Banff in mid-May

[James G. Williams]

I will be attend a conference in Banff in mid-May and plan to do some
day hiking after the conference is over. Does anyone have any sense of
where the snow line is at that time of year? My previous experineces in
Banff have all been in August, when snow was no problem on the lower
routes I hiked.

I am considering routes like....Edith/Cory Passes and Saddleback Pass.

Thanks.

jim williams
will...@indiana.edu

[Tim Paul]

James G. Williams wrote in message <353F3C1F...@indiana.edu>...

You are more than likely to run into snow at the time of the year.
Specifically, Edith/Cory Passes will be fine on the approach (they're both
south facing), but definitely snow at the top. Saddleback Pass will almost
definitely be snowy the entire way. The only caveat to this is if we have
any exceptionally warm spring (in that case things will be very mucky) and
that just hasn't happened so far.

I usually don't start any serious hiking until June and even then there is
still some snow left in the shadier areas.

Hope this helps.

Cheers

Tim

[Bryan Wickson]

James G. Williams wrote in message <353F3C1F...@indiana.edu>...
>I will be attend a conference in Banff in mid-May and plan to do some
>day hiking after the conference is over. Does anyone have any sense of
>where the snow line is at that time of year? My previous experineces in
>Banff have all been in August, when snow was no problem on the lower
>routes I hiked.
>
>I am considering routes like....Edith/Cory Passes and Saddleback Pass.

Jim,

You could try Johnston's Canyon. There is a 2-3 Km hike to the top falls
and then a several Km hike to the Ink Pots (pools of water with varying
shades of green/blue. I've done this hike in the winter and it is very
scenic. If there is still snow/ice it can be slippery.

I hope this helps,

Bryan
wick...@mcmaster.ca
--
Bryan Wickson
g924...@mcmaster.ca

[rlindsay]

"James G. Williams" <wil...@indiana.edu> wrote:
>I will be attend a conference in Banff in mid-May and plan to do some
>day hiking after the conference is over. Does anyone have any sense of
>where the snow line is at that time of year? My previous experineces in
>Banff have all been in August, when snow was no problem on the lower
>routes I hiked.
>
>I am considering routes like....Edith/Cory Passes and Saddleback Pass.

in general, elevations close to timberline ( around 2200 meters )
do not lose most of their snow until sometime in june in the
canadian rockies. however, much depends on the which direction the
trail is orientated : south and west facing slopes are usually
snow free in april, north and east facing slopes can have snow
until july.

virtually all valley bottoms should be free in mid-may though if
you want to keep your elevation gain low.

edith pass might be okay, but that is one of the more boring hikes
around. cory is short and very steep, but since it faces south
one might be able to get close to the pass. forget about the
saddleback pass.

the trails around lake louise might be mostly snow-free, and
whatever snowpack there is will be tramped down hard by all the
numbers of people there anyway! virtually guaranteed to be open
at least to timberline is the first 2.5 kms of the wenkchemna
pass/sentinel pass trail. gaining about 400 vertical meters
during this time, this must-do hike overlooks one of the
most beautiful sights in the rockies : the brilliant turquoise
blue color of moraine lake framed within the grand valley of
the ten peaks ( this is the scene on the back of the canadian
$20 bill ).

just a note : on south facing slopes especially the large wood
tick can be found in april and may in the rockies. although they are
totally disease-free they are not people's favorite creatures; as
those of us who hike in the springtime and wind up picking off
a dozen or so of these hitchhikers will attest! however, they
are easy to deal with : simply tuck the lower portion of your
pants into your socks and look down at your legs every few
minutes to see if any have crawled on. as they move quite slowly
and will only move up ( once on you ) they can be spotted as
they make your way up your legs.

other dayhikes to consider are the yamnuska traverse - a scramble
of the first major mountain that juts out from the front ranges
where it meets the plains ( just a short drive east from banff ).
aylmer pass near lake minnewanka might be open. castle lookout
on the striking castle mountain will definitely be open.

if you need more info than e-mail me back.

opinions are my own................................................