A Day Hike You’ll Never Forget: Lake Louise Alberta

Sentinel Pass Moraine Lake: If you find yourself in the Lake Louise area of Alberta Canada during the summer and early fall months, we highly recommend spending a day hiking the Sentinel Pass hike into Paradise Valley. It’s a wonderful trail that takes you from the beauty of Moraine Lake and Valley of the Ten Peaks over a high altitude rocky pass into the cool tranquil Paradise Valley. It has everything you could ever imagine you would see in the Rocky Mountains including tall fir treed forests, high alpine meadows, rocky mountainous switch backs, and the cool clean fresh Glacial Rivers.

Sentinel Pass Moraine Lake

You start at the Moraine Lake Visitors Center where there is plenty of parking, washrooms and a concession where you can stock up with a little food if you didn’t bring any supplies. Make sure you wear a good pair of hiking boots as the upper portions of the trail gets steep and rocky. Also bring along a warm fleece due to the cooler temperatures at the higher elevation.

The trail starts at the North West corner of the lake and you will hike for about 2.4 km before reaching the meadow of Larch Valley. The trail is well marked with signs but just remember to keep right when you hit a joining trail.

From Larch Valley you have about another 3.4 km of trails and switch backs to get to the summit of Sentinel pass. This is where it begins to get steep and you gain some serious vertical along here. Just make sure you stay on the trail. It’s surrounded by loose shale and it can be dangerous to try and ascend straight up, skipping the switch backs.

sentinel pass lake moraine

At the top of Sentinel Pass you will get an amazing view of Paradise Valley to the North and Valley of the Ten Peaks to the South. The top of the pass is just over 2,600 m in elevation with lots of outcrops to setup a good spot for a relaxing lunch.

Now that you have refreshed yourself and packed up all your gear, (remember to Leave No Trace) it’s time to descend into Paradise Valley which truly lives by its namesake. Follow the switch backs down and stick to the trail because it’s much safer then sliding down the rocky face.

Giant Steps Paradise Valley

At the bottom of the slope you end up in Horseshoe Meadow. Take the trail to the left which will bring you around to the Giant Steps. You have come all this way do not miss this. Paradise Creek is fed by the Horseshoe Glacier and the water is ice cold. The creek flows through the center of Paradise Valley and at the upper portion near Horseshoe Meadow it cascades down a rocky shelf called the Giant Steps. By this time you have worked up a good sweat and the falls provide a great spot to take your boots off and just chill. I literally mean chill – the water is extremely cold.

When you’re done, continue on the trail. It will hook up with the main trail that will take you down through Paradise Valley. The remaining portion of this trail is all downhill and in open meadows but once in the lower portion you’ll be back in the pines.

It’s about 8 km to the trail head where you will meet up with Moraine Lake Road. If you haven’t left a car at the Paradise Valley parking lot you’ll need to hitch hike back to Moraine Lake. The locals are friendly and don’t mind giving hikers a short lift to Moraine Lake. After all they are Canadian.

Things you will need for this hike

  • Day pack (Earth Gear Recommendation: Osprey Stratos 34)
  • 4 liters of water per person
  • Lunch and snacks (take power bars or chocolate bars for instant energy)
  • Light weight fleece top (Earth Gear Recommendation: The North Face TKA 100 Glacier Quarter-Zip Pullover)
  • Light hard shell jacket (Earth Gear Recommendation: Mountain Hardwear Stretch Capacitor Rain Jacket)
  • Light weight hiking boots with a Vibram sole (Earth Gear Recommendation: Asolo Reston WP Hiking Boots)
  • Camera (Earth Gear Recommendation: Canon PowerShot G16 Digital)

Remember, this is a strenuous hike and it will take you the better part of a day to complete. Make sure you start early. You will gain about 500 meters in elevation and travel around 16 km so it’s imperative to not go unprepared.

 

map of sentinel pass trail

Recent Gear Posts
  • Fall Hiking Gear

Fall Hiking Gear

The Best in 2020 Fall Hiking Gear Looking for information on fall hiking gear? No offense to the other seasons, but Autumn is the best time to hike throughout much of the Northern [...]

  • Hiking Trail Shoes - Women's Altra Lone Peak 2.5

Hiking Trail Shoes

Hiking & Trail Shoes - Earth Gear Review Altra Trail Shoes Prior to our trip to Sedona we were approached by Altra Running and offered shoes to test on the desert trails [...]

