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Backpacking in the Canadian Rockies
Yamnuska offers scheduled hiking and backpacking trips to different areas of the Canadian Rockies, each with its own unique ambiance, beauty and challenge. These trips can be arranged for private groups if our dates don't suit you.
Yamnuska's backpacking adventures are great escapes.
As days pass you fall into a rhythm,
you relax and sore muscles firm up.
Hiking at an easy pace you soon forget that you're moving at all as
you become absorbed with your surroundings: a
waterfall breaks through the cliffs above, an orchid peeps through the
moss on the forest floor, clouds scud past the peaks high above. The mountains provide endless
distractions.
After a couple of days you realize that the next campsite is not the objective, it's the journey that counts!
Reaching the end you're tempted to take a sharp turn, head up the next valley and just keep walking!
Destinations
About Backpacking with Yamnuska
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Backpacking allows us to get into remote areas and to enjoy a total outdoor living
experience. We carry everything we need
with us as we move from campsite to campsite day by day. In our packs
we have our personal clothing, sleeping bag and mat plus a share of
group food and camping gear.
How much
we carry will depend upon the length
of the trip. To make it easier on some trips we are able to pre-place food caches at some campsites.
If you look at the information on our scheduled backpacking trips you
will get a good idea of how it works.
Banff
Highline: A Rockies Classic! Follow the Great Divide Trail
from Vermilion Pass across high alpine meadows,
along the shores of azure
mountain lakes all the way south past the shadows of Mount Assiniboine
to finish in
Peter Lougheed Provincial Park near Canmore.
Banff Sawback Traverse: New in
2008 we visit high passes and lakes in the Front Ranges of Banff
National Park.
Family Backpacking:
Visit areas perfect for a family backpacking holiday, suitable
for all ages.
Jasper Highlands:
A fabulous hiking circuit in Jasper National Park.
Features an extended sub-alpine meadow section,
chances to glimpse rare woodland caribou and the northern lights in the fall.
Kananaskis Highlands: This five-day trip across the South and North Kananaskis Passes offers varied scenery with lots of lakes, glaciers and spectacular canyons gouged through the rock.
Mount Assiniboine: Fantastic scenery
as we hike from Canada's Matterhorn to Sunshine Meadows & Banff.
Includes helicopter flight to Assiniboine.
Mount Robson
Hike:
Mount Robson, monarch of the Canadian Rockies, towers over Berg Lake
and the extensive sub-alpine forests and tundra stretching to the
northwest. It is the constant backdrop on this, our most relaxed
backpacking trip.
Rockwall Highline: Passes & meadows
flank the mighty ramparts of the ' Rockwall' in Kootenay National Park.
Arriving at Floe Lake you'll realize you've completed one of the world's
great walks.
Wall of Jericho:
This trip is ideal for previous Yamnuska clients or experienced
hikers looking for something different as we travel from the
northern section of Banff National Park to Lake Louise.
Spring hikes in the Front Ranges
... New in 2008
A drier climate allows us to hike here when the meadows of the Main Divide
are covered in snow!
Highwood Circuit: A four-day
circuit of the Highwood Range of the Rockies.
Cross over programs
Most glacier mountaineering is non-technical and requires good hiking
fitness. The following two programs include glacier travel and easy
climbs. Take the next step up and experience some mountaineering on your
next hiking trip!
Wapta Ice Hike: The Wapta
Icefield provides a unique opportunity
for fit walkers and hikers to enjoy amazing mountain scenery normally
reserved for mountaineers in the course of a three-day traverse. We
start at Bow Lake and hike up to and over the Bow Glacier to the Peyto Glacier staying in alpine huts en-route.
Kananaskis Alpine Traverse: Our most challenging trip involves a
traverse of the peaks and ridges of the Continental Divide south of
Banff National Park.
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Custom Trips:
Organized for you and your group specifically, when and where to suit. |
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Backpacking FAQs
How old are participants?
We get people from all age groups,
parents with teenagers to fit hikers in their sixties.
Which is the easiest trip, which is the hardest?
Visit our Trip Difficulty Comparison Chart.
How fit do you need to be?
These trips are designed for people who live normal healthy lifestyles that include regular exercise.
Our trips vary in difficulty and you don't have to be exceedingly fit
for many of them. Most people who join us live in cities. The guides will
set a regular and steady pace that conserves energy, is not too fast and which allows you to enjoy the trip. If you are completely out of shape you
may find it very tough for the first days. We cannot emphasize enough that training pays great dividends in enjoyment. We suggest you train by jogging or hiking (ideally in hilly terrain). If it is hard for you to train before you come you should consider coming a few days early and doing some day hikes on your own to get ready.
Please consult us if you have any doubts.
What type of food do we provide?
We try to keep the food as light and tasty as possible without jeopardizing nutritional needs. It tends to be a mixture of pre-dried meals and meals constructed from basic ingredients. We cater to vegetarians and those with food allergies (e.g.. peanut allergy).
In case of more complicated diets a surcharge may apply. You need to let us know your special needs when you book.
What gear does Yamnuska supply?
We supply tents, camp stoves, pots and pans and anything that is used by the entire group.
What do participants need to bring?
You will need to bring
your own clothing, backpack, eating utensils, sleeping bag and
sleeping mat. Lists are attached to each program page.
Equipment can also be rented our
purchased.
Rental Gear
Yamnuska
Mountain Adventures has the following items
for rent: sleeping bag, sleeping mat, backpack, raingear. Make sure to order these from us when you book or well in advance. Please visit our Rental Gear page.
What do you have to carry?
You have to carry your own personal gear (sleeping bag, clothing, personal effects) plus a share of group food and equipment (camping stoves, pots and tents).
How much do you have to carry?
This varies with the trip and with how light your personal gear is and how many extra items you bring (camera, books etc). Before you start the guides can go through your gear with you and advise you on what to bring and what to leave behind so you don't carry anything unnecessary.
To
learn more about lightening your load, please read
Lightening Your Load and Making Backpacking More Fun.
Can porters be used?
Yes! This service is offered as an add-on and costs at least an extra $240 per day. A porter may not be needed for the whole trip. Ask us for details.
Can Yamnuska organize a private trips on demand?
Yes. Please visit our Custom Tours page.
Click here for more information about Yamnuska Mountain Adventures
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mountain adventures
