The mountains literally feed my soul. Whenever I’m feeling down, low energy, or just a bit bitchy, I know it’s time to head back to the mountains. I have done hundreds of routes in Canada and internationally. I am now sharing these experiences on my blog to inspire others to create their own adventures.
TRIP REPORTS BY ACTIVITY
These Trip Reports are organized by Hiking, Backpacking, Summits & Scrambles, Skiing, and Bicycling. For Trip Reports organized by Location, click here. For Trip Reports in alphabetical order, click here.
Hiking:
- Lake Agnes, Big Beehive and Little Beehive – a classic Lake Louse hike.
- Arethusa Cirque & Little Arethusa Peak – an easy hike with an added challenge
- Aylmer Lookout – a long hike for one amazing view payoff
- Barrier Fire Lookout / Yates Mountain – close with amazing views, plus optional loop.
- C Level Cirque – Three kinds of fun in Banff, plus some history to boot!
- Canyon Creek Ice Cave – a bike and hike adventure
- Cascade Falls / The Green Monster – a winter frozen waterfall hike
- Carnarvon Lake – Do it ALL at Carnarvon Lake
- Carthew-Alderson Traverse – the best of Waterton in one hike
- Chester Lake – WINTER snowshoe and ski routes
- Coliseum Mountain – a mountain that looks like its name
- Cory Pass to Gargoyle Valley – a ‘there and back’ or more challenging loop
- Coyote Hills – stunning views on a wind protected hike
- Cox Hill – a popular hike in the Sibbald area with excellent ridge views
- Exshaw Mountain – short, close and a loop
- Forget Me Not Ridge – North and South
- Fullerton Loop – “the” beginner or kid friendly hike
- Gargoyle Valley via Cory Pass – a more challenging loop
- Mount McGillivary Canyon – An obstacle course
- Grass Pass to Boundary Pine – an quick and straight forward hike with a lovely look out.
- Gunnery Mountain – An easy summit
- Hailstone Butte Fire Lookout – stunning mosaics for a short hike
- Healy Pass – A classic Banff hike
- Indian Ridge to Willow Ridge – an easy half day hike.
- Linehan Ridge – This is the hike that provides views to the series of Lineham Ridge scrambles.
- Little Ware – Mount Ware’s Little Brother
- Mount Hoffman – Short, Sweet and Close
- Johnson’s Canyon & Ink Pots – A Winter Wonderland
- Mount McNab – an ideal hike for the winter doldrums
- Missing Link Mountain – Close & short for the shoulder season
- Mustang Hills Loop – A small hump with many hiking options
- Old Baldy (not Mt Baldy) – Make it a loop, or a There and Back.
- Pedley Pass Ridge – A new take on an old favourite
- Picklejar Lakes – A string of four lakes, nestled in a mountain cirque.
- Pocaterra Ridge – Go from North to South
- Porcupine Ridge – A ridge with some spice
- Powderface Ridge – One Summit, Two Summit – your choice
- Raspberry Ridge – A lovely ridge with lots of options
- Red Rock Canyon – a short interpretive walk
- Sentinel Pass – Via Larch Valley above Moraine Lake
- Stanley Glacier – Three options: view point, upper meadow or moraine
- Sulphur Mountain / Sanson Peak – Banff’s most accessible peak with amazing views
- Tunnel Mountain – Fantastic Views for Very Little Effort
- Tent Ridge – An electrifying traverse
- Welsh Lakes – A Purcell Range Beauty
- West Wind Pass – A straight shot to an amazing view
- White Buddha Loop – short and spectacular limestone walls
- Wind Ridge – A Hike with Spice
- Safe(r) Winter Routes for Snowshoe/Hikers – Kananaskis
- Safe(r) Winter Routes for Snowshoe/Hikers – National Parks
Backpacking:
- Skyline Trail – Day One: Maligne Lake to Snowbowl Campground
- Skyline Trail – Day two: Snowbowl to Tekarra Campground
- Skyline Trail – Day Three: Tekarra to Signal Trailhead
- Banff Backpack – Day One: Sunshine Village to Egypt Lake via Healy Pass
- Banff Backpack – Day Two: Egypt Lake to Shadow Lake, including Pharaoh Peak
- Banff Backpack – Day Three: Shadow Lake to Vista Lake
- Tonquin Valley – Day One: Edith Cavell to Amethyst Lakes
- Tonquin Valley – Day Two: Mount Clitheroe Summit
- Tonquin Valley – Day Three: Wates-Gibson Hut
- Tonquin Valley – Day Four: Majestic Ridge (also includes Day Five hiking out)
Summits and Scrambles:
- Arethusa Cirque & Little Arethusa Peak – an easy hike with an added challenge
- Anklebiter Ridge – Close, quick and steep
- Mount Baldy – quality scramble that’s close and ready early season
- Belmore Browne to Boundary Peak – this traverse nabs you three peaks with no scrambling, and epic views
- Mount Burke – There and Back, or a Traverse
- Devil’s Thumb – The ultimate Lake Louise summit view
- Mt Edith – the north summit via Cory Pass
- Eiffel Peak – A scramble with intense views
- Fairview Mountain – outstanding views from this accessible summit
- Grizzly Peak – An easy and accessible scramble
- Heart Mountain – A traverse well worth doing
- Holy Cross Mountain – a gorgeous ridge to the summit
- Junction Hill – This loop has route finding, grass lands, forest, talus slopes and a ridge.
