Outdoor Video Magazine

Length: Approx 23km
Time: 2 Days
Elevation Gain: 900m total (excluding sidetrip)
Max Elevation: 2330m, (2500m side trip up Saddleback Mt)
Rating: 7/10, some tedious spots though it was overcast and cloudy
Done: End of October 2007
Book: Classic Hikes in the Canadian Rockies, Graeme Pole
Map: NTS, 82 N/8
Route: From Lake Louise Chateau over Saddleback Pass, into Paradise Valley, up Paradise Valley via river bottom (lower trail), return via Lake Annette and Paradise Valley Junction.

Towards the end of October 2007, UAOC (University of Alberta Outdoors Club) headed to the Lake Louise area of Banff National Park for a late-season two-day backpacking trip. The target: Paradise Valley.

Friday night we left Edmonton with 8 people in two cars, heading for an overnight stay at Saskatchewan Crossing. It was actually their last weekend of the season as they close for the winter period. Stopping in the little an totally unfamous town of Bentley on the way, we managed to get a 12 pack of Canadian for $10, it having been priced incorrectly. The cashier didn’t notice. We were then well equipped for an evening of poker in the hotel, won in style by a poker newbie (that would be me).

Day 1 - Saturday 11km

We finished off the drive along the Icefields Parkway and registered at the Park Office in Lake Louise. Then, after a quick drive to the trailhead at Lake Louise Chateau, we were ready to get going (you can start from Morraine Lake in summer, but the Morraine Lake road is closed to cars in autumn, winter and spring). Having assessed snow conditions, we decided to leave the snowshoes at the car…a good choice seeing as we barely had to hike through any snow at all! Yet at the same elevation on the Skyline a few weeks before, we had several feet.

We were heading into Paradise Valley via Saddleback Pass, so we had a 3km of uphill to start off with. In fact, this turned out to be a nice, steady, easy to walk gradient and the time flew by. Before we knew it, we were up above the treeline under the flanks of Mt Fairview gazing out of the Chateau (what an eyesore, I think it should be torn down!!). We stopped for lunch here, and discussed the merits of a sidetrip to the top of Saddleback Mountain which looked a nice easy scramble. Eventually we decided to do it, which I quickly regretted after a few mins of stumbling over slippy, snowy boulders with ankle breaking gaps, down one of which I dropped a Mars Bar. Those who know me won’t be surprised to find out I spent 5mins and a great deal of pain to finally get it back.

The sidetrip redeemed itself higher up though, where the going got easier and some stunning views of the surrounding peaks (including the attractive and instantly recognisable Mt Temple) and Paradise Valley itself opened up. The summit also had views down the Bow Valley, giving you a real sense of the scale of the mountains, without taking too much exertion. It was probably around 20mins to get to the summit from the pass. And worth it.

Heading down again we picked up our packs and started a steep, knee-jarring descent into Paradise Valley. It seemed like we were dropping a lot more than we gained (just an illusion). Leaving the stunning mountain vistas and tremendous rock-faces behind we dropped into the trees, and headed up Paradise Valley. Opting to take the now dis-used lower trail that keeps by the river (it was closed and the trail moved higher up to avoid bear-human conflicts). This gave us a couple of interesting river fords, but saved us taking the same trail on the return trip. I have to say I was a little disappointed with Paradise Valley, I think it was possibly an unflattering time of year for it being after the amazing larches, and before the winter snow. The trail has some limited views of Mt Temple as it slowly climbs through the trees. It was cloudy by this point too.

The valley redeemed itself somewhat with the pretty area that is Giant Steps. This collection of flat, square rocks forms some interesting waterfalls and is situated in a nice open area with goods views down the valley and up to the surrounding peaks. It is also handily close to the Paradise Valley campground. We chilled out (literally, the temperature was dropping fast) for a long, long time lying on the flat rocks. It would be gorgeous to sunbathe here on a summers day (though I can imagine the crowds, we had the place to ourselves).

Dinner included a fantastic bowl of melted chocolate orange to share. Mostly consumed by me.

Day 2 - Sunday 12km

After a rather lonely night in my bivi-bag (I know, it’s a bivi-bag, it’s meant to be lonely, but still, there was no need for everyone else to camp out of sight and out of ear-shot from me!) we set off for a lesiurely day two. This time heading down the current (and kind of new) trail that runs higher up the slopes of Temple, well away from the river and the preferred bear habitat. This route would take us out past Lake Annette. Unfortunately, the weather came in a little bit, and most of the views were obscured by cloud. The hike out was pleasant as far as Lake Annette, and we had some fun times playing on frozen streams on the way (see video). The trail is through scattered trees with some good views of Paradise Valley at times, and some awe-inspiring close-ups of the dramatic gullies of Mt Temple. Lake Annette itself does seem to be in a gorgeous location, though we couldn’t see much. However, the rest of the hike from there onwards to the car at Lake Louise got pretty tedious.

