Tonquin Valley Backpacking

Day 1: Canmore to Portal Campground

At 7 am we meet at the Yamnuska Mountain Adventures classroom in Canmore. We’ll go over the trip with you and check to see that you are properly outfitted before leaving for the Tonquin Valley.

We drive (4 hours) along what is arguably one of the most spectacular highways in the world, the Banff – Jasper Parkway to the town of Jasper. We will stop en-route to stretch our legs at the Columbia Icefields. Shortly before reaching the town of Jasper, we arrive at our trailhead on the Marmot Basin Ski Hill road. From there we shoulder our packs and follow Portal Creek to our first campground of the trail with stunning views of Oldhorn Mountain on the horizon. Distance 8.7 km. Elevation Gain 350 metres.

Day 2: Portal Campground to Amethyst Lakes

Today will be a memorable day of backpacking in the Canadian Rockies. Leaving Portal Camp behind us, we gain the stunning Maccarib Pass after 3.7 km of easy climbing. The meadows surrounding the pass are expansive, and if lucky, we may have the opportunity to see one of Jasper’s elusive and rare caribou that live in the area. From the pass, we’ll continue along Maccarib Creek until arriving at the shores of Amethyst Lake. The views of the imposing Ramparts from the shores of Amethyst Lake are not to be soon forgotten. Our campground for the night is an easy 45 minutes further down the trail. Distance 14.2 km. Elevation gain 155m, loss 180 m.

Day 3: Amethyst Lakes to Astoria Camp

After soaking in the sunrise on the east face of the Ramparts, we break camp and head southeast towards the flank of Oldhorn Mountain. En route we will pass a lodge and several campgrounds, slowly climbing higher above the lakeshore, with views ever-improving. After several hours of hiking, we reach an active rockslide on the southern side of Oldhorn mountain, where we descend a series of switchbacks down to the valley floor and the Astoria River. After an easy hour of walking along the Astoria River, we will reach our final campground. Distance 13.3 km. Elevation gain 50 metres, loss 325 metres.

Day 4: Astoria Camp to Canmore

After a leisurely morning in camp, we will depart our Astoria camp and hike the remaining 7 kilometres to our van awaiting us near the Cavell Hostel. If time and energy permit, there are several easy hiking trails to explore under the stunning Mt. Edith Cavell, one of the famed 11,000-foot peaks of the Canadian Rockies. From there we will drive back down the Icefields Parkway, returning to Canmore. Distance 6.8 km, Elevation gain 25 metres.

Itinerary Disclaimer: Please note that the itinerary listed above may be subject to change based on mountain conditions and/or campsite availability. Every effort will be made to operate tours as planned, but changes may occur. We do our very best to follow the same trails as listed in the itinerary, with only minor changes to the daily distances and/or campsites. Your confirmed itinerary will be provided in your pre-trip email, 1 week prior to departure. In the rare case of  a significant change to the itinerary, you will be notified immediately. Please feel to contact us with any questions.

Meeting Place and Time

We will meet you at our Yamnuska Mountain Adventures classroom at 7.00 am on the morning of Day 1.

Our office is located at #100, 50 Lincoln Park, Canmore. See this map for location.

For your greater convenience, we offer a shuttle service within Canmore. Please let us know in advance where you will be staying if needing this service. Pickup will occur between 6:30 and 6:45 am.

Please ensure that you have your hiking equipment with you.

Guides and Group Size

Yamnuska Mountain Adventure guides are certified through the Association of Canadian Mountain Guides. Our professional guides have extensive experience in the Canadian Rockies. Guides also have advanced wilderness first aid training and heritage interpretation accreditation. Guides carry emergency equipment including a first aid kit, bear spray, and radio.

Accommodation and Meals

On the trail you will be sharing modern, lightweight 2- and 3-person weather-proof tents.

Accommodation in Canmore is not included. A variety of accommodation options exist in both Canmore and Banff, including campsites, hostels, all levels of hotels as well as condo-style accommodation with kitchens or suites.  We recommend that you book your own pre and post-trip accommodations well in advance as all levels of accommodations in the Bow Valley fill quickly.

