Banff Canada Hiking Hut-to-Hut Backpacking

Welcome to Calgary! Your adventure begins on Day 1 at 8:00 am at our Rendezvous Hotel located in Calgary. Be sure to eat a hearty breakfast before meeting up with the group. You’ll be greeted by your Explorer Chick Leader in the morning with an official orientation to follow. We’ll then hop into our Explorer Chick Private Transport for our 1.5 hour drive to our first day hike in Kananaskis Country.

On your first hike in the Canadian Rockies – Tent Ridge Loop, you will loop through some of the most dramatic mountain landscapes Canada has to offer. Your first hike has it all – colorful meadows, shimmering lakes, alpine ridgelines, and mountain views in every direction. You’ll even muster of some courage for a bit of scrambling high above Spray Lakes. We’ll wander for roughly 6.2 miles through a remote area of the Canadian Rockies that doesn’t see very much traffic. Afterwards, we’ll hop in our transport and head to the quintessential mountain town of Banff.

Every evening over the next 3 nights, you’ll return to our downtown, centrally located Banff Hotel. Feel free to relax in one of the outdoor hot tubs or next to the outdoor fireplace with mountain views on the horizon. We’ll head out on the town each evening to dine as a group at a local restaurant.

Time: 5-6 hours
Distance: 6.2 miles
Elevation Gain: 2,114’
Highest Elevation: 8,252′

Accommodation: Downtown Banff Hotel
Meals: L, D (Note – Breakfast is not included on Day 1)

We’ll enjoy a scrumptious breakfast at our Hotel before loading up our daypacks and heading out for today’s hike! We’ll transfer north to Yoho National Park. Today’s loop hike – Iceline Trail Loop – will take you past thundering waterfalls and through alpine meadows with glacier-clad peaks on the horizon. You’ll ascend 2,380 feet in the first 4.5 miles to earn the best views. You’ll get up close and personal with glaciers. From our highpoint at 7,310 feet, you’ll hike along ridgelines enjoying bird’s eye views from each direction. The rest of the hike is all downhill boasting views of distance lakes, valleys, and waterfalls with a different view around every bend in the trail.

Time: Around 9 hours
Distance: 13 miles
Elevation Gain: 2,380′
Highest Elevation: 7,310′

Accommodation: Downtown Banff Hotel
Meals: B, L, D

We’ll have a leisurely morning at our hotel enjoying breakfast and coffee with mountain views from our hotel. We’ll then head north to Banff National Park to explore one of the most picturesque lakes in the Canadian Rockies – Moraine Lake. Your guide will take you to the best spots to photograph the lake while getting your Glamour Shot in front of the turquoise waters. Afterwards, we’ll take a moderate trail through the valley behind Moraine Lake. You’ll follow a babbling creek up the valley catching glimpses of Mount Temple peeking through the trees. We’ll enjoy a packed lunch on the shores of an alpine lake before returning the way we came.

You’ll have a few hours of free time today after we return to Banff to rest up for the backcountry portion of our trip, explore the town of Banff, or sip a local brew soaking in the mountain town feels.

Time: Around 5 hours
Distance: 8 miles
Elevation Gain: 850′
Highest Elevation: 6,510′

Accommodation: Downtown Banff Hotel
Meals: B, L, D

It’s an early morning packing up all of our gear for the next three days. You’ll be outfitted with a 70L backpack, mountaineering boots, crampons, a helmet, harness, ice axe, shared gear, and more. Don’t worry if you are a beginner. You’ll learn how to use all of your gear. Just be sure to show up strong having trained with a weighted pack and your boots.

Afterwards, it’s an hour and a half drive north to the trailhead at Bow Lake. We start on the main trail which follows the lake shore to the head of turquoise colored, Bow Lake then up the river flats beyond. We’ll leave behind the main trail by a small, but spectacular gorge the river has cut into the limestone. Then, you’ll cross over the gorge bridged by a enormous boulder to reach the mountaineer’s trail. The trail leads us past old moraines then up through the forest until it opens out into a massive alpine cirque surrounded by peaks and glaciers. The last section is in the rough and rocky alpine until our final ascent brings us to our Alpine Hut. From your home for the evening you’ll have magnificent views of the surrounding peaks, glaciers, and down the canyon to the valley where we started our day.

Time: 3-5 hours
Distance: 4.5 miles
Elevation Gain: 1,310 ft

Accommodation: Alpine Hut at 7,710′
Meals: B, L, D

We’ll get an early start and commence one of the most scenic stretches of Banff National Park. We’ll lace up our mountaineering boots and strap on our crampons to cross the Icefields. First, we’ll walk the gentle slopes of the Bow Glacier below the remarkable crag of Mt. St. Nicholas to top out on the flat expanse of the Wapta Icefield. The Bow Glacier is the source of the Bow River which flows down valley through Lake Louise, Banff, Canmore and finally out onto the plains then past Calgary to eventually join the south Saskatchewan River. Then it’s a side trip to Polaris Peak where you’ll enjoy spectacular panorama views with peaks in every direction. We’ll then continue across the glacier to our second alpine hut that sits on a flat part of the mountain with glacier views below.

During our glacier trek, we’ll be wearing a harness and roped together for maximum safety. As a group, we’ll be walking slow navigating crevasses as a group and taking in the views. Walking on the glacier is fairly easy and suitable for beginners who have been properly training on inclines with weighted packs.

Time: 4-6 hours
Distance: 3.8 miles
Elevation Gain/Loss: 1,020’/770′

Accommodation: Alpine Hut at 8,200′
Meals: B, L, D

The hike today is mostly downhill as we descend to the tongue of the glacier. We’ll share in the gratitude to be on a backcountry trek that maximizes our exposure to a quickly disappearing landscape. The opportunity to see glaciers up close in this environment will not be as abundant in the future. You will witness first hand the effects of global warming as Peyto Glacier is in full retreat. Our local guides will be our resource educating us as to where the glacier was recently and sharing how the glaciers preserve elements of the past. We’ll leave behind the glacier to cross over to the main trail and down the moraine wall track. Eventually, we reach Peyto Lake – one of the most photographed lakes in the area. Here our trek ends as we join the paved tourist trail and take a shuttle back to the Bow Lake trailhead.

After returning gear, we drive the 1.5 hours back to Calgary. Plan to fly out of Calgary after 9pm or anytime on the following day.

Time: 4-6 hours
Distance: 6.5 miles
Elevation Loss: 1,900′

Meals: B, L

*Explorer Chick reserves the option to modify trip itineraries at the discretion of your tour director as necessary due to weather, conditions, illness, injury, group dynamics, or other unforeseen incidents.