There are literally hundreds of hikes in the Rocky Mountains - how do you chose which ones to do? Trust me, I spent forever researching on the internet and reading books on what hikes would suit us best on our Rocky Mountain Road Trip. We were a family of 3 from New Zealand, so I wanted family friendly (our son was 11yrs old), majestic scenery, bang for buck views (ie amazing views without having to hike 6hrs to see them) and amazing memories to take home. These were our favourites out of all the hikes we went on, with special mention to Peyto Lake, that I wouldn’t really call a hike as it only takes 15 mins, but it’s well worth the stop and trying to find a park to see the incredible views.
Hiking The Rockies - Our TOP 4
Edith Cavel Meadows Trail
Access via the Icefields Parkway not far out of Jasper. The road to this hike is just as gorgeous as the hike itself! 14kms of winding roads leading up up. The hike itself was breathtaking. I trained for months to be able to do a big Rocky Mountain hike, and this did not disappoint. It’s a there and back hike, with the first half being all straight up hill with stunning views of glaciers out one side, and moutains on all the others. Definitely a moderate to hard trail, but so worth it. The hike is around 7kms, and takes 3-4hrs due to the elevation. We really loved the flora and fauna on this hike, seeing so many alpine plants and flowers, and some pretty cool tiny wildlife as well. The Edith Cavel Glacier is an incredible backdrop for most of the hike, and of course the higher you get the better and more expansive the view.
Valley of the Five Lakes
This hike can be found just 9kms from Jasper along the Icefields Parkway. We really loved this walk! The lakes are an absolute must see if you are in the Jasper area, the colours are just incredible. Each lake seemed to get more emerald and beautiful. The trail was advertised as easy on the website I looked at, but I would say it’s more moderate, with some decent elevation gains on the second half of the walk. Take it slow though and it’s totally doable. The hike is roughly 4.5kms and took us around 1.5hrs to complete.
Johnston Canyon Hike
We are really happy we took the time to do this walk, which we did after dinner time so had the place almost to ourselves. During the day this hike is extremely busy due to being apparently the most popular hike in all of Canada! Due to this I would recommend end doing early in the morning or later in the evening.
The trail weaves through lush forests, with suspended walkways above and in places over hanging the river, guiding hikers to the lower and upper falls. The scenery is spectacular and really unique. We loved that at one of the waterfalls you could literally go over a bridge to a little lookout right beside the falls - lots of spray, very refreshing and cool, The walk is around 5km return if you go to the end and back. Highly recommend!
Morraine Lake Shoreline Trail
Morraine Lake is one of those places that just seem other worldly. Even as you stand looking at it, it looks like a painting and it’s so breathtaking, you just can’t take it in. It’s also incredibly hard to get to in the summer months - with very little parking and vehicles being turned away from the main intersection from as early as 3.45am.
The best tactic here is to head straight for the shuttle busses that depart from 7am at Lake Louise Ski Resort. If you’re on the first bus like we were, you arrive to an almost empty playground ready to explore as all those that arrived at 4am are well into their hikes.
The walk is not challenging or long, I think it’s roughly 3kms and all flat, but we loved it. It was so pretty and peaceful due to being there early, make sure you add this one to your list!
