Where Locals Hike in the Canadian Rockies: Book Review

Where Locals Hike in the Canadian Rockies by Kathy and Craig Copeland is a guide for hiking Kananaskis, located just outside the much busier and much more famous national park, Banff, Alberta, Canada. It is part of the same Rocky Mountain range as in Banff and the Kananskis trails are a favourite hiking destination of many locals who have even given it the nickname “K-Country”. Kananaskis is a hiker’s paradise - rich in wildlife and wild flowers with stunning scenery and on most Kananaskis trails you can hike in solitude.

The hiking guide features 55 Kananaskis trails including 15 shoulder season hikes (spring and fall). The shoulder season hikes are especially appreciated since the hiking season can be short in the Rockies and hikers are always looking for new trails to extend the hiking season. I’ve hiked many of the Kananaskis trails in the book and have not been disappointed with a hike yet. They also include popular scenic hikes such as Chester Lake, a favourite Kananaskis trail of mine, but only if they're worthy of inclusion, Chester Lake is definitely worthy of inclusion. The authors have obviously done their research.

The authors vividly describe the scenery and possible wildlife sightings on each Kananaskis trail. They include pertinent information such as the names of the peaks you will be able to see along the way, including views of the Continental Divide, which if not pointed out, would likely go unnoticed. The descriptions of each Kananaskis trail provide more than enough information for the reader to determine their hiking destination, depending on what they want to see. The problem is choosing among so many Kananaskis trails.

This is also an honest guide to hiking Kananaskis. The authors don’t tell you that every step of the way is filled with glorious scenery, unless it is. If a section of a Kananaskis trail is less than awe-inspiring, they tell you, but they’ll also tell you what your reward is at the end so that the reader can decide if the drudgery is worth the reward. In most cases the drudgery is kept to a minimum on the Kananaskis trails selected in the book.

Where Locals Hike in the Canadian Rockies also provides difficulty ratings, distance, elevation gain and approximate time to complete the Kananaskis trail, which in my experience have been quite accurate. There is also a wide variety of distances and difficulty so the reader has a lot of choice depending on their time and physical fitness. A map showing the location of all the Kananaskis trails at the front of the hiking guide is also useful if the reader is pressed for time and looking for a closer hiking destination.

As mentioned, previously, this is an opinionated hiking guide and the writing is too punchy for me. Rather than coming up with metaphor after metaphor, i.e. “The universe resounds with the joyful cry ‘I am!” The musician Soriabin said it. Live with an open heart, and you’ll witness it. Hike the Birdwood Traverse, and you’ll participate in it.” I would prefer the authors get to the point in their descriptions, i.e. what will I see and what makes this Kananaskis trail special and save the prose for a creative writing class.

The maps are virtually useless as they contain so little detail so it is essential to buy the corresponding Gem Trek maps mentioned in the book. On several occasions I forgot my maps and was sorely reminded of how important they are to not only finding your Kananaskis trail, but also to staying the course.

Summary

Overall, I would highly recommend this hiking Kananaskis hiking guide. I use it more than any other hiking Kananaskis guide book and commend the authors for including Kananaskis trails of varying levels of difficulty and scenery, just remember to bring your own maps.