Larch trees are coniferous trees that lose their needles every fall. Before the needles drop they turn from green to a spectacular golden yellow. In Alberta, the variety that we see are alpine larches (Larix lyalli). Because they usually grow in groups at high elevations, the impact of their foliage display is nothing short of stunning. Larch season in the Canadian can be unpredictable in timing and short lived given our tumultuous weather patterns but typically they start to turn from green to yellow the middle of September and (barring no heavy wind, rain or snow storms) will last until mid-October. I have compiled a list of some of my favourite hikes to view larch trees in the Canadian Rockies at every skill level.

I spent twelve days this summer with Golden, BC as my basecamp and on my drive home I caught myself looking at real estate listings online as I am not certain even a lifetime living in this small mountain town would be nearly enough to experience all it has to offer. With great food and coffee as well as a seemingly endless supply of year-round outdoor activities it was overwhelming narrowing it down to a week and a half and still hoping to have time to sleep and eat somewhere in-between. In the end I settled on a little bit of sleep, a lot of coffee and seven bucket list worthy adventures.

I spent a month earlier this year, cooped up in my house putting pins on a map of all of the off-the-beaten-path places that I wanted to explore if the rain ever stopped falling. When I took a moment to zoom out and gain some perspective I realized that at the apex of so many was the town of Golden, BC. Home to a few thousand full time residents who all seem to love the summer, live for the winter and excel at every activity that brings them outside of a building and under the sun I knew that I needed to spend some quality time across the Alberta-BC border. First on the list was this traverse…

One of my favourite towns in the world, under an hour and a half from downtown Calgary and a five minute drive from Banff National Park east gate, Canmore has the heart of a small town with nearly every outdoor activity to offer as well as amazing food and great local shops .

With Banff National Park growing in popularity over the years there are few times to visit the iconic vistas within the National Park without being elbow to elbow with other visitors. One of the best times to avoid the crowds is the lull between the summer hiking rush and the winter skiing frenzy. Although the weather can be unpredictable I have composed some of my favourite places to eat, sleep and things to do in Banff National Park in-between adventures.

This iconic backpacking trip covers 22km of trails and includes 7 campgrounds and a suspension bridge. It travels from the south face to the north face of Mt Robson and passes Kinney Lake, Whitehorn Mountain,  Emperor Falls before finally winding its way along Berg Lake to the Robson Pass (and the Alberta -British Columbia border).

This provincial park is home to, and named after, Mount Robson - the tallest peak in the Canadian Rockies with nearly 3,000 metres (10,000 ft) of steep vertical ascent from the Kinney Lake shoreline – something that few mountains anywhere in the world can claim to offer. Mount Robson is also considered one of the most challenging mountains to climb.

Banff is the oldest national park in Canada. Established in 1885, the park is located in the Alberta Rocky Mountains. Calgary is the nearest city, and the main commercial center of the park is in the town of Banff, in the Bow River valley. Known for mountainous terrain and alpine landscapes — including more than a thousand glaciers, ice fields, forests, valleys, meadows, and rivers — the park is part of UNESCO’s Canadian Rocky Mountain World Heritage site. Natural sites around the park include Canada’s largest cave system, Castleguard Caves, numerous glacier-fed lakes such as Lake Louise, and the Legacy Trail — a trail for walking, cycling, and in-line skating.