Explore Canada: Ptarmagin Cirque, Alberta.

At the beginning of September some of my very best friends and I road tripped though Alberta before they headed to their new home in Ontario. Our plan was to spend as much time in the mountains as possible and I think we definitely achieved our goal! For the first three days, we stayed at my parents place in Calgary and did a few day trips.

End of summer hike at Ptarmagin Cirque.

Our first adventure to the mountains took us through Kananaskis Country to Ptarmigan Cirque. This hike is located above the Highwood Pass in Kananaskis and is a 5km loop with about 300 metres elevation gain. It’s hard to believe this was an end of summer hike because it was so snowy and absolutely freezing! We were the only ones on the trail this day which was pretty great.

Rocky Mountain views.

My friend Adriana and I bailed a little early on this hike because we couldn’t feel our fingers or toes, while Adam and Kate continued further up the mountain. After seeing their photos, I wish I had joined them, but my warm fingers and toes probably thanked me for heading down to the car early.

Ptarmagin Cirque.

On the way back to Calgary, we bumped into some mountain goats on the Highway. These guys were not at all afraid of us and I think a few of them enjoyed getting their pictures taken!

Kananaskis mountain goats.

Mountain goat mug shot.

 

I absolutely love travelling these mountain roads. They are rarely busy and anytime I have driven through them I have seen some cool wildlife along the way.

Have you hiked any mountains in the Kananaskis region? Would you recommend any trails?

Explore Canada: Yamnuska Summit, Alberta.

Monday’s are the worst. Every Monday as I get ready for work I think about the places I visited on the weekend, then I think further back to the places I have travelled. I love my job and feel very lucky to do what I do, but I can’t help but wish for a life filled with adventure and new experiences. Today I am dreaming of being back in the Alberta mountains.

While travelling through Alberta in September, my Dad’s friend Regan took my friends and I on an epic mountain adventure to Yamnuska Summit near Canmore.

False summit at Yamnuska.

We made some forest friends along the way.

Yamnuska is a fairly technical hike that has 900 metres of elevation gain over 4.5 km. There is a section of the hike that has a 30m ledge traverse which I found both terrifying and exciting!

Summit at Yamnuska! What a beautiful sight.

It was an awesome feeling when we got to the top of the summit! The views we absolutely incredible and definitely made me feel on top of the world. The first few kilometres of the decent were spent scree-skiing down the side of the mountain. We were all so sore the day after the hike, but it was definitely worth every sore muscle!

Scree skiing at Yamnuska.

Have you hiked any of the trails in the Rocky Mountains?

Explore Canada: Kananaskis Country.

Almost every time I visit my family in Calgary, we take a trip into Kananaskis for the day. It is extremely close to Calgary so it is easily accessible and the views do not disappoint. We decided to spend a few days driving through Kananaskis during my trip there in August.

Alpine meadows in Kananaskis.

The drive through Peter Loughheed Provincial Park and the Smith-Dorien Highway takes about three hours to complete, but if you are like my family, it can take an entire day to get through if you stop to do mini-hikes, take pictures and make friends with the wildlife you meet along the way!

Coffee with a view.

A must see while travelling through Kananaskis is Mount Engadine Lodge. The beautiful lodge is perfectly located about half way through the drive. It is a great place to stop for a coffee, tea or snack and to stretch your legs (although there are too many places to list for that)! My parents and I spent at least an hour there taking in the views, moose watching and enjoying a fabulous charcuterie board.

Cutest parents enjoying Mount Engadine Lodge

Views from Mount Engadine Lodge.

We finished our day with dinner and drinks at the Iron Goat Pub in Canmore. This place has incredible food, a great selection of wine and beer and has the best views of the Rockies.

Spray Lakes.

What are your favourite places to stop in the Kananaskis region of Alberta?

Explore Canada: Prairies and Badlands, Alberta.

Last week I hopped in my car and drove to Calgary to visit my family. I am lucky to have a family who is adventuresome like me so we took a number of trips out of the city to explore!

One of the exhibits at the Royal Tyrrell Museum.

My sister and I spent a day adventuring through the badlands (and a little bit of the prairies along the way). Our destination was of course the Royal Tyrrell Museum, my favourite museum! If you think dinosaurs are in any way cool, you should absolutely check the museum out! It is less than two hours away from Calgary depending on how fast you drive and how many stops you make along the way!

Horseshoe Canyon, Alberta.

After spending a few hours at the museum, we stopped to explore Horseshoe Canyon which is just outside of Drumheller. There are many trails here to follow and what is great about this stop is you can hike for as long as you want. If you don’t have much time, you can be there are short as 20 minutes although I would say, pack a lunch and a drink and enjoy the view! Because there are so many peaks and canyons to explore, it never feels crowded even if there are a lot of people there.

The beautiful Alberta prairies.

We hiked a number of peaks, made friends with cactus and then hopped in the car to head back to Calgary through the prairies. It was a sister day well spent!