This hike is so good and nobody knows about it.  And the best part there really isn't much grunt-work since you take the Gondola up to the top of the Resort to access it.  From there you basically follow an old goat track below the ridge until it finally disintegrates due to a slide.  From there we just went more or less straight up the slope to the top where the views are breath taking.  You can go a lot further into Gorman Lake and other spots by following the ridge.  That is on my to-do list. After spending some time at the top we followed the ridge back to the Gondola.  The distance was about 6km return which isn't much and took us about 3 hours or so.  

One of my favorite hikes in the Area and one of the best in the Canadian Rockies is the Iceline Trail in Yoho. The trail head is about a 30 minute drive from Vagabond Lodge at the Whiskey Jack Hostel near Takakkaw Falls. Most people do it in one day which is probably a 9 hour hike. Not sure if you can really enjoy it to the full extent if you try and do it in one day. The best is to go the first day into Little Yoho and either camp or stay at the Alpine Club of Canada's cabin. And then the next day, hike down through Twin Falls and the Whaleback Trail. It is fabulous. Our son Kori and his fiance Elaine did the hike earlier this summer and I put a video together for them. It will give you a good idea of what to expect. If you have a bucket list, this is one to put on it. I have done it about 5 or 6 times and never tire of the scenery. 

This  is one of the most spectacular areas, I have seen in the area. Kinbasket Lake as we know it now, was formed in 1973 when the Columbia River was dammed up at Mica and the lake is enormous. It is about an hour drive(46 KM)  to get to the lake itself at Bush Harbour. You travel west on Highway#1 for about 15 minutes and then the rest is on forestry roads.  Very few people are in the area where at one time, there were a number of small towns and the major road through the Rockies  "Big Bend Highway" used to go through here prior to the building of the Rogers Pass. Now it is a no-man's land or virtually. We ended up at the end of one of the arms of the lake and then hiked into Valenciennes Canyon which is spectacular. A person could spend all summer exporing this area with numours hikes. I am definitely going back. Supposed to be a "natural hot spring" in the area.  I am saving that for next time. 

On a great fall day, there are many nice easy hikes in and around Golden BC at the Dawn Mountain Nordic Centre.  It is about 10 minutes from the town of Golden at Kicking Horse Mountain Resort.  Most of the trails are about 3 km and except for some long wet grass in a few spots it is a very serene spot.  There are a number of small ponds created by a beaver population. Pretty amazing what they can build with a little mud and twigs. There were a lot of signs of deer, moose and bear but I didn't see any on this day.  Visually there are not great views for the most part but the hike is  very peaceful and relaxing.  If you go in July, this is a great spot to go for picking Saskatoons, and Huckleberries.  Get them before the bears get them. 

Gorman Lake is one of the many Hidden Gems around Golden and outside the National Parks.  More detail on how to get to this Lake is at www.goldenhikes.ca. And it is important to read the instructions on getting here, because it is easy to take the wrong turn.  Give yourself about an hour to get to the parking lot.  It isn't a long drive but it is on a forestry/logging road that isn't great, especially the last few kilometres.  If you have a low clearance car, take it especially slow.  From the small parking lot, it takes about an hour to get to the lake itself.  There is a small picnic area and campsite.  And if you are a fisherman, make sure you take a reel and licence.  There are a lot of trout in the lake and you can see to the bottom of this lake it is so clear and cold.  You can hike to the end of the lake and beyond, to the top of Kicking Horse Resort(about 9 hours) or you can walk around the lake.  This is not a national park hike, so the trails are not quite so well marked or maintained.  But it is well worth the hike. 

Takakkaw Falls is one of the truly Spectacular Spots in and around Golden BC.  It is an easy 30 minute drive east down Highway#1 to the turn0ff to the falls.  The road from the Highway is pretty impressive too, especially the switchback up a cliff.  You travel down a great newly paved road all the way to the falls.  From the parking lot you can take an easy walk to the base of the falls or you can go on a number of hikes from there including the Iceline Trail, Twin Falls, Yoho Glacier, Yoho Lake or across the pass to Emerald Lake or Burgess Pass.  Some of the best hikes in the Rockies start from Takakkaw Falls.  An easy 2 hour hike round trip, is to Laughing Falls.  There is one short incline, but other than about 10 minutes it is pretty flat.  It is always a good time to go and see the falls, but especially spectacular in the early part of the summer when there is a lot of water coming down.  

