Sports & the Outdoors

Sports & the Outdoors

With several national and provincial parks in the region, the Canadian Rockies are filled with enough trails, rivers, lakes, and mountains to keep outdoors lovers of all kinds happy, whatever the season. And tour operators and sports outfitters throughout the region make sure you have the means and equipment to pursue your interest. Among the various activities you can join are cross-country and downhill skiing, snowboarding, heli-skiing, heli-hiking, hiking, playing golf, horseback riding, rafting, and fishing. Note that most of the national parks in Alberta place restrictions on some recreational activities, such as snowmobiling and using private motorized boats on the lakes.

Biking

Biking is a popular pastime in the Rockies, whether a short spin around town or a multiday guided tour. Around Banff, the Vermilion Lakes loop and the more strenuous loop over Tunnel Mountain are popular half-day bike tours. For a longer ride, Highway 1A between Banff and Lake Louise is a good choice. For a rugged workout, try the steep switchbacks leading up to the Mt. Norquay ski area. Although it's a long and strenuous route for cycling, Highway 93 is becoming increasingly popular because of the wide paved shoulders along most of the way and the spectacular scenery. The Overlander Bike Trail in Jasper National Park passes through four different ecozones: marshland, river, meadow, and mountain.

Mountain bikes are restricted to just a few trails in the national parks, but there are more diverse trails with fewer restrictions in Kananaskis Country and the British Columbia Rockies. The Canmore Nordic Centre in Kananaskis Country, for example, has a web of trails along the cross-country routes established for the 1988 Olympic Nordic skiing events. Check with the nearest park warden or bike store for maps before heading off-road.

Rocky Mountain Worldwide Cycle Tours runs guided seven-day tours in the Banff area and in British Columbia that include hotel accommodations and meals. Prices begin at US$1,695.

Contact

Rocky Mountain Worldwide Cycle Tours (800/661-2453. www.rockymountaincycle.com).

Climbing

Except for Waterton Lakes, where the rock is generally crumbly, the Canadian Rockies are one of the world's great climbing regions. Among the classic ascents are Mt. Assiniboine, the "Matterhorn of the Rockies"; glacier-cloaked Mt. Athabasca; Mt. Sir Donald, in Glacier National Park; the daunting Mt. Robson; and, in the Purcells, the spires of the Bugaboos. Climbing and mountaineering are year-round activities, although October and November -- after summer and before icefalls are solid enough for winter climbing -- are the least desirable months. You can often rent climbing gear at outdoor stores in the area.

Safety registrations for climbing can be obtained at park-warden offices and information centers. Except for very experienced mountaineers, guide and instruction services are essential here. Banff Alpine Guides, the Canadian School of Mountaineering, and Yamnuska Mountain Adventures lead trips throughout the parks, catering to all ability levels.

Climbers or backpackers interested in extended stays of more than three or four days might consider membership in the Alpine Club of Canada (basic membership C$31, including international postage). The club maintains several mountain huts in the parks, and provides other benefits.

Contacts

Alpine Club of Canada (403/678-3200. www.alpineclubofcanada.ca). Banff Alpine Guides (403/678-6091). Canadian School of Mountaineering (403/678-4134). Yamnuska Mountain Adventures (403/678-4164. www.yamnuska.com).

Fishing

The principal game fish in the Rockies are trout, with cutthroat and rainbow the most common varieties. Bull trout are catch-and-release only in the mountain parks of Alberta, and in Banff National Park cutthroats are catch-and-release as well. Fishing is generally better outside the national parks because of fish-stocking programs (fish are not stocked in the national parks). The Bow River, the lakes of British Columbia, and the streams of Crowsnest Pass are prime fishing spots outside the national parks.

To try your luck at fishing, you need a license, which you can purchase at visitor-information centers and sports shops. A British Columbia license is good only in British Columbia, an Alberta license only in Alberta. If you are fishing in the national parks, you need a national parks license (but not provincial licenses), available at the parks' gates.

In Alberta, the fee for an annual license is C$21 for nonresident Canadians and C$60 for non-Canadians. Non-Canadians can purchase a five-day license for C$40 or a one-day license for C$22. In British Columbia, the fees for one-day, eight-day, and annual licenses for nonresident Canadians are C$20, C$36, and C$55, respectively; for non-Canadians the fees are C$20, C$50, and C$80. A national park license is C$7 a day; an annual license costs C$20.

Fishing regulations vary between jurisdictions, so ask for a copy of relevant regulations when you purchase a license. In the national parks, all lead weights of less than 50 grams (2 ounces) are banned; steel shot is an acceptable substitute.

Tightline Adventures at Monod Sports offers fly-fishing instruction, guide services, and drift-fishing tours including equipment, boat, and meals from C$425 per person per day, or C$465 for two people per day. Some of the best brown trout and Rocky Mountain whitefish are caught on the scenic stretch of the Bow River where Tightline operates, just outside Banff National Park.

Contact

Tightline Adventures at Monod Sports (403/762-4548).

Golf

The golf season is short, from about early May through mid-October. Golf courses are generally in excellent playing condition. In Alberta, greens fees range from C$75 to C$100 at most courses. Cart rentals are mandatory at some courses, where greens fees plus a cart run C$125 to C$175. Most courses enforce a standard dress code, requiring shirts with collars and knee-length shorts or long pants. In the British Columbia Rockies, greens fees at most courses range from C$35 to C$75. Carts are mandatory only at Greywolf at Panorama, where greens fees plus a cart cost C$115.

