Hiking in Banff & Jasper
Hey King's!
I hope you've all taken the opportunity, being done school and all, to close the books and spend your days outside! We've had beautiful weather so far and we live so close to the mountains, so I've come up with a list of hikes for you to check out this summer in Banff and Jasper national parks!
1. Maligne Canyon - Jasper, AB
Distance: 3.7 km from the 6th bridge, one way
Hiking Time: 1-2 hours depending on sight-seeing time
Enjoy a beautiful walk through forests, along the river, and through the canyon. You get to see a little bit of everything during this hike, each view is more breathtaking than the last. Overall a fairly easy hike with a refreshing mist once you reach the top of the canyon.
2. Sunshine Meadows - Banff, AB
Distance:3.6 km return
Hiking Time: 3 hours
This hike is located in a beautiful area of the Continental Divide where you'll see multitudes of wildflowers as you work your way through a 5 km loop. On this hike you'll see not only multiple peaks of mountains but a number of lakes as well.
3. Valley of the Five Lakes - Jasper, AB
Distance: 4.5 km
Hiking Time: 1.5-2 hours
This is a great 'hike' for all those people out there who don't consider themselves an outdoorsy person. Take a walk through forests of birch and pine trees with beautiful views of the blue lakes.
4. Johnston Canyon - Banff, AB
Distance: 4.8 km return
Hiking Time: 1.5 hours
This is another easy yet enjoyable walk through the mountains. There are times where you have to glue yourself against the canyon walls, but the sights of the upper and lower falls makes it all worth it!
5. Whistlers Mountain - Jasper, AB
Distance: 6.8 km
Hiking Time: 3-6 hours
This hike is not meant for the faint at heart, but the view at the top is simply breathtaking. You get a wonderful view of the mountains and lakes. If you're too tired to hike back down you can always take the skytram!
Well that's all for now folks! These hikes are only a few of the options you can do. I would suggest you do your research and find out all your other options but this was just a little something to get you started!
Cheers,
Veronica