This is a basically a new hike at Kicking Horse Mountain Resort near Golden BC with very little grunt work involved.  The resort is opening up some new terrain for skiing and built a new access path into "Super Bowl" as it is called by the Resort.  It takes only about 15 minutes to talk into the opening of the bowl.  The best part though are the views which are outstanding on a nice sunny day.  In every direction there are great views of the big Rocky Mountains and the Purcells with snow covered peaks and hanging glaciers, along with the Columbia Valley to the South.  During the main summer season the Gondola operates at Kicking Horse Mountain Resort so you can take the Gondola up to the top of the mountain, go for an easy hike and then head back to the Eagle's Eye Restaurant to sit on the deck with a glass of wine or cold beer or whatever, before taking the Gondola back down.  Civilized Hiking at its best.  

One of the great Hikes in the Canadian Rockies is Burgess Trail located in Yoho National Park. It is breath-taking and takes you high above Emerald Lake which is about 45 minutes from Vagabond Lodge at Kicking Horse Mountain Resort. The trail crosses below the Burgess Shale at one point; a protected area only accessible with a National Park's Guide. The fossils imbedded in the shale prove, the area at one time was at the bottom of an large sea. Paths are very well marked. You also have an option of going over the pass into Yoho Valley. This is a great hike too, if you have someone to take you back to your car or you can go down a slightly different route into Field rather than Emerald Lake. I have done them both and both are great hikes. This is a full day hike and would have to be considered a difficult hike as there is about an hour and half climbing to above the tree line and then when you come back down it takes a couple of hours.  Overall this took me 9 hours.  Go early and enjoy the day.  You won't regret it. 

This hike is to McArthur Lake in Yoho.  The trail head is from Lake O'Hara after about a half hour bus ride from the parking lot near Wapta Lake.  You need to make a reservation well in advance to get on the bus or you can take a chance and just show up, but it is so popular there usually is a lineup thinking the same thing. The hike to McArthur Lake and back is about 4 hours.  Really some great views along the way and the lake is quite spectacular. If you are looking for a spot to get away though, this is not the place unless it is a really crumby day.  Lake O'Hara is very popular and all the hikes are quite close together so you are coming across people a lot.  There certainly a lot of hikes that are just as nice without the crowds close by.  But if you can score a bus ticket, you should go, just to say you were there.  A little over-rated in my estimation. 

If you are looking for a nice easy hike, especially in the Early Summer when the water level is really high, this is the one. It is about 15 minutes east of Golden BC and Vagabond Lodge on the Transcanada Highway #1 just as you enter Yoho National Park.  It is well marked and the walk in, is pretty flat.  On a nice day it is usually a pretty busy spot.  If you are needing a quick stretch after a long drive this is as good a place as any.  The parking lot is just across the highway from the trailhead to the Mountain Hunter Lookout Hike.  

This is a sweet place to go if you are looking  for an "off-the-beatan-track" spot to go. It is North of Golden BC in the Blaeberry Valley which is on the west side of  Howse Pass, one of the more historical mountain passes.  It was the main fur trading route used by the aboriginals in the area and David Thompson and early explorer in the area.  One one side is the North Saskatchewan water shed flowing into the Arctic Ocean and on this side the water flows into the pacific. It was the original route CP rail was looking at to go through the Rockies.  It ended up going through the Kicking Horse Pass instead.  Good for Howse.  You travel along a forestry road for a couple hours to get to a small parking lot.  And then it is an easy  30 minute hike to the creek below Mummery Glacier.  Whichever way you look it is "wow."  Nobody around, amazing scenery, glaciers, waterfalls.  You easily could spend months in the area exploring. More on this hike can be found on Golden Hikes where exact detail is given on how to get here.  The road was washed out this summer and you could not drive to the parking lot, but there were ways to get over the creek running across and down the road.  Well worth the effort.  

This really isn't a hike but more a great spot to stop on your way to some hikes and on your way to Mummery Glacier. These falls are on the Blaeberry River about 45 minutes from Golden BC on a forestry road.  In the spring it is really spectacular and you can walk up or downstream along the falls.  Just be super careful as there are not barricades or walkways as this is outside the National Parks.  You are at your own risk. A small dog went over a few years ago, never to be found.  Keep your dog on a leash if you are checking this out. 
You can get more information on exactly how to get here  at www.goldenhikes.ca  There is some talk about putting a hydro-electric  turbine on these falls.  Hopefully  not as it is impressive.