• Parks Canada Trail Info
• Another review of Paradise Valley (boasting it one of the best hikes in the world!!)
• Large collection of photos of Paradise Valley

Length: 44km
Time: 3 days
Elevation gain: 1380m
Difficulty: Moderate (in good conditions, harder in snow!!)
Rating: 9/10

So the Thanksgiving weekend is another great oppurtunity to escape to the mountains for 3 days, if only to avoid the turkey. This time, I was on a University of Alberta Outdoors Club trip to the Skyline Trail in Jasper National Park. After much confusion and careful organising by VP of the club, Ian Curran, 10 people remained on the trip. It was very important that we knew the capabilities and preparedness of the people we had on this trip, as we knew tackling the Skyline in October would be quite the undertaking, given the recent snowfall. The decision was made that all group members should carry snowshoes.

I think this is a GREAT time of year to do the normally busy and over-used Skyline trail. We didn’t expect to see anyone else on the trail, and we hoped that the huge expanses of rock above the treeline would look a lot prettier than the do in summer, given the recent snow. The downside of doing it this time of year, is missing out on the gorgeous alpine meadows and flowers.

We set off from Edmonton around 5ish, and after a quick pitstop at the super-express-gourmet-fastfood restaurant that is Wendy’s in Edson (that is sarcasm. Don’t ever stop there. It took nearly an hour of waiting, and the only entertainment to pass the time was admiring the skill of the staff who had one person to take the orders, and another person whose only observable job was to knock the orders over as they became ready.) we arrived at the campground in Jasper at 10pm for a few beers and a not so early night.

Day 1 - Trailhead to Snowbowl - 12km

We hiked this trail from North to South, to reduce the total elevation gain. After dropping one car off at the Northern traihead on Maligne Lake road, we all headed to Maligne Lake where we would start our hike. After much faffing (I’ve decided that time to get ready increases proportional to number of people squared, although in theory it should take 10 people no longer than one!!) we ready to start hiking at around noon. We started off with 1cm or so of snow on the trail already. The trail winds through spruce and pine forest past some pretty lakes, gaining elevation only gradually, for the first 5km to Evelyn Campground.

After an extended lunch stop (Ian needed to have a full on cooked affair) we were ready to climb the switchbacks to the first pass. This climb wasn’t too bad at all, and we quickly gained elevation and arrived at Little Shovel campground at 8km, where your first views of snowy peaks and valleys open up. It really was looking like skiing season was here! We were now in a good few inches of snow, and as we pressed on up the gradual incline to the pass it quickly deepened to a good foot of snow. The luring ascent to Sunset Peak on the right of the pass caught my eye, and I suggested a quick sidetrip. With three of us capable of leading the group, we decided to split the group into two as not everyone was feeling up to the rather strenuous elevation gain to the top of Sunset Peak. A quick game of rock-paper-scissors determined I was the poor soul who would lead half the group to the campsite, while the others would take the sidetrip. A well worthwhile one from the sound of it, you can ascend the first ridge to the summit from well before the pass, and then drop down a second ridge that brings you out on top of the pass where you can rejoin the trail. The views (from the photos they showed me!) looked fantastic.

Meanwhile, my group bust out the snowshoes as we headed over the pass and down into the snowbowl. A very apt name on this particular day. Gorgeous sun and a stiff breeze provided excellent conditions to enjoy the wintery terrain and stunning vistas in all directions. We reached Snowbowl Campground at 12km, and set up camp. Boxed wine and backcountry cooking provided the entertainment for the rest of the evening.

Day 2 - Snowbowl to Watchtower (skyline aborted) - 12km

One of the group was struggling with the cold and the extra effort the snowshoeing with a big backpack was putting on her, so it was decided the group would again split into two. Ian and Nicole would head out via Watchtower and the rest of us, led by me, would try and finish the Skyline. My group got a (slightly) earlier start at 9.30am (despite the first people being up at 7am…again the person squared law applies to the getting ready time). A rather dark, threatening sky provided an awesome backdrop to sun-lit snowy peaks, and we plodded on towards Big Shovel Pass at 17.5km. The time we were making was pretty bad, and I began to doubt we would have time to make it all the way to Tekarra Campground at 30km. Especially as we still had the Notch, the hardeest part of the trail, still in our way. As we crested the pass in extreme winds, I had my first view of the Notch. It looked impossibly steep, and very, very snow clad. With a large cornice at the top. I didn’t like the look of it at all. Anyway, we had a quick and cold lunch, and then headed on toward Curator Lake through some barren, rocky ground. The wind by now was getting incredibly strong, and the smaller members of the group were having trouble staying vertical! As the wind got stronger, and I had more time to contemplate the Notch, I realised to go on would be foolish. The group wasn’t strong enough to make it over the Notch to the next campground, and the thought of falling short and having to camp out in the exposed ridge beyond the Notch in gale force winds was not very attractive. Not to mention the avalanche risk on the Notch itself..it looked pretty sketchy to me. After a quick discussion we decided to head out via Watchtower too. A steep climb up to Watchtower Pass, and we soon had a view down the picturesque Watchtower Basin. With excess time on our hands now, we decided to frollick in the snow for an hour or so, before heading on to Watchtower Campground, where we joined soon afterwards by Ian and Nicole. The group was reunited.

