Archive for Hikes

A trail not too often advertised

// September 5th, 2012 // No Comments » // Hikes

There are so many great trails to hike and explore in Yoho National Park, but I have found one that is a hidden gem – Hoodoo Creek. This trail is short but very steep, so you are wondering if the end is worth it while you slowly make your way up through the forest.   But I promise you it is worth it.  The trail is not busy at all and it winds up the side of one of the many mountains in the area that have had their forests burned to control the damage being done by the pine beetle.  This beetle has been killing trees in the area for a long time, and when enough trees are dead, Parks Canada lights controlled fires to burn the dead trees in an attempt to control the spread of the beetles to nearby healthy trees.

The trail starts from the road that leads into the old Hoodoo Campground (turn left when heading west on Highway 1). This campground is severely overgrown and looks as though it is no longer maintained, although a lot of RVs still park here. The trail begins on the other side of Hoodoo Creek, where you will see a sign warning of its steep, dry, exposed nature. Follow this trail up about 2km until you get to a fork that offers you a choice to a lower or upper viewpoint. If you are tired, I would recommend just visiting the upper viewpoint. But if you are up for it, go see both. The lower viewpoint takes you down to the creekside where you look up to the many towers of sand capped with large rocks – called hoodoos. They are spectacular to witness. The creek is also very pretty. If you go around 7pm you will catch the setting sun reflecting off the water and lighting the hoodoos with a brilliant orange hue.

The upper viewpoint gives you a slightly better view of the hoodoos as you can see more of them and are closer. The trail is very dry and sometimes can be slippery, so be careful not to slip and fall into the crevasse.

When you are heading back down the trail, you can look out and see where the Kicking Horse River flows over Wapta Falls just a few kilometers west along the highway.

If you are in the area and need a new trail to hike or just want one that isn’t full of other hikers, visit Hoodoo Creek and enjoy the wonders of the power water has in shaping the land. Happy hiking!

Alana Hyatt

Adventure Specialist

Adventure, Anyone?

// July 22nd, 2012 // 1 Comment » // Adventure Specialist, Hikes

It is now peak season here in the Rocky Mountains and there are many activities to enjoy and sights (and animals) to see!  Takakkaw Falls, the second highest waterfall in Canada, is flowing at full capacity over Mount Niles and all the beautiful mountain wildflowers are in full bloom, taking advantage of the short growing season.

With the steady warm weather, the snowpack is finally melting, making many higher-altitude trails now accessible, including Twin Falls, Iceline, Whaleback, and Burgess Pass to name a few in the local area.  If you do hike up to the historic Twin Falls, be sure to time your hike to include a stop at the teahouse where Fran serves tea and snacks between 12 and 3pm daily.  She lives at the little chalet all summer and always has stories to share!

All the melting snow has made our Kicking Horse River high and fast – perfect for whitewater rafting just 30 minutes from our lodge.  I have gone rafting three times so far this summer, and my latest trip (last week) was by far the most fun I’ve had rafting!  The river was fast, the rapids were thrilling, and everyone had a fantastic time - I would highly recommend it if you like a little excitement!

Apart from hiking and rafting, there are so many other activities to enjoy: horseback riding along a mountain trail is always popular, canoeing, fishing, biking, golf, helicopter tours, and ziplining are all great things to do within an hour drive from Cathedral Mountain Lodge.

I must say, if you are fairly new to hiking and mountain climbing, the thrill you get from climbing your first peak is an absolutely grand and, I must admit, humbling experience.  Two nights ago, a couple of our staff and I set out to climb the trail to Paget Peak.  We left around 6:30 pm, wanting to be up there for the beginning of the sunset, while still making it back before complete darkness.  Two other hikers passed us on our way up, saying they just saw a Grizzly bear and her cub and that we should turn around, but we had bear spray and weren’t going to where they came from and honestly, we wanted to hike to the peak, so we kept going.  We never saw the bear, although we did see its footprints.  After an hour, we reached the Paget fire lookout, the oldest remaining fire lookout in the Rockies.  From there we kept climbing up the side of the mountain until we reached the very top.  It was cold and windy, but so amazing!  Having a 360-degree view of the Yoho Valley and surrounding peaks was incredible:

Whatever adventure you choose while you are here in Canada’s Mountain National Parks will surely bring a smile to your face and probably a few “Wow”s from your mouth.  Just make sure you bring a camera, because you never know when you will see wildlife!  I came across this deer while I was biking along a trail near Emerald Lake:

Thanks for reading and happy exploring!