- Kent South Peak – an accessible peak
- Little Lougheed – a short summit with incredible views
- Loder Peak via Door Jam Mountain – a short scramble ideal for shoulder season
- Mount Lawson – South Summit – Nice winter hike with no avi danger
- Midnight Peak Traverse – An enjoyable summit, with a challenging traverse
- Mist Mountain – Second time lucky!
- Old Baldy Peak – the ‘other’ baldy that no one visits (not Mt Baldy)
- Opal Ridge – North Summit – The Best Mother’s Day present
- Opal Ridge – South Summit – A More Adventurous Hike
- Pigeon Mountain – A look back into time
- Mount Roberta – Short and Spicy
- Shunga-la-she – Varied terrain with great views
- Thunder Mountain – a long ridge scramble
- Mount Sparrowhawk – my 8 year old’s first summit
- Mount Temple – 11,000′ of gorgeous mountain
- Tower of Babel – A bike and hike adventure
- Wind Tower – An accessible peak
Cross-Country Skiing:
- Blueberry Hill at Elk Pass – Cross-country skiing
- Cascade Fire Road to Warden’s Cabin, and beyond – Cross-country skiing
- Chester Lake – Winter Ski and Snowshoe Routes
- Iron Springs Loop at West Bragg Creek – Cross-country skiing
- Paradise Valley to Lake Annette – Cross-country with some avi exposure
- Skogan Pass – Hummingbird Plume Fire Lookout, Skogan Loop and Troll Falls
- Whiskey Jack to Tyrwhitt to Fox Creek trails – Cross-country skiing
- Safe(r) Winter Routes for Snowshoe/Hikers – Kananaskis Country
- Safe(r) Winter Routes for Snowshoe/Hikers – National Parks
Backcountry Skiing:
- Arethusa Cirque – Winter has Officially Begun
- Bow Hut – the jumping off point of many adventures
- Bow Summit – ideal beginner terrain
- Cornice Ridge at Kootenay Pass
- Crowfoot Mountain
- Gypsum Ridge – Mellow & Steep
- Rummel Lake – A classic Kananaskis Ski Tour
- Bonnington Traverse – Bombi to Grassy Hut
- Bonnington Traverse – Grassy to Steed Hut
- Bonnington Traverse – Steed to Copper Hut
- Bonnington Traverse – Copper to Bonnington Dam (via Plan B)
- AST 2 Course with ACMG Paddy Jerome / Canadian Rockies Mountain Guides
Other Skiing:
- Confessions of a World Cup Racing Newbie
- Confessions of a World Cup Racing Newbie – Part Two
- Confessions of a World Cup Racing Newbie – Part Three
- Newly Minted Ski Instructor
Cycling:
- Bow Valley Parkway – Banff to Castle Junction
- Canmore to Lake Minnewanka to Tunnel Mnt – an early season cycle
- Highwood Pass Cycle – South gate to Highwood Pass
- Moraine Lake Road – A Bike & Hike Adventure
- Red Rock Parkway – a scenic cycle in Waterton National Park
- Sheep River Road – An ideal early season cycle
Various:
- 52 Hike Challenge Completed! – Find your challenge
- Backcountry Eats – Dehydrating Dinners for beginners
- Drumlins Among Us – They are hiding in plain sight 🙂
- How to Suck Less in the Mountains, Part I – Strong Legs and Lungs
- How to Suck Less in the Mountains, Part II – Strong Mind
- My 200th Strava Activity – The power of doing something small
- Cov-Idiots. Adventuring during a Pandemic
- How Adventuring Helps me Survive Self-Isolation – a humorous look at what we consider ‘hard’.
- The Ghost of Abbot Pass – a spooky post to celebrate Halloween
- How to Keep your Phone Battery Alive in Cold Weather – tried and true tips to keep your phone alive.
- Shoulder Season Shuffle – how to not destroy trails and severely piss of bears
- Cultivating a Pack Valet Relationship – The care and feeding of your pack b!tch 🙂
Adventure Presentations
I absolutely love to share my mountain adventures with live audiences. These presentations are upbeat, full of gorgeous photos, and include important details like distance, elevation gains, and such. I have a stable of multi-day adventure presentations from the Yukon to Peru, with more being added yearly. Click here to see what’s on offer, and if you would like to have a presentation for your group or organization.
Intro to Hiking Course
I teach an Introduction to Hiking course. It covers everything from trip planning, packing, and successful route navigation. It is 20+ years of my extensive mountain knowledge condensed into a comprehensive booklet. The course also includes a guided hike with me. Click here to learn more about this course for you, your group or your organization.
Alisen Dopf 