Thrillseekers, rejoice! Kicking Horse Mountain Resort offers plenty of options to keep your adrenaline pumping.

The Via Ferrata (Italian for iron path) and its spectacular suspension bridge are open seven days a week through the end of September. Via Ferrata is a trail (route) making method used in the mountains to make passage easier and more secure. Steel steps, handles, ladder rungs, and a steel cable have all been installed in the places where the trail steepens. Travellers stay safe by being secured to the rock with a harness that is always attached to the steel cable. Kicking Horse Mountain Resort’s Via Ferrata is located on the north face of Terminator Peak, offering a stunning view! Equipment is supplied for both the DISCOVERY ROUTE (approximately Difficulty ratings: French F-PD German K1-K2 UIAA II-III

If extreme biking gives you a rush, then you’ll love the KHMR Bike Park. It will be opened Friday to Sunday until September 27. Berms, jumps, wooden features and rock slabs all add to the excitement and challenge of the downhill course. Of course, there is also plenty of classic white-knuckle singletrack to conquer. The three mountain ranges that surround the park make this bike park even more breathtaking. Bike rentals and bike lessons/clinics are available at KHMR Bike Park.

Kicking Horse Mountain Resort will also help to host the Golden Ultra relay, which is a three-day stage running race. Runners may participate in all three stages by themselves or in one or two stages by themselves as part of the relay. The race starts Friday, September 18 at Kicking Horse Mountain Resort, and ends Sunday, September 20. (The final race day kicks off with breakfast at KHMR.)

There’s still time to embark on one more adventure (or maybe a few more!) before the cold weather sets in.  Make plans today to visit Kicking Rock Mountain Resort!

Congratulations to the third Early Bird winner of our annual photo contest! Lee-Anne Murakami’s entry “Silky Waters” was chosen in the third random draw. As her prize, Lee-Anne will receive a $100 Gift Certificate towards a white water rafting experience in Jasper, courtesy of Rocky Mountain River Guides.

Although the three Early Bird winners have been selected, we encourage you to keep entering your photos. We also have some amazing prizes to award after the contest ends next March. (Including a $1,500 gift certificate to The Camera Store in Calgary and a Dream Getaway to Waterton Lakes National Park!) After you enter, tell your family and friends to vote for their favourite entry, too. Click here to enter.

Winning entry “Silky Waters” – by Lee-Anne Murakami

Congratulations to the first two Early Bird winners of our annual photo contest! James Anderson and Wendy Anderson won the first two random draws. They will each receive a $100 Gift Certificate towards a white water rafting experience in Jasper, courtesy of Rocky Mountain River Guides.

You could still win a $100 Gift Certificate toward a white water rafting experience, too. We’re having one more random draw tomorrow (Wednesday, July 28) to determine the third Early Bird winner. Of course, we also have some amazing prizes to award after the contest ends next March. Keep entering your pictures, and encourage your family and friends to vote! Click here to enter.

Random draw winner “Herbert Lake reflects” – by James Anderson

Random draw winner “Rutting Elk” – by Wendy Anderson

Tomorrow is…Parks Day! This annual celebration is designed to encourage Canadians to discover their local parks. To participate, you could take in the breathtaking views at a national park, visit a national historic site, or learn at your local national marine conservation area. Parks Canada locations across the country will be hosting fun, educational, and family-oriented events and activities. Visit this page to find some of the participating parks closest to you.

Wondering what some of the activities will be? If you’re in Alberta, you could enter a sandcastle-building competition, learn about bear safety, go on a scavenger hunt or enjoy a campfire. Of course, you can also embark on a hike, play at the beach, or take some beautiful photos. Click here to learn about Parks Day events in participating provincial parks in Alberta.

A large office supply company pioneered the idea of an easy button – one push and all your challenges fade away. What if you could make your trip to Canada’s national parks easier? Banff National Park staff has been trying to simplify outdoor adventures.