Very wet snow conditions were worsened when it started to rain, and people retired to bed early. 6 of us squeezed into a Tarn 3 to play several hours of cards.

Day 3 - Watchtower CG to Maligne Lake Road - 10km

When I awoke in the morning, I discovered the rain had turned to 4 inches of snow over night, and everything was frozen solid. A temperature somewhere between -5C and -10C coupled with the rain the night before meant people had to resort to licking tent poles to get them to collapse, and I had to spend nearly 10m de-icing the bear hanger before we could get our food down.

Because we were exiting the trail in the middle of where our two cars were parked, 3 of us went on ahead to get the road first so we could hitchhike and get the cars for when everyone else arrived. The 10km out was a fast, but enjoyable hike along a pretty trail. The fresh snow really added to the gorgeous view of the impressive wall formed by the Colin Range that dominated most of the view ahead. Arriving at the trailhead at around 12.30m, we were suprised to find we had apparently travelled back in time from winter to autumn. It was warm, sunny, dry and there was no snow on the ground for the first time in 3 days. The trees were even still yellow.

It didn’t take me long to get picked up, and we were soon all on our way to Miette hotsprings for the last day of the season.

Good times.

So, moving on to Day 3 of the Juan de Fuca (the first part of this post can be found here).

Day 3 - 12km

A nice, easy day of just 12km from Chin Beach to Little Kuitsche Creek campsite. This was a really nice section of the hike, before you reach Sombrio Beach there is a stunning waterfall in a gorgeous little cove, and the trail hugs the shoreline for an extended period. Sombrio Beach itself is a lovely expansive sandy bay that does tend to be VERY busy because of the easy road access. There are some amazing campsites here, but we decided to bypass them because of the crowds. You can do a lot of shore-walking on this section of the hike.

Little Kuitshe Creek campsite is actually tucked away in the forest with some very small, dark, camping pads with no view and no sea access. So why camp there? So we didn’t! With a little bit of beta from some other hikers, we pushed on a few minutes further to Kuitshe Creek itself, where we left the trail and followed the rocky stream bed to a waterfall. An EASY scramble down the side of the waterfall, and you find yourself in Kuitshe Cove. A rock-wall enclosed gravel bay that feels gorgeously secluded. We pitched out tent right on the rocks and enjoyed an amazing evening of solitude in this little bay that looked totally cut off from anything but sea access.

Day 4 - 13km

The final day, Kuitshe Creek to Botanical Beach. The trail finishes with another easy leg, and again there is some nice shore walking to be had on rocky out-crops. An abundance of mussels, seals, and driftwood were to be found. We actually by-passed Botanical Beach because it was high tide. But I hear it is a spectacular place when the tide is down and the rockpools are exposed. We stood in the car park and started to hitchhike. Two of us with huge packs…and it took a little under 25mins for us to get picked up. Not bad huh?

We arrived back at our car to find that a mouse had somehow got trapped in it and had been nibbling food and gear for 4 days. Wonder if it was still alive? We never found it, but left the doors open for a long time so maybe it escaped…..

Time: 3-4 days
Length: 47km
Elevation: Sea-level. But elevation gain around 800m total?
Difficulty: Easy-Medium
Rating: 8/10 (and I’m a mountain lover!)
Map: You can manage with a basic map from any tourist information place that details distances to campsites and road access points. The trail is well marked and easy to follow (in the light!)

