The Rockies

Spring Time in the Rockies

The transition time between skiing and hiking

_{Spring brings some lighter weather as the mountains starts to shake off its white coat. During the day you could wear a brisk light jacket but the nights are still frigid cold. Nonetheless, life starts to pick its way back out of the snow and ice and you will see often bears come out of their winter slumber in search for food.}

_{Especially during this time, it is important to be wary of wild life. Bears come out of hibernation and are more than keen to find food. That could be potentially you. Make sure to be bear smart and bear aware before taking to the woods.}

_{Taking to the woods in the Spring is much more doable as the paths are clear of snow and leisurely walks are back on the menu. However, higher-elevation hikes can prove to be challenging as deep soft snow still remains.}

_{Most of the hiking trails are publicly closed or discouraged by Canada Parks during the spring time. Pictured above is the Tower of Babel hike; we took to this trail as my favourite hike in the area, Sentinel’s Pass was advised to be closed. Canada Parks stated that since it is still in the spring time, the pass still had knee deep snow and it is very possible that we would have to break trail. Dreading this, we opted for the Tower of Babel instead as we could see it from where we were: no snow. The trail however was much more steep, had more falling rock risks and had an overall more sense of danger all through out. Read about that hike here.}

_{The weather is fickle in Spring. It could start out as an amazingly sunny, decently warm day and completely turn its head in just a matter of minutes. For example, I started the Grassi Knob hike in a sunny, decently-warm day. About thirty minutes before reaching the summit, dark storm clouds started rolling in from behind the Three Sisters mountain range and the cold winds started howling thus prompting me to make my hasty descend back down.}

The Canadian Rockies

Spring Hardships

Its still fairly chilly during the day. The sun rarely comes out. The wind’s cold still cuts through thin clothing. When night falls, everything freezes back up. This season brings some hardship to the mountains. Many a time we had to break our own trail from ankle deep to waist deep snow. We sometimes slipped on thawing ice. Occasionally we crossed avalanche paths just to continue on to the trails. Frequently, we had to turn back from our hiking summit goals as the weather turned completely sour and snow and ice still blanketed the freezing peaks.

Needless to say, Spring is not my favourite time in The Rockies. The mountains are still slowly waking up from its deep winter slumber and I’m stuck in the thawing valleys down below. There is still a decent amount of stuff going on but the full potential of the mountains are still locked in deep snow and ice.

Summer is the time to be in The Rockies

The mountains start to wake from its short spring nap, travellers from all around start buzzing about and peaks start to be accessible to be summitted. The weather is usually a lot warmer and swimming in the frigid glacier lakes is a great way to cool down. This is the best time for hiking and camping in the deep back country. Road trips are abound and great memories to be made in the summer!

A World of Peaks

Summer’s here and the hikers are all out on the trailheads. Peaks are finally accessible to be climbed relatively safely and easily. Trails are dry. Lakes are cool. Avalanches are a thing of the past. Roads are open. Summer is personally my favourite season in the Rockies as everything breathes back into life and the mountains buzz with activity.

Autumn

From its vibrant and colourful summer hues, comes the golden coat. This happens almost overnight as the temperature abruptly drops at night; it could even reach down to the negatives. The peaks are still accessible but some slowly start to get snow. The leaves change color and a golden era surrounds the mountains.

A Reminder of What’s to Come

Autumn changes the mountains quickly

This is when I’d get the last bit of camping and hiking left. There are days when its frigid cold especially in much higher elevations. However, there are also days where it is nice and pleasant outside. It all lies on Mother Nature’s fickle whims.

Its the perfect time to catch the autumn golden larch season. Depending on the weather, it may be a very short window until it is all caked in a wintery blanket. Tourism slows down a little at the end of summer but picks back up during this peak fall time. Popular larch hikes like Sentinel’s pass will be very crowded. Its all for a great reason as the trees are amazingly unique to look at!

Winter’s Wrath

Winter comes and stays

You’ll first start noticing it in the surrounding peaks. A layer of snow and ice on the peaks have now moved in for the winter. They’ve unpacked their luggage, sorted the closet and with their feet up on the table, they rest to prepare for the rest of the season; one thing’s for sure: the snow and ice are here to stay.

The next thing to go is at the base elevation and it doesn’t take much. It could just be one overnight snowfall and all of a sudden the whole world changes. Now snow’s in town and ice is knocking on your door.

Its not all bad though; the new season brings a new beauty to the mountains. The snow and ice is a completely different environment and adaptability is key. I found that layering properly and still enjoying activities during winter’s frigid cold is the key to keep warm and happy.

Activities are much more limited but are still out there. Taking short walks, hiking during the good “warmer” days, going out for a warm bite to eat, and of course…Snowboarding and Skiing

Banff is a Ski Town

_{It’s hard to imagine in the summer but Banff is a ski town deep in its heart. When the snow comes, the skiers start to flock in droves. You can commonly see them in their gear walking across the streets. Lugging their boards in tow. Ski pass on hand.}

Banff facilitates this culture by offering plenty of access to the surrounding ski resorts. You will often see the Roam busses picking up and dropping off skiers. There are plenty of ways to get around town and plenty of shops to buy or rent gear. The Rockies is a skier’s paradise in the winter.

Hiking

Though much more limited with the significant reduction in sunlight hours and the extreme weather, Hiking is still very much possible. With the right timing, one might be able to hike up the mountains to see a view of the winter wonderland.