Last year Parks Canada launched Equipped Camping sites – a tent with sleeping pads is set up and waiting, removing the need to buy camping gear or stressing over how to assemble tent poles. At Two Jack Lakeside campground in 2013 Parks Canada constructed oTENTiks – sturdy tent/cabin hybrids to keep the rain out and your bones off the ground.

oTENTik

Both initiatives have been popular – the oTENTiks are fully booked most of the summer – and now the Red Chairs are coming to Banff National Park. The idea for the chairs came from Gros Morne National Park where pairs of red Adirondack-style chairs were installed hoping visitors would sit and ponder great views. The chairs were so popular, “there were line-ups to sit in some the chairs,” recalled Greg Danchuk, Visitor Experience Manager at Banff National Park.

Now visitors can relax in the red chairs at several locations in Banff National Park such as the Hoodoos interpretive trail or at the Valleyview picnic area. “We placed them in places that are very easy to get to,” said Danchuk. There are nine pairs of chairs in the park with the possibility of adding more.

Although some people raised concerns initially that the chairs would encourage environmental overuse, Danchuk stresses, “They are not placed in the backcountry or hard-to-find areas. We would also never place them on rehabilitated ground. We will monitor them to see if there are any negative impacts but so far there has been no significant problems.”

From 2006 to 2011 attendance at national parks dropped. Concerned about the decrease, Parks Canada saw attracting new Canadians as a way to rebuild visitation. But with more Canadians living in cities, outdoor skills can be rusty or non-existent. Making it easier for people to experience the outdoors is a strategy being tried by park planners across North America and it seems to be attracting new customers to Banff National Park. “We project a 7% increase in Banff park visitation for the year ending March 31, 2015 and we think some of that increase is from initiatives like oTENTiks, Equipped Campsites and the Red Chairs that make it easier to enjoy nature.”

oTENTiks interior

By Carol Patterson

About the Author: Carol’s keynote speech and workshops helps Inspire Everyday Explorers to chart their business path to new ideas and fresh solutions. She shows you how to use an explorer’s curiosity to create the unusual out the everyday and open exciting new opportunities for yourself!

Carol’s travel writing is featured in the Red Deer Advocate, BBC Travel and Vacay.ca and she is the author of several books including The Business of Ecotourism and Handle With Care: Developing a Nature Based Tourism Product in the North.  She also uses film to communicate; Nature Scapes, her film on engaging youth in the outdoors, has won awards for cinematography and sound design.

Like her on Facebook at Carol Patterson Nature Travel Gal or follow her on Twitter @ Reinventure for weekly examples of innovation through exploration.

www.carolpatterson.ca

The Canadian mountain parks are known for their natural beauty, and the wildflowers of Waterton Lakes National Park are particularly breathtaking. You can view the stunning beauty for yourself during the 12th Annual Waterton Wildflower Festival. From June 19-27, 2015, the Waterton Park Community Association will hold more than 80 workshops on photography and art, guided walks on plant identification and park ecosystems, family programs, lunchtime and evening photographic presentations and local entertainment. The events will be led by highly qualified professionals, and you won’t want to miss them. Make your reservations online today! Here’s a list of a few of the activities:

• Wildflower Photography and Painting
• Wildflower Identification
• Wildflower Connections
• Wildflowers by Horseback and by Cruise and even by canoe
• Afternoon Tea with Local Experts

Download the complete Interactive PDF Schedule and the Program At-A-Glance here.

Remember to set aside some time to enjoy the scenery and explore the park. Waterton Lakes National Park is home to 1,000 vascular plant species, including half of all wildflower species found in Alberta. Some of the species are rare, so getting to view them is a special treat!

Click here to read more about Waterton Lakes National Park.

Photo credit DeLee Grant

Our CEO Bob Harris met with David Dong this morning at The Camera Store.

David was the Grand Prize Winner in the Judges Category of our 9th annual reader Photo Contest for Experience the Mountain Parks. David’s prize was a $1,500 Gift Certificate graciously donated by Julian Ferreira and Peter Jeune, co-owners of The Camera Store.

Julian & Peter are pictured here along with David (second from left) and Chris Niccolls, TV Host for The Camera Store.

David was delighted with his prize and seemed to know exactly what he wanted to invest in – a new mirrorless Fuji camera. To learn more about the Fuji X-T1, follow this link.