The area between Golden and Cranbrook in British Columbia is growing as a golfing hotbed: there are now more than a dozen 18-hole courses, plus several 9-hole courses.

Hiking

The four contiguous parks (Banff, Jasper, Kootenay, and Yoho) have 2,900 km (1,800 mi) of hiking trails. In Waterton Lakes there are 183 km (113 mi) of trails, with further access to more than 1,200 km (744 mi) of trails in adjacent Glacier National Park in the United States. Kananaskis Country has numerous hiking and backpacking opportunities, and Revelstoke and Glacier parks in British Columbia are generally best for day hikes.

The snow-free hiking season usually runs from early April to early November for trails in the valleys and July to mid- or late September for trails that extend into alpine areas. Though most trails are restricted to foot traffic, horses and mountain bikes are permitted in some areas; check with the park warden.

Several good books on the region describe various hiking and backpacking routes and route combinations. One of the best, The Canadian Rockies Trail Guide, by Brian Patton and Bart Robinson, is available in most bookstores in Banff, Lake Louise, and Jasper.

Horseback Riding

Horses are prohibited on many trails within the national parks, but there are still opportunities; Tonquin Valley in Jasper is among the most attractive areas for pack trips within the parks. Banff, Jasper, and Lake Louise all have outfitters that provide trail rides and guided pack trips on trails that do allow horses within those parks (see those chapters for detailed contact information). Outside the national parks, horseback riding is offered in Kananaskis Country, provincial parks, and the British Columbia Rockies region.

Travel Alberta and Super, Natural British Columbia can provide listings of pack-trip outfitters. They also have information about guest ranches, where riding is generally a major part of a stay. In British Columbia, information is available from the Guide-Outfitters Association.

Contacts

Guide-Outfitters Association (604/278-2688. www.goabc.org). Super, Natural British Columbia (802-865 Hornby St., Vancouver, BC, V6Z 2G3. 800/663-6000. www.hellobc.com). Travel Alberta (10155 102nd St. NW, Box 2500, Edmonton, AB, T5J 2Z4. 800/252-3782. www.travelalberta.com).

Skiing & Snowboarding

The Rocky Mountains have some of the world's best ski resorts. The region has 10 lift-service ski areas, four of which are within an hour's drive of Banff. Daily lift tickets cost between C$40 and C$60. Cross-country-skiing opportunities are also plentiful, and many backcountry lodges are winterized and offer guide services for backcountry touring. The Canmore Nordic Centre is a great place to get a cross-country-ski lesson; it's a world-class Olympic training facility for cross-country ski athletes. Numerous tour operators have ski packages designed to fit a variety of interests (including heli-skiing), abilities, and budgets.

Snowboarding is allowed at all the ski hills, and many of them offer special facilities such as half pipes and terrain parks. Full rental is available at each area, and a lift ticket is the same price as it is for skiers.

Water Sports

Swimmers generally avoid the icy, glacier-fed waters of the Rockies. However, several lakes near Jasper can become comfortable during spells of warm summer weather.

Private motorized craft (including Jet Skis) are prohibited in most of the waters of the Rockies national parks. The two exceptions to this are Lake Minnewanka (no Jet Skis) in Banff National Park and Pyramid Lake in Jasper National Park. Lake Minnewanka is a large reservoir near the town of Banff where you can rent aluminum fishing boats with 8-horsepower motors by the hour. Pyramid Lake is a smaller lake near the town of Jasper; you can rent 7-horsepower aluminum fishing boats at the dock, but for sightseeing on the lake it's better to rent one of the nonmotorized craft and enjoy the quiet. (Some commercial motorboat operations are allowed on other lakes -- for example, the boat-tour operations at Maligne Lake and Upper Waterton Lake.)

Nonmotorized craft, on the other hand, are permitted in virtually all waters of the mountain parks. Rentals (by the hour or by the day) are available at numerous lakes, especially as you get closer to the towns of Banff, Jasper, Lake Louise, and Waterton Park. Canoe rentals are most common, but some selection of rowboats, pedal boats, and even kayaks is not unusual.

Outside the national parks, Spray Lakes Reservoir and Kananaskis Lake are the main sites of motorboating activity in Kananaskis Country, where motorized boating is allowed. Lake Windermere, in British Columbia, is popular among sailors, boardsailors, and water-skiers and is pleasantly warm for swimming. To the north in British Columbia, the long, dam-controlled Kinbasket and Revelstoke lakes give boaters, canoeists, and anglers more of a wilderness experience. The lakes have several boat ramps but few services. Most motorized boating in Alberta occurs in the lakes and reservoirs east of the Rockies, where restrictions are few and the water generally gets much warmer than in the Rockies, although the water may turn quite green from algae by midsummer.

For sailors and boardsailors who like strong winds, Waterton Lakes, with winds often exceeding 50 km (31 mi) per hour, is the place to be. The water is numbingly cold, though, so be sure to wear a wet suit. The Athabasca, Bow, Kicking Horse, and Maligne rivers provide various levels of river-running challenges for canoeists and kayakers -- from relatively still water to roaring rapids.