Hikes in 2024

February 4, 2024

To our members and fellow hikers:

“Thank you!” once again patiently waiting for updates on our summer hiking plans.  We can finally confirm we are hiking amid the fall colours of the Kootenay Plains area of the Canadian Rockies, in Big Horn Country, Alberta in late summer 2024.

Our volunteers will be setting up our traditional prospector tents in a group campground at David Thompson Resort.  This resort is close to the famous Abraham Lake; you may have seen photos of the bubbles trapped under the ice in the winter.  The resort offers shelters for our evening activities, campsite bathrooms & showers, and we will have special sittings for our catered breakfasts and dinners.  As per our usual process, the resort will also be providing us with our packed lunch daily.

We are anticipating some fantastic hikes that will appeal to all levels of hiker.  Hiking will be facilitated with the use of a daily coach to trailheads, with travel times short and on paved roads.  The same coach will offer transportation to and from Calgary International Airport, with pickups en-route.

Camps will be offered arriving and departing:

  1. Monday, August 26th to Saturday, August 31st
  2. Monday, September 2nd to Saturday, September 7th
  3. Monday, September 9th to Saturday, September 14th
  4. Monday, September 16th to Saturday, September 21st

Please reach out to your fellow hiking buddies and plan to join Skyline Hikers of the Canadian Rockies.  We look forward to our usual wonderful experiences in the mountains, good food, and an opportunity to renew and create friendships with fellow Skyliners!

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January 17, 2024

To our members and fellow hikers:

We thank you for your continued support of this heritage organization and your patience as we work toward our summer hiking experience. We are excited to report that for the 2024 season, Skyline will be hiking in and around the Kootenay Plains Ecological Reserve located in Big Horn country, Alberta.

The Kootenay Plains stretch between two mountain ranges along the banks of the upper North Saskatchewan River and the area borders Banff National Park. There are numerous hikes available in the area; offering all levels of challenge for our hikers. We also want you to know that we are returning to our roots and will be camping this year! We have secured a front-country campsite and catering services but some additional expenses need to be confirmed.

Registration will be opened in the coming days.

Look for the announcement in your email, on Facebook or on our newly designed website.

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December 22, 2023

To our members and fellow hikers:

Looking towards 2024, we had secured some time at Cathedral Lakes Lodge for the next hiking season; however, part of their infrastructure was destroyed by wildfires, and we learned later that it was not going to be repaired in time for our planned trips. We are very hopeful that this lodge and backcountry Provincial Park will be our destination in a future year and wish them well as they re-build from the devastating experience.

We have since found a highly recommended hiking destination that is new to us and to many Skyline Hikers!  We are working hard to get all the services required in place.  Much of this is out of our control as people return messages on their timeline, not on ours.

As hiking and all outdoor activities were impacted by wildfires and smoke this past summer, we are trying something else new for the upcoming year.  We are exploring offering hikes from approximately mid-August to mid-September. We hope this reduces the presence and attendant impact of smoke and with the added benefit of the beautiful fall colours in the mountains.

With the disruption and changes, unfortunately, we will be unable to open registration on January 1, 2024. An update on progress will be sent on January 15, 2024 and Skyline Hikers hope at that time to either be able to open registration or be able to offer a firm date when it will be open.

All of the best for this holiday season and into the 2024 hiking season!

Locations for Future Hikes

We are evaluating locations for upcoming hikes.

Based on Parks Canada guidelines, a site inside the Banff National Park may only be used only once every 5 years. Since several sites are shared with the Trail Riders of the Canadian Rockies, this means that many sites are only available once every 10 years.

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