The Canadian Rockies and Cypress Hills - Alberta, British Columbia, and Saskatchewan:

The Canadian Rocky Mountains are an unforgettable sight to anyone who has visited them. This grand and awesome landscape contains inspiring alpine scenery that leaves many gasping in amazement. People from all over the world come to visit this region every year to experience the jagged mountain peaks, sparkling blue lakes, icefields, evergreen forests and abundant wildlife.

The United Nations, in recognition of the importance of the outstanding natural features of this land, has designated a cluster of National and Provincial Parks in the area as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, affording it all the protection that such a distinction merits. The protected area includes Banff, Jasper, Yoho, and Kootenay National Parks as well as Mount Assiniboine, Mount Robson, and Hamber Provincial Parks. The Continental Divide encompasses many of these snow-capped mountain ranges.

As the saying goes, one picture is worth a thousand words and this is what I hope to convey by several degrees of magnitude with the photographs that follow. They are based on a 10-day September 2005 trip I took to the region, principally around Banff. As such, I can only provide a small glimpse of what this stunning area has to offer, but I hope this will be enough to inspire the viewer.

Included in the photo tour are a number of images from Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park on the Alberta-Saskatchewan border, a lovely and peaceful sanctuary situated in the Canadian prairies a reasonable distance from the Rocky Mountains. This hilly oasis on the Great Plains - which includes the highest point in Saskatchewan - is a worthy diversion if you can spare the time.

Recommended Day Hikes:
Larch Valley - Banff National Park, Alberta
Round Trip Length: 3.5 miles
Trailhead location: near Moraine Lake Lodge
Level of Difficulty: Moderate
Attractions: Spectacular alpine scenery, gorgeous fall foliage in late September when the larch trees turn yellow

Rockbound Lake - Banff National Park, Alberta
Round Trip Length: 10.4 miles
Trailhead location: Drive to the parking area on the north side of the Bow Valley Parkway 0.2 km east of Castle Junction
Level of Difficulty: Moderate to Strenuous
Attractions: Alpine lakes, close-up views of Castle Mountain, larch trees display fall color in late September

Castle Lookout - Banff National Park, Alberta
Round Trip Length: 4.6 miles
Trailhead location: Drive to parking lot on north side of Bow Valley Parkway 5 km west of Castle Junction
Level of Difficulty: Moderate
Attractions: Outstanding views of mountains and Bow Valley

Parker Ridge - Banff National Park, Alberta
Round Trip Length: 3.4 miles (not including excellent side trips along unmarked footpaths)
Trailhead location: Parking area on the west side of the Icefields Parkway, 4 km south of the Banff-Jasper boundary
Level of Difficulty: Moderate to Strenuous
Attractions: Amazing hiking experience above tree line - glaciers and endless mountain peaks

Upper Kananaskis Lake Circuit - Peter Lougheed Provincial Park, Alberta
Round Trip Length: 10.2 miles
Trailhead location: From the trans-Canada Hwy, take the exit for route 40 to Kananaskis Country. After about 20 minutes along route 40, take the road to the visitor center for Peter Lougheed Provincial Park which ends at Upper Kananaskis Lake. The trailhead is located here
Level of Difficulty: Easy
Attractions: The circuit is surrounded by impressive mountains and evergreen trees.

Dog Lake Trail - Kootenay National Park, British Columbia
Round Trip Length: 3.2 miles
Trailhead location: McLeod Meadows picnic area, 28 km north of Radium Hot Springs
Level of Difficulty: Easy
Attractions: Quiet trail across suspension bridges and through lush forest which ends at a tranquil lake backed by the imposing Mitchell mountains

Horseshoe Canyon Trail - Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park, Alberta
Round Trip Length: 5 miles
Trailhead location: Base of Old Baldy, Elkwater Lake area
Level of Difficulty: Moderate
Attractions: Quiet trail which ascends to an overlook that gives sweeping views of forested Horseshoe Canyon. Loop back to your starting point via Plateau and Beaver Creek Trails through a lovely forest of lodgepole pines

Trans-Canada Trail - Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park, Alberta/Saskatchewan
Round Trip Length: it's up to you
Trailhead location: There are several access points along the network of roads that traverse the park. Reesor Lake Campground parking lot on the Alberta side is a good place to start
Level of Difficulty: Easy
Attractions: The Trans-Canada trail is a gigantic trail (still in prorgress) that, once completed, will span the entire country. It passes directly through the Cypress Hills and provides better vistas than any other trail in the park. In late September the large stands of aspen turn bright golden

Recommended Points of Interest:
The 143-mile Icefields Parkway connecting Banff and Jasper parks which includes the Columbia Icefield; the Vermillion Lakes road just outside the town of Banff; the Bow Valley Parkway in Banff National Park; anywhere in the phenomenal Lake Louise/Moraine Lake area of Banff National Park; Kananaskis Country Provincial Recreation Area along route 40 in Alberta (for a quieter and accessible Rocky Mountains experience away from the crowds)

Helpful travel tips and observations
The town of Canmore, Alberta - located beneath the towering peaks of the Canadian Rockies - is a great place to stay during your trip, but it's expensive. The city of Calgary, Alberta is located about one hour from Banff and has many reasonably priced hotels and decent restaurants along with the excellent Glenbow Museum, the largest museum in Western Canada (http://www.glenbow.org/).

Here are some links to information on the Canadian Rockies:
Banff National Park
Jasper National Park
Yoho National Park
Kootenay National Park
Alberta Provincial Parks
British Columbia Provincial Parks

URL to article: http://www.northamericanparks.com/canadian_rockies.asp