Excess luggage can be left at your hotel or our office.

We supply all meals and trail snacks from lunch on Day 1 to lunch on Day 4. Groups generally go out for dinner in Canmore on the final evening (own cost).

Trail cuisine is constructed from lightweight ingredients including our Yamnuska custom-made dehydrated dinners.

For guests with dietary restrictions, we are able to modify the program food pack to meet your individual needs.  As food pricing and preparation for these diets is more costly, there is a surcharge.  Our kitchen staff will assess your restrictions to inform you if the diet can be accommodated and what surcharge would apply. Vegetarian meals will not be surcharged.

Please let us know the details by filling out a Food Questionnaire when you sign up for the program.

Getting to Canmore and Transportation

Canmore is situated 100km (65miles) west of Calgary on the Trans-Canada Highway. Calgary International Airport is well connected to major cities throughout North America and Europe. Once in Canmore, we will supply all the transport needed for the trip. For those guests wishing to complete the trip in Jasper and continue their personal travels from there, it is possible for the guide to arrange a drop-off in Jasper at the end of the trip.

Frequent shuttles connect Calgary International Airport and Canmore. Banff Airporter is the best way to get between Calgary Airport and Canmore/Banff. When you book with Yamnuska Mountain Adventures you will receive a 15% discount on Banff Airporter Scheduled Services.

Park Passes

Please note that program venues may be within National Parks and/or Kananaskis Country. For programs where transportation is not provided by Yamnuska/Canadian Rockies Hiking by Yamnuska, guests will be required to purchase their own pass.

National Park passes are available both online at https://www.pc.gc.ca/en/voyage-travel/admission and in-person at National park gates and some information centres.

Kananaskis Country conservation passes are available online at https://www.alberta.ca/kananaskis-conservation-pass.aspx

Equipment and Clothing

We supply group camping and cooking equipment, as well as an emergency communication device, trip food, bear spray, water purification equipment, and a full expedition emergency first-aid kit. You will need to bring personal backpacking equipment and clothing. When purchasing gear consider both functionality as well as weight. Lightweight packs, sleeping bags, sleeping mats, and clothing are readily available and will lighten your load substantially.

What you bring will have a big impact on the quality of your experience. Please take the time to read the information below, and cross-check with our Traveling Light and Making Backpacking Fun. The list below will keep you very comfortable in the field. Make sure you have all your clothing and gear before you arrive, and reserve any rentals with us in advance. Your guide will go through your clothing and gear with you prior to the trip.

Clothing List

When hiking in the mountains, it is important to be able to adjust to the changing conditions. We recommend bringing clothing that can be layered to achieve comfort as you change from periods of activity to periods of rest. We discourage cotton clothing as it causes rapid heat loss when wet.

You will need to bring:

• Wool or fleece hat/toque 
• Sunhat – Wide brim or baseball style
• Long underwear top and bottoms – Lightweight synthetic or merino wool
• Socks – Preferably a synthetic/merino wool blend. Bring at least three pairs.
• Light Synthetic Shirt
• Jacket – A midweight synthetic
• Insulated Jacket – synthetic or down jacket
• Waterproof / Breathable Rain Jacket
• Rain Pants – Also waterproof/breathable. Ideally with side zips, so they can be put on without taking off your boots.
• Hiking Pants – Preferably windproof and quick drying. No blue jeans or cotton pants.
• Light Gloves / Mitts
• Light Footwear – Crocs, Tevas, or running shoes for the occasional creek crossing and use around camp.

Equipment List

You will need to bring:

