How this site started
In 2007, we were hiking in the Egypt Lake area in Banff National Park. We met a couple from Germany who were visiting the Canadian Rockies on a hiking vacation. They told us that they wanted to hike the North Boundary Trail in Jasper National Park but they couldn’t find any information about it on the internet. When they arrived in Jasper, they asked about the trail at the Parks Canada Information Centre there. They were disappointed that no one at the Parks Centre had hiked the trail or could provide much information for them. They gave up on their plan to hike the North Boundary Trail and instead settled on shorter trails in Banff.
We hiked the North Boundary Trail in 2002 and immediately started telling them about our experiences. They said they wished they had that information before they left Germany. It seemed natural to us to create a site to share our experiences. Our hope is that this website will help travelers to the Canadian Rockies, from as far as Germany and as near as Calgary, plan and prepare their trips. Ultimately, we want to provide information to help others enjoy the Canadian Rockies as much as we do.
I n 1997, we were faced with a decision. Duane’s employer shut down their Canadian offices and he needed to find a new job. We wanted to move to a new city and our skills were pretty transferable so we had a lot of options. We finally narrowed down our choices to Vancouver and Calgary. We liked these cities because they were close to our families, who live in western Canada, but also because both cities offer a lot of opportunities for outdoor recreation. We started backpacking in 1997 and we were keen to do more. Duane had also started mountain biking and wanted more. Finally, the Rocky Mountains and some good job offers led us to Calgary and we moved in the summer of 1997.
As we drove from B.C., through Yoho and Banff National Parks, to our new home, I remember thinking about the thousands of miles of trails beyond the road. To me, it seemed like a vast playground waiting to be explored. Since then, we have spent weeks, weekends, and even some “sick days”, out in the mountains. We hope you find our experiences useful as you Explore the Rockies.
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