Snowshoeing In The Canadian Rockies (March 2016)

This is the second of several posts from Tim Larison from familytravelgurus.com in his visit to the province of Alberta, Canada in March, 2016.

I’d never been snowshoeing in my life!  But I got that chance in two days of touring in Alberta, Canada.  I share below what this experience was like.

We were transported from downtown Jasper by our guide Wes – a retired park service employee who now runs tours in the area.  Wes was great in leading us rookies in snowshoeing on Pyramid Lake.

I was expecting snow shoes made out of wood but was to discover most snowshoes these days are made out of aluminum.  Wes buckled me in these shoes and I was off!

We were led down a well packed trail.  This was easy!  I was dressed for the cold temperatures, with snow pants and several layers.

When we emerged from the trees we were treated to a view of a frozen Pyramid Lake.  I had visited this area 27 years ago in the summer – it sure looked different in the winter.

Our group of snowshoe “rookies”, travel agents from around the U.S., adapted quickly to our shoes.  We all enjoyed our one hour hike.

The snow was moist – easy to make a little snowman out of.  Here I am with our guide Wes on Pyramid Lake.  This snowshoeing is easy and fun, I thought.  Not so fast!

On day 2 we visited the famous Chateau Lake Louise in the heart of the Canadian Rockies.  This iconic Fairmont resort featured a “Guides Cabin” for guests ready for outdoor adventures like us.

In the warmth of the cabin our guide Paul explained to us the ins and outs of snowshoeing.

Paul was “old school” – those classic wood snowshoes are still around.  Paul showed us different varieties of wood snow shoes and laced himself up in one of these classic models.  “Would you like wood shoes or the modern aluminum ones?” he asked.  I’ll stick with the newer model!

With all my winter gear on it was tough to bend over to lace my snow shoes.  No problem!  Paul was very helpful in getting our group all secured in our aluminum shoes.

Our day 2 adventure was much more challenging – in 15 to 20 feet of fresh snow above Lake Louise.

We were led through the trees up a mountain slope.  A tiring hike for us city folks!  But Paul was great in taking breaks along the way and telling us stories of the area (like the time he saw a grizzly bear jump in the lake)

We emerged from the trees to a beautiful view of the frozen and snow covered Lake Louise.  Now that I am a snow shoe “veteran” I’d like to do this again sometime!

Would you like your own adventure in the Canadian Rockies?  We can help.  Contact us for more information or a no obligation price quote.