Tips and Ticks

Hiking Tips for Successful Trips

When planning your outings in the Rockies, the best tip we can offer is "Be Prepared". Weather changes are a fact of life. At higher elevations, it is possible to experience rain, snow, sudden temperature drops and blazing sun all in the same day. The following are key tips for your hike preparations.

• Safety First. Have the right gear for the weather you may encounter. Think 3 layers.
• Happy Feet. Properly fitting boots, extra dry socks, toenails clipped, and swap out shoes/hiking boots before and after your hike.
• Hydration. Keep hydrated, carry ample water. 
• Hat & Sun blocker. Avoid the fierce burns of high altitude sun.
• Bug Spray. Bear Spray. Enough said!
• Pack food and snacks. Carry fire starter device.
• Be sure to conduct a pre-hike study of the trail selected. 
• In the spring, it can turn cold. Have you got a space blanket or a lightweight sleeping bag?
• Spring is tick season. Note the above image of a tick on a leaf, waiting for you to brush by and "hop on."
• After hiking, leave your backpack at the door, strip down and have a shower. Check the back of your neck, hair & scalp, upper body and legs. In the off-chance you have a tick, follow the correct procedure of removal with tweezers.
• But don't be overly alarmed. Famous hiker and local author Brian Patton has written numerous trail guides and I quote, "I've never picked up a tick in the Rockies in northerly exposed slopes or in sub-alpine and alpine regions."
• The tick season is pretty much done by July in the Canadian Rockies.
• The Rocky Mountain tick is not the "bad guy" of the tick world and does not spread Lyme disease. That dubious honor belongs to the "deer tick", endemic to BC's southern valleys and the Lower Mainland.

​To enjoy your hike, hike smart. We appreciate your patronage and would love to see you back!