelter from the wind while having lunch. On the descent, I followed the scree to a narrow gully (not the ascent gully). This gully provides access to the scree slopes below the cliffs. Scrambles list
| Climbed: | July, 1998. |
| Elevation: | 2650 m = 8,692' |
| Elev. gain: | 915 m = 3,001' |
| Ascent time: | 2.5 hours |
| Difficulty: | Easy Scrambling. |
| Location: | Banff NP |
| Trail head: | Lake Louise |
Follow the Lake Agnes trail until you reach the Little Beehive shortcut and follow it until it end at the main trail coming up from Lake Agnes. Through a clearing, you can see Mt. St. Piran dead ahead. Follow a small side trail for about 10 minutes until it peters out in a boulder field. Ascend through the field until a scree trail re-appears and follow it through a break in a small rock band, beside a small cave (I didn't take a look). Starting with mainly vegetation, follow a faint trail as it ascends steeply to reach more scree and rocky terrain. About 5 minutes from the top, some boulder hopping provides relief. You break out onto a broad rocky summit. I could not find a summit register. For the descent, I followed a hiking trail with many switchbacks as it descends to the Little Beehive trail. Personally, I feel that the ascent route I chose would be more enjoyable than this switchback slog. Scrambles list
| Climbed: | July, 1993. |
| Elevation: | 1957 m = 6,420' |
| Elev. gain: | 677 m = 2,220' |
| Ascent time: | 2.5 hours |
| Difficulty: | Moderate to strenuous hiking. |
| Location: | Waterton NP |
Take the cruise boat to Crypt Landing. Ascend through forest and up talus slopes to reach a small tunnel in the headwall below the lake. Out of the first tunnel, carefully proceed (a chain is available) to a second smaller tunnel. About 10 minutes beyond, you reach the lake. Round trip is 17.5km. Highly recommended. Hikes list
| Climbed: | August, 1991. |
| Elevation: | 2208 m = 7,242' |
| Elev. gain: | ? |
| Difficulty: | Strenuous hiking. |
| Location: | South Dakota |
| Trail head: | ? |
Harney Peak is the highest point in South Dakota. This is a very busy trail. There is an abandoned fire lookout on the summit. Views are okay but nothing spectacular. Hikes list
| Climbed: | August, 1991. |
| Elevation: | 3366 m = 11,040' |
| Elev. gain: | ~2,000 ft |
| Difficulty: | Moderate to strenuous hiking. |
| Location: | Rocky Mountain NP, Colorado |
A place to get away from the crowds in this NP. A majority of the trail is enclosed in forest. You break out of the cover about 15 minutes before the lake. A good view but not a must-see. Hikes list
Revised: Nov 16, 2002.