Alana Hyatt

Adventure Specialist

ABC’s of the Rockies – A

// March 9th, 2011 // 2 Comments » // Adventure Specialist, Hikes, Uncategorized

A – Adventure Specialist

My role at Cathedral Mountain Lodge is to have the inside scoop on the best hikes, wildlife viewing, sights, cultural experiences and actitivities in the area. I am taking the opporunity to steal the ‘A’ in this series of blog posts to brag about this dream job!

Last summer I had the time of my life conquering mountains, lakes, rapids, caves, horses and of course the occasional beer. Not only have I done almost every tourist option available to me I have also found the best trails that only locals know about. Here’s a peek at the advice I would offer a guest at Cathedral Mountain Lodge that wants to hike off the beaten path:

Tower of Babel

The discoverer or Moraine Lake, Walter Wilcox, named this towering spire after the biblical Tower of Babel that reached to the heavens (even though this is far from the highest peak in the area). 

Tower of Babel
The Tower of Babel on the far left overlooks Moraine Lake

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(more) Opinions from a local

// December 7th, 2010 // No Comments » // Hikes, Uncategorized

 

         

In my previous post Field, BC local and Cathedral Mountain Lodge employee Greg Ross sat down with me and shared great opinions about hiking and sightseeing. I thought I would dig a little deeper and ask him to share some more experiences:                                  

 

Q: In your five years here, what is…

 

Your most exciting adventure?

 

 Hiking 35km in one day. As part of a staff challenge to see who could hike the most kilometers in summer 2009 I led two other staff to climb, traverse and hike as many as we could in one day. Starting at Takkakaw Falls we hiked past Laughing Falls to Twin Falls  then took the Celeste Lake Trail to the Iceline Trail. From there we then took the Highline Trail to traverse into Yoho Lake.                                 

Greg's snapshot of the Ice Trail

Greg's snapshot of the Ice Trail

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Opinions from a local

// November 30th, 2010 // 2 Comments » // Hikes

I had the opportunity to sit down with a long time staff member and local – Greg Ross. His love and passion for the area fascinated him to live and work in Field, BC at Cathedral Mountain Lodge for 5 years and was ecstatic to share his opinions:               

                            

Q: What are your favorite hikes in the area?

 
Walk-in-the-past (Yoho National Park)

An easy trail steps away from Cathedral Mountain Lodge that takes you to an old train that was used in the making of Spiral Tunnels.                       

Greg's snapshot of Johnston Canyon

 

Rockbound Lake (Banff National Park)

If you work your way through the 760m elevation gain through the trees and you will be rewarded with a stunning lake cradled by Castle Mountain. If you’d like an easier hike for the area opt for the well maintained and popular Johnston Canyon.                         

Wapta Falls (Yoho National Park) 

Frequented by wildlife this is a fairly flat trail that emerges through the trees to a stunning lookout about waterfalls fed by the Kicking Horse River. Continue further for more views of Wapta falls and a beach of glacial sedimentary sand near the base of the falls.                          

 
Mount St. Piran (Banff National Park, Lake Louise)

One of the easiest scrambles in the park this peak may not be the tallest in the area but you get a 360-degree view of countless mountains, avalanche chutes, valley floors and all around stunning scenery. On your way down make sure to complete your day in the mountains with a stop for a treat at the Lake Agnes teahouse                          

 

 

Q: Don’t Waste Your Time in The Canadian Rockies hiking guide is a gift we give our guests with certain packages. Do you have your own hikes you wouldn’t waste your time with again?

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