Bow Valley Hiking & Backpacking

Grassi Lakes

A short Canmore classic leading to vividly coloured lakes beneath the cliffs above town.

Ha Ling Peak

A steep, highly engineered ascent above Canmore with huge Bow Valley views from the saddle and summit ridge.

Grotto Creek Canyon

A canyon walk west of Exshaw that becomes a popular ice-walk in winter.

Yamnuska East Ridge

A much more serious Bow Valley objective with steep terrain and rockfall exposure; not a casual hike.

Rockfall hazard is significant. Verify the current Alberta Parks advisory before going.

Ink Pots via Johnston Canyon

Continue beyond Johnston Canyon's waterfalls to a meadow of colourful mineral springs bubbling from the ground.

Healy Pass

A long creek-side climb that opens into broad alpine meadows above treeline.

Cory Pass Loop

A steep and exposed circuit over Cory Pass, through Gargoyle Valley and back via Edith Pass.

Parks Canada notes steep, rocky and exposed terrain and that route-finding skills are required.

Cascade Amphitheatre

A forested climb from Mount Norquay to a meadow enclosed by the walls of Cascade Mountain.

Rockbound Lake

A long forest climb behind Castle Mountain to Tower Lake and a glacial cirque holding Rockbound Lake.

Sulphur Mountain

Steady switchbacks climb from the hot springs to the gondola summit and Sanson Peak boardwalk.

Aylmer Lookout

A long Lake Minnewanka shoreline approach followed by a climb to a former fire lookout high above the reservoir.

Seasonal group-access restrictions and bear warnings are common; check the current bulletin.

Bourgeau Lake

A sustained forest climb to a subalpine lake below the Bourgeau and Harvey Pass basin.

Bow Glacier Falls

A relatively gentle Bow Lake shoreline hike into the basin where meltwater from the Wapta Icefield begins the Bow River.

Glacier Lake

A rolling wooded trail to a large wilderness lake near Saskatchewan Crossing.

Molar Pass

A long wilderness hike from the Mosquito Creek corridor into broad alpine meadows above treeline.

Parker Ridge

A short switchback climb to dramatic views over the Saskatchewan Glacier and its immense valley.

Chester Lake

A steady climb from the Smith-Dorrien road reaches a broad subalpine lake, larch meadows and the nearby Elephant Rocks.

Rawson Lake

Upper Kananaskis Lake shoreline gives way to a sustained forest climb ending at an alpine lake beneath Mount Sarrail.

Burstall Pass

A long Spray Valley outing crosses braided Burstall Creek flats before climbing through forest and alpine terrain to the Continental Divide.

The braided creek flats can be wet and high water can complicate crossings.

Elbow Lake

A short, family-friendly climb from Highwood Pass reaches a scenic lake near the headwaters of the Elbow River.

Bald Hills

A former fire road climbs above Maligne Lake to open ridges with expansive views down the lake and across the surrounding ranges.

Opal Hills Loop

A steep loop rises quickly from Maligne Lake into flower-filled subalpine glades and open viewpoints over the Maligne Valley.

Wildlife warnings and restrictions occur in the Maligne area; check the current bulletin.

Sulphur Skyline

A sustained climb from Miette Hot Springs reaches a high open summit with a sweeping view over the Fiddle River valley.

Wilcox Pass

A steep opening kilometre reaches broad alpine meadows and views across the highway to the Athabasca and Dome glaciers.

Emerald Lakeshore

A gentle circuit follows the shore of Emerald Lake through forest, avalanche paths and open views of the President Range.

Paget Lookout

A forest climb above Wapta Lake leads to a historic fire lookout with broad views over Kicking Horse Pass.

Emerald Basin

The route leaves Emerald Lake's busy shore for a quieter forest and moraine basin enclosed by high peaks.

Yoho Lake

Switchbacks rise from the Takakkaw Falls area to a forest-ringed lake beneath Yoho Pass.

Wapta Falls

A mostly gentle forest trail reaches a broad, powerful waterfall spanning the Kicking Horse River.

Stanley Glacier

A popular climb through a regenerating burn reaches an open hanging valley with waterfalls, fossils and views toward Stanley Glacier.

Fossil-area access beyond the maintained trail may be restricted to guided hikes; follow posted rules.

Floe Lake

A long climb through the Vermilion burn reaches an iconic alpine lake directly below the Rockwall cliffs.

Kindersley–Sinclair Loop

A demanding circuit climbs through forest to Kindersley Pass and an extended alpine ridge before descending the Sinclair drainage.

Seasonal group-size and wildlife restrictions are common; verify the current bulletin before departure.

Sawback Trail

Banff traverse between the Mount Norquay and Lake Louise sides, with Johnston Creek or Luellen Lake as alternate middle stops.

Parks Canada lists a six-camp suggested Sawback itinerary; AUTO options include shorter contiguous sections and reverse-direction possibilities. Verify trailhead logistics before booking a partial section.

Sunshine – Assiniboine – Bryant Creek

Cross-park Great Divide Trail trip connecting Sunshine, Lake Magog, and the Bryant Creek side.

This crosses Parks Canada and BC Parks reservation systems. Lake Magog is booked through BC Parks; the Banff nights are Parks Canada.

Sunshine – Egypt Lake – Vista Lake

High-country corridor through Egypt Lake, Ball Pass Junction, and Twin Lakes.

Skyline Trail

Jasper's alpine Skyline corridor from the Maligne Lake side toward Signal.

AUTO options include contiguous campground sections in either direction. In 2026 use Maligne Lake or Signal trailheads; Wabasso access remains unavailable. Check current conditions at The Notch.

Tonquin Valley

Tonquin Valley campground corridor linking the Portal Creek side with the Amethyst Lake and Astoria-side campgrounds.

Edith Cavell Road and the Astoria trailhead are closed for the 2026 season. Use Portal Creek for access; AUTO sequences extending into the south valley still require a practical return to Portal.

Brazeau Loop

Counter-clockwise campground progression around Jasper's Brazeau Loop.

The graph follows the official counter-clockwise progression. Duplicate logical Four Point/Boulder nodes allow the graph to represent the return side of the loop without revisiting graph nodes.

Maligne Pass

Remote Maligne Pass campground progression between Poboktan and Maligne Lake Road.

River fords, low-priority maintenance, route finding, bridge washouts, and wildlife can materially affect this route.

Fiddle River Trail

Remote Jasper campground sequence from Miette Hot Springs toward Fiddle Pass.

Multiple unbridged stream/river crossings are required and the trail is low-priority maintenance. AUTO results cover the Jasper campgrounds only.

Rockwall Trail

The main Rockwall campground chain through Helmet Falls, Tumbling Creek, Numa Creek, and Floe Lake.

Numa Creek trailhead/access trail is closed until further notice in 2026, so Numa is kept as an intermediate campground but not an AUTO trip endpoint.

Yoho Valley / Iceline Network

Connected Yoho Valley campground chain used by Iceline, Little Yoho Valley, Twin Falls, and related multi-day routes.

Yoho Valley Road is seasonal. Verify the road opening, suspension bridge status, and current trail conditions.

Goodsir Pass → Rockwall

Cross-park corridor from McArthur Creek over Goodsir Pass to Helmet Falls and onward along the Rockwall.

Goodsir Pass is a demanding cross-park connection. Numa Creek trailhead remains closed, though Numa campground can be an intermediate Rockwall stop.