• Boots – Spend some time walking around in your boots before you arrive for your trip and get used to how they feel. They should have good ankle support and tread, with sturdy soles. Your boots will make or break your holiday so some time getting used to them is time well spent. Ensure they have been waterproofed or have a good waterproof liner material.
• Gaiters – Recommended early & late season. Really help to keep feet dry, keep socks and pants clean from mud and keep debris out of your boots.
• Large Backpack – This should be between 55 and 75 Liter capacity depending on the bulk of your personal gear and length of the trip. In it, you will carry your clothing, sleeping bag and mat, plus your share of group camping gear and food which is typically an extra 10 – 20 litres of space. Lightweight packs with good suspension are recommended. If bringing an additional day pack, this should be very light and compressible in order to fit inside the bigger pack on the approach hike.
• Pack Cover – This should be waterproof and large enough to cover the outside of your pack to keep the contents dry in a rainstorm. You can also line the inside of your stuff sacks with plastic bags to keep gear dry.
• Sleeping Bag – We recommend a ‘3 season’ bag rated 0ºC to –6ºC as temperatures can drop to below freezing at night. Make sure you bring a stuff sac lined with a plastic garbage bag that will reduce your bag to its minimum size (i.e. one with compression straps). This will provide enough space in your pack for everything else.  A down bag will be lighter and more compressible for the weight than a synthetic bag.
• Sleeping Mat – Lightweight “Therm-a-rest” mats are recommended (Not Required on Wapta Ice Hike and Lake O’Hara Hiking Tour).
• Pillow – A small, compressible pillow or a spare stuff sack into which you can stuff extra clothes to create a pillow.
• Trekking Poles – Must be collapsible.
• Sunglasses – With 100% UV protection and a hard case.
• Headlamp – With fresh batteries
• Water Bottle / Bladder – 1-2 litre capacity.
• Blister Kit – Moleskin, Second Skin, etc.
• Personal First Aid Kit – Our guide carries a group first aid kit so keep this small. Band-Aids, Tylenol/ibuprofen, etc.
• Camera
• Sun Block & Lip Balm – Extra strength with UV protection.
• Personal Toiletries including hand sanitizer– Keep to a minimum with no scented items.
• Insect repellent

Contact us if you have any questions or concerns or check out our latest video on how to pack your backpack.

Please book as early as practical to avoid disappointment. A 35% deposit CDN (including GST) is required at the time of booking. The final payment is due eight weeks before the start of the trip.

For detailed Booking Instructions and Conditions, click here.

Please note that you will be required to sign our waiver before commencing the trip. Click here for a waiver copy.

Please don’t hesitate to contact us if you need to know anything else about this hike.

The Simpson Group offers a wide range of travel insurance options including Trip Cancellation/Interruption, Travel Medical, and Personal Effect Loss for both Canadian and International Travelers. Other providers offer similar services and we encourage you to select an appropriate level of coverage. We highly recommend purchasing this insurance to cover and protect you against unforeseen events. The two basic types of insurance that most travellers need to consider are Medical and Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance.

Insurance Risk 
One of the ways to mitigate risk is by purchasing appropriate insurance. Simpson Group Insurance Services who are travel & health risk specialists, work with technical and high-risk insurance solutions both in medical and non-medical spheres.  We highly recommend that you review your insurance needs to cover and protect you against unforeseen events. It is wise to ensure that your health plan will cover you in case of illness or accident during your trip. Simpson Group have a team standing by to answer any of your questions.

Emergency Medical Evacuation
While there is typically no charge for search & rescue in the National and Provincial Parks for active pass holders, costs such as air & ground ambulance after the rescue are not covered by your park pass. The chance of a large bill associated with this risk is a real possibility.

For Canadians
A common myth is that healthcare across provinces is fully covered. There are many things which do not carry interprovincial agreements. Ambulance services, medical evacuation, and some services which one province charges more than another you’d be responsible to pay the difference.

For Internationals
A common myth is that healthcare in Canada is free. Although it is less expensive than US healthcare, charges for non-residents can still be very high. Proper medical health insurance is essential if you were to get injured. Most coverages exclude rock climbing, mountaineering, ice climbing, backcountry skiing and the like. Simpson Group can make sure all those risks are well covered.

Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance
We recognize that our guests’ schedules may change for many reasons, business, family, flight delays, injuries, and other unplanned events.  For these eventualities, Trip Cancellation/Interruption insurance is a great way to protect your investment. We can assure you that circumstances do arise that prevent guests from participating in trips or courses and trip cancellation & interruption insurance is a relatively easy way to manage your level of risk of unforeseen events.

For all your travel insurance requirements we recommend Simpson Group Insurance Services.  For more information and to purchase a plan, visit Simpson Group’s website.