We’re excited to announce the winners of our annual 2014 Experience the Mountain Parks Photo Contest! This past year’s entries were amazing, and we’d like to extend a hearty thank you to everyone who entered. Stay tuned for details about our 2015 Photo Contest. Meanwhile, head to the mountain parks and take some pictures for the next contest!

Our first place prize in the Judges category goes to… David Dong! David will receive an HD Camera Outfit  (worth $1,500), courtesy of The Camera Store in Calgary. He’ll also receive a gift certificate for a Guided Interpretive Icewalk at the Columbia Icefield in Jasper National Park – valid for up to 5 people  – courtesy of Athabasca Glacier Icewalks (worth $425). We hope he can use his new camera to take more beautiful pictures like the prize-winning picture “Good Morning” on his Glacier Icewalk and many other adventures.

“Good Morning” – by David Dong

Our second place winner in the Judges category is… Barry Philippson! Barry will receive 4 Ultimate Rockies Explorer Passes, courtesy of Brewster Travel Canada. The passes provide admission for 4 people to the Banff Gondola, Banff Lake Cruise, Glacier Adventure and Glacier Skywalk (worth $440). When he uses the Ultimate Rockies Explorer Passes he’s sure to see some other scenes as stunning as the one he captures in his winning photo “Rising Above the Clouds at Bow Lake.”

“Rising Above the Clouds at Bow Lake” – by Barry Philippson

We’d also like to recognize  James Anderson for receiving an Honourable Mention for his photo Turbulent Rundle. This dramatic black and white photo is amazing, too!

“Turbulent Rundle” – by James Anderson

And of course, we’d like to again extend our congratulations to the winner of the Voting Category, Tricia Reid. View her winning photo “Wilderness Tranquility” below.

“Wilderness tranquility” by Tricia Reid

Thank you to everyone who entered our 9th annual reader photo contest! The contest is now closed, and we’re pleased to announce the winner of the Voting Category. This picture takes top place with 862 votes, and the talented photographer is…Tricia Reid! Congratulations, Tricia. She’ll be receiving a Dream Getaway to Revelstoke, which includes:

• 2 night stay in a Luxury 2 Bedroom Suite for 4 at the Sutton Place Hotel at Revelstoke Mountain Resort (approx value $700)
  
• Adventure Tower Combo for 2 youths and 2 adults courtesy of SkyTrek Adventure Park ($175 value)
  
• Family Pass Gift Certificate for 2 adults & 2 children courtesy of Enchanted Forest ($38 value)
•  2 Full Day Paddle Board Rentals courtesy Free Spirit Sports ($100 value)
•  4 Complimentary Day Passes to The Revelstoke Railway Museum (value $40)
•  $30 Gift Certificate courtesy Crescendo Oil & Vinegar
•  Daily Group Pass for Mt. Revelstoke & Glacier National Parks courtesy Parks Canada

“Wilderness tranquility” by Tricia Reid

Stay tuned for the announcement of the first and second place winners in the Judges Category! It will take some time to evaluate the many amazing pictures, but we’ll make that announcement as soon as possible after the long Easter weekend.

We will announce the contest terms & prizes for the 10^th Annual Reader Photo Contest contest on May 15, 2015. Keep taking pictures in the Mountain Parks. We’d love to see them entered in the 2015 Contest!

Would you love to experience wonderful weather outdoors in the mountain parks this weekend? You can do the next best thing by perusing our stunning Experience the Mountain Parks Photo Contest entries and voting for your favourite! Your vote will help to determine the winner of the Voting Category award, who will receive a Dream Getaway to Revelstoke (courtesy of Revelstoke Mountain Resort).

“Folding-Mountain” – contest entry by Lloyd Dykstra

If this blog post reminds you of a great picture or two you took in the Mountain Parks, be sure to submit it by 11:59 pm on Tuesday, March 31! We’d love to see it. Even if your photo doesn’t receive many votes because it was submitted near the end of the contest, you still have the chance of winning First and Second place in the Judges category. The First Place winner will receive an HD Camera Outfit (courtesy of The Camera Store) and a guided Glacier Icewalk for up to five people (courtesy Athabasca Glacier Icewalks). The Second Place winner will receive 4 Ultimate Rockies Explorer Passes (courtesy of Brewster Travel Canada).

“Serene Malligne” – contest entry by James Anderson