  • Suunto Watches - Outdoor Backcountry Technology
  • Goal Zero Venture 30 Solar Kit

Backcountry Technology

Outdoor Backcountry Technology: The Best in Outdoor Tech Outdoor Backcountry Technology: Some say they seek adventure in the outdoors to escape the trappings of technology, society, and the everyday. We get it. But [...]

  • The Best Backpacking Backpacks
  • Backpacks

Best Backpacking Backpacks

The Best Backpacking Backpacks: Earth Gear's Top 3 If you’re like us, you probably spend an incredible amount of time obsessing over the gear you need when you are planning your next adventure. [...]

Best Camping Tents

Best Camping Tents: Earth Gear's Top 3 Best Camping Tents: The right tent is your home away from home when camping. Choosing the right tent can [...]

  • Choosing the Right Camera

Choosing the Right Camera

Choosing The Right Camera to Capture Your Adventure If you believe in the old hiking and backpacking adage; take nothing but pictures, leave nothing but footprints, kill nothing but time, then you are a [...]

  • Insulated Jackets
  • Insulated Down & Puff Jackets

Insulated Jackets

Earth Gear Choices for Insulated Jackets You want to be warm when the temps start to drop? I mean, do you really want to be warm? Do you want to be warm, but are [...]

All Outdoor Adventure Recent Posts
  • Outdoor Technology Earth Gear

Outdoor Technology

Outdoor Technology: Hiking Backpacking and Camping You may not be a fan of outdoor technology. It may be due to a lack of understanding, maybe you think that it’s too complicated, or you [...]

  • Handcrafted Log Homes

Handcrafted Log Homes

Handcrafted Log Homes Handcrafted log homes in North America date back to 1638. That is about the time that historians believe that log home construction began in the United States. Historically, log homes [...]

  • Best Cocktail Recipes

Best Cocktail Recipes

Best Cocktail Recipes Have you ever wondered what the best cocktails are for entertaining your friends? Earth Gear has - and we thought we would bring the best cocktail recipes to you. But first [...]

  • Sayulita Mexico

Sayulita Vacation

Crimson Skies of Sayulita If you are looking for an off-the-beaten-path travel destination, a great place to surf, reflect, rejuvenate, and soak up the sun then look no further than a Sayulita Vacation. This [...]

  • On top of Mauna Kea During Winter, Hawaii

Big Island Hawaii Things To Do

Big Island Hawaii Things To Do, A Journey of Beauty and Contrast The big island Hawaii has a history datable to 1,500 years ago when a small fleet of canoes landed on the island's [...]

  • Climbing Mount Rainier

Climbing Mount Rainier

Climbing Mount Rainier Climbing Mount Rainier: At 14,411 feet, Mount Rainier—or Tahoma, as regional American Indian tribes called it—falls a little short of the loftiest Sierra Nevada and Southern Rocky Mountain peaks. You can [...]

  • Iceland Adventure Travel

Iceland Adventure Travel

Iceland — The land of Fire and Ice Iceland Adventure Travel; Iceland is home to just under 325,000 people who live in a habitable area of 103,000 square kilometers. The largest city is the [...]

  • Climbing Mt Baker

Climbing Mt Baker

Climbing Mt Baker for the First Time Climbing Mt Baker: Amazing adventure lies just outside your door and such is the case for residents of the Pacific Northwest. A string [...]

  • Lemon Drop Martini Recipe

Lemon Drop Martini

Lemon Drop Martini A refreshing, sour yet sweet Martini for those summer afternoons on the deck. INGREDIENTS: 2 Parts Vodka 1 Part Triple sec 1 Part Fresh Lemon juice METHOD: [...]

  • Blueberry Martini

Blueberry Martini

Blueberry Martini Create the perfect Blueberry Martini with Earth Gear's step-by-step instructions. INGREDIENTS: 2 Parts Vodka 1 Part Alize Bleu Passia Frozen Blueberries METHOD: Fill shaker with ice cubes. Add [...]

  • Joshua Tree National Park

Experiencing Joshua Tree National Park

Experiencing Joshua Tree National Park A few years ago while on vacation in Palm Desert, we made the decision to go for a drive and explore the surrounding area outside [...]

  • Sedona Arizona

Sedona Arizona

The Magic of Sedona Arizona We recently traveled to Sedona Arizona to experience first-hand the magical splendor of this beautiful community. We booked our flight and accommodations through  and were extremely pleased with our choice [...]

  • Sedona Hiking West Fork Trail

Sedona Hiking West Fork Trail

Sedona Hiking - West Fork Trail Situated in Oak Creek Canyon 10.5 miles north of Sedona along SR 89A, The West Fork Trail is one of the most beautiful Sedona hiking trails. [...]