Skyline Trail

View from the Notch

Where: Jasper National Park, Alberta
Distance: 45 km
Type: One way
Time: 2-3 days
Difficulty: Moderate
When: Definitely not before July 1. I recommend not hiking it until July 15 - prior to that, you will encounter a lot of snow at the Notch, the highest pass on the trail.
Last time I hiked it: July 2012

Campgrounds: Evelyn Creek (km 5), Little Shovel (km 8), Snowbowl (km 12), Curator (km 20), Tekarra (km 30), Signal (km 36). For an ideal 3-day itinerary, stay at Snowbowl on night 1 and Tekarra on night 2. Both are lovely. For a 2-day itinerary, stay at Curator. It is a pretty spot, but you have to hike downhill for 1 km to get there, so of course you have to go back up in the morning, adding a bunch of elevation to your day right before you climb the Notch. All campgrounds have picnic tables, bear poles with cables, the beloved Jasper open-air toilets, and rock hard packed dirt tent pads.
 

Beautiful kitchen at Snowbowl campground

 
Booking: Skyline is one of the most popular hikes in Jasper. Book up to 3 months in advance with Parks Canada. If you want to go on a weekend, try to book as far ahead as possible. If you are able to go mid-week, you will have an easier time getting permits.



Summary: Choosing a favourite hike is a tough call, but honestly, I think Skyline is my favourite. When people come to the Canadian Rockies and they only have time for one hike, this is the one I always recommend. This trip includes a long stroll along a broad, open ridgeline that is practically a religious experience. The hike isn't terribly difficult, and you never have to retrace your steps, which is a fantastic quality in a hike. Due to a limited number of campsites and no backcountry lodges, there's also a wonderful sense of remoteness on this trail.

Lunch break on top of the ridge

Tips and Logistics:

• Start from Maligne Lake and end at Maligne Canyon (South to North). DON'T go the other way. There's a 9 km fire road that you have to hike down on your way out. It is boring, hot, and seems endless, so at least make sure you do it hiking downhill instead of uphill.
• To get back to your car, I hear that it is possible to hitchhike, although I don't know why you would. It's easy and relatively inexpensive to take the shuttle. We always leave our car at the end and arrange a pick-up with the Maligne Shuttle, which costs about $30 a person and takes you right to the trailhead at Maligne Lake. Even if you don't have a car at all, you can take the shuttle from the Jasper town site.
• It is possible to hike this trail in 2 days. Some very fit people even trail run or day hike Skyline in 1 day. In my opinion, that would be preferable to hiking it in 2 days. The 2-day itinerary seems to me like the worst of both worlds: no time to enjoy the trail, plus a heavy pack. I did it once, and it was no fun. If you have the time, take 3 days. You owe yourself a nice, long, relaxed day on the ridgeline. :)
• It gets cold at night. On one of my visits, it went down below 0C in July. You can have snow or hail at any time of the year on this trail. Bring warm clothes.

Berg Lake

Mount Robson and Berg Lake

Where: Mount Robson Provincial Park, British Columbia
Distance: 21 km each way
Type: Out and back
Time: Recommend at least 3 days to enjoy some of the excellent day hiking opportunities from Berg Lake, but 2 days is sufficient to hike in to Berg Lake and back out again
Difficulty: Moderate
When: Berg Lake is probably the only hike you can do in the Canadian Rockies as early as June; however, keep in mind that the Snowbird Pass day hike is closed until July 1 to protect sensitive and endangered caribou during their calving season.
Last time I hiked it: Jun. 29 - Jul. 1, 2013
Campgrounds: Kinney Lake @ km 7 (has open-sided cook shelter), Whitehorn @ km 11 (has open-sided cook shelter), Emperor Falls @ km 16, Marmot @ km 19, Berg Lake @ km 21 (has fully enclosed cooking cabin with wood-burning stove and an outdoor dishwashing sink), Rearguard @ ~km 22, and Robson Pass @ ~km 23. All are fantastic, have bear bins or bear poles, pit toilets, and lovely wood mulch tent pads.
Booking: Berg Lake is one of the most popular hikes in the Canadian Rockies. Book in advance with Mount Robson PP if possible - they now accept online reservations. However, there are plenty of campgrounds, so if you weren't able to book ahead, you may still be able to get a campsite somewhere along the trail, and you can day hike from there to Berg Lake. On our most recent trip on the long weekend, I booked 2 months ahead and still couldn't get a spot right at Berg Lake, so if you're going on a long weekend, book early. (For the non-Canadians out there, our national holiday is on July 1. We also have a long weekend on the first weekend in August.)

Kinney Lake

Summary: Berg Lake is the first backpacking trip we ever did, and it remains one of our favourites. Unlike most trails, there is no monotonous slogging to get to the good stuff. It's beautiful from beginning to end, starting with a scenic stroll along a gorgeous blue river through Canada's version of a rain forest to a stark  alpine landscape as you ascend to the glorious Berg Lake, with its calving glacier and impossibly blue water.  The trail is straightforward and very well maintained, suitable for first-timers (it was our first backpacking trip). There is a fairly strenuous 4 km climb that gains about 500 m of elevation between Whitehorn and Emperor Falls. At an average pace, you can do the whole 21 km into Berg Lake in about 7 or 8 hours. Folks with extra time, families with kids, or those with physical challenges (we once met a pregnant lady out here) could take 2 days, stopping at the Whitehorn campground, which is halfway to Berg Lake. The Kinney Lake campground is only 7 km in, but it is stunningly beautiful, so if you get a late start, it would be a great place to spend a night.

Emperor Falls

Tips and Logistics:

• Mount Robson is a high peak that creates its own weather. Consequently, the weather at Berg Lake changes every 5 minutes. It has hailed on us at some point on every visit, so don't forget warm stuff and rain gear.
• The aerial view of Berg Lake and the continental divide from the Hargreaves loop day hike (~12 km round trip) is stunning. If you're energetic and you want to spend your whole trip hiking your butt off, Snowbird Pass (22 km round trip) is the best day hike from Berg Lake. I did this on my most recent trip to Berg, and it was very physically challenging, but worth it for the stunning views of the Coleman Glacier from Snowbird Pass.
• The popular campgrounds are patrolled by rangers. There is no sneaking into Berg Lake (which of course you wouldn't do). Make sure to attach the park-issued tent tag to your tent - they do check. 
• The cabin at Berg Lake is strictly for cooking - you can't sleep in it. Also, it has mice, so don't leave any food in the cabin, not even in the covered wooden benches. Put your food in the metal bear bins outside.
• There is plenty of parking at the trailhead by the Mount Robson Visitor Centre. The guidebooks always warn you about break-ins, but we have never seen or heard of anyone having this problem. However, it's never a good idea to leave valuables in the car. We always take our cash and ID into the backcountry with us.
  

  

  Day hiking on the Snowbird Pass route