The Juan de Fuca is a popular hiking and backpacking trail along the South-Western coast of Vancouver Island. It’s Southern end is located at China Beach, a few km’s West of Jordan River and it finishes 47km further North at Botanical Beach near Port Renfrew. Featuring gorgeous forest, lovely beaches, some rugged coastline, pretty waterfalls and good hiking. Don’t expect wide expanses of sand, and warm, still, crystal blue waters for swimming in though! Although often touted as a wilderness hiking experience…anyone who has done a fair bit of hiking before will realise that the Juan de Fuca is NOT a wilderness experience. The trail covers easy terrain for the most part (the hardest section has some steep ups and downs: the 12km between Bear Beach and Chin Beach) with a bit of mud being your biggest worry (Ok a lot of mud if it’s the wrong time of year). There is also road access at a number of points along the way, so you often bump into toddlers and families along the way (not my idea of a wilderness experience!). Be prepared to meet a lot of people in the popular summer months. This said, it is still a fantastic hike, just not a very wild one.

Because the Juan de Fuca is not a circular hike, you either need two cars, a will to hitchhike (fairly easy), or you can take the shuttle bus that runs from May 1st to Sept. 31st. A pdf of the Juan de Fuca trail map can be found here. And an online version of Walking in British Columbia can be found here.

So I’ll describe how we did the Juan de Fuca, but obviously there are a tonne of options given the spacing of the campsites.

Day 1 - 2km

We started hiking around 8pm (it was August) from the China Beach parking lot, giving us very little light in the dark, dark forest. But that’s OK, we only had an easy 2km to the first campsite at Mystic Beach. But, in the fading light and with the not quite so well marked trail meandering through open trees, previous footprints were hard to find. We suddenly realised we probably weren’t on the trail. But we didn’t know when we’d last been on it either. So we carried on, figuring we knew the general direction we were supposed to be going and the ground was open and easy to cover. But this changed. Thick bushes appeared. And lots of rotting dead fall. And soon, the going was very tough but we’d gone too far to backtrack. We decided to cut to the coast and follow the sea to the campsite. It wasn’t far. But it got worse, and worse. I’ve done some bushwacking before, but this was different. We were progressing at around 500m an hour. The bushes were about 2m high, and the only way to get through was to kind of roll on top of them so you were kinda suspended a metre or so off the ground. When you weren’t doing this you were climbing over, under, along and round huge fallen trees. At one stage a put my foot through such a tree and went up to my thigh in rotting wood. It started getting very dark. We started getting very, very tired and worried. Eventually we came out to the sea, only to find our cunning plan foiled by a 50ft cliff and a waterfall. The beach lurking invitingly below, totally inaccessible. It was a nice moment nonetheless, a tiny rocky ledge, over looking a full moon rising above the Pacific Ocean, a stream of water cascading over the edge. Inpenetrable bush all around us. Just as our hopes were failing, we saw the light of a fire in the distance along the beach…the campsite! With renewed fervour we went back into the bushes, trying to stick close to the edge. Soon it became apparent we were TOO close to the cliff edge, and we were now traversing virtually vertical terrain hanging on bushes and trees. Not good. So we cut inland again. Another 30mins or so of this, and we came back out to the beach, descending the near vertical terrain through thick, thick bushes. The bushes stopped, and revealed the beach below beneath another vertical cliff. But it was impossible to determine how far down it was. It was too dark. I couldn’t get my flashlight out, I was hanging on a tree in a precarious position. I guessed the sand was somewhere between 10feet and 30feet below me. Climbing back up would have been virtually impossible, whereas just dropping to the sand would put us on the beach and within easy walking of the campsite! I elected to drop. It turned out to be around an 18 feet drop. A fair way with a 25kg backpack in the dark. Jane then followed down behind me. We’d made it! We could see the fires further along the beach. Home. Although we did still have the erie experience of nearly walking straight into a huge rotting sea-lion carcass that was on the beach. A good bear attractant I imagine. The easy 2km hike had taken us 3 1/2 hours, and I was more physically exhausted than from any other hike I’ve ever done. Camping at Mystic is on the beach.

Day 2 - 19km

Frm Mystic Beach it is an easy 7km to Bear Beach winding through beautiful trees over bridges and down staircases carved from trees (they’re pretty cool!). It was a relief to be on a trail again. At Bear Beach there is another campsite, but we just elected to have some lunch and press on to the next (smaller) campsite at Chin Beach. The 12km from Bear Beach to Chin Beach were tough, especially considering the bushwacking the day before and the 7km we had done already. There are some gruelling climbs (one particular 135m one) and steep descents for the whole 12km. It’s very energy sapping, but still through some nice forest. When you finally arrive at an emergency shelter in the trees you know it’s all downhill and you’re nearly there.

Chin Beach has a number of camping places nestled in the trees right on the beach side, but sheltered from the wind. It’s a gorgeous spot. Water is available from a small, waterfall at the South end. Camping spots are kind of limited though.

We enjoyed some reading in the evening sun, had a hearty meal and then enjoyed a gorgeous sunset over the Pacific.

Check out part II of the Juan de Fuca trail report for the rest.