Parks Canada issues hiking hazard warning in Banff National Park

Parks Canada has issued a hiking hazard warning for Banff National Park after multiple hikers have required rescues this spring.

According to a notice from park officials, some popular trails are currently exposed to a “significant avalanche hazard” and shouldn’t be attempted without avalanche training and equipment.

Those include the ascent of Mt. Rundle from Banff, the Cory Pass loop, unofficial trails on Sulphur Mountain, and hikes in the Lake Louise area, including trails to the teahouses, Lake Agnes, Big Beehive, Little Beehive, the Plain of the Six Glaciers, and the south side of the lakeshore.

“These trails are summer objectives that typically come into condition in mid-June,” the notice reads. “Posted avalanche zones should be respected, and tracks left by others do not indicate a safe route.”

Michelle Davison says she’s been living in the area for nine years and does a ton of hiking. She has even received her level one avalanche skills training certificate, so she’s always prepared for the elements.

Still, even then, she’s found herself in precarious situations due to the conditions.

“I think when I did Ha Ling a couple of weeks ago, it was like — I even had spikes on — and we were completely sliding on the mountain,” she told CityNews.

“The snow was really slushy, loose underfoot, and we had to get on all fours and slide down, even with spikes, even with being prepared.”

Parks Canada says that many of those popular routes in Banff National Park remain snow-covered and icy, and that freeze-thaw cycles in this deep snow pack — one of the largest on record — result in unpredictable, varying conditions throughout the day.

Trails could be icy in the morning, but with temperatures rising throughout the day, avalanche risk comes into play.

“Conditions are muddy probably on the first third, and then snow and icy on the backend, so I’d highly recommend spikes,” said avid hiker Anne Kean.

“Lots of people going up in runners, I wouldn’t want to be them coming down. It’s pretty slippery.”

A group of Hikers from Toronto, who had crampons for their shoes, say they only decided to get them because their last hike at Tunnel Mountain got a little uncomfortable.

“I loved the views, I love the pictures, but I did not use spikes … it was pretty scary,” said Ullash Bhuiyan.

Parks Canada is advising people not to trust information seen on hiking apps, as conditions can rapidly change, and to visit parkscanada.ca to see the trail report from the national park.