ESCAPE THE CROWDS: Larch Trees, Saddle Mountain Hike

Описание: Saddle Mountain in Banff National Park is a fantastic fall hike, especially during larch season when the trees turn a brilliant gold. The trail starts at Lake Louise and leads up to Saddleback Pass, offering stunning views of Mount Temple, Paradise Valley, and the Bow Valley. If you're feeling adventurous, you can extend the hike to Sheol Valley or even summit Saddle Mountain for panoramic views. Canadian Rockies Hike.

September 21/2021 Summer Hike

Today we are in Banff National Park, at Lake Louise and we will be summiting Saddle Mountain. As an added bonus, it’s Larch Season. The trail is 10.2 kilometers out and back, with an elevation gain of 670 meters.

In order to get to this trail, you have to park at Lake Louise. This parking lot can fill up very fast, so it is best to get there early. Shuttles are also available from various locations to bring you to the lake. Once at the lake take a left as you want to hike up to Saddleback Pass. For the first 1.6 kilometers the trail has a gradual incline, and you will be in the trees. As it starts to open up, you will get a beautiful view of the Bow Valley. Then you get back into the tress and the trail gets steeper with switchbacks. At 2.7K you will come to another intersection in the trail. To the left is the main trail, which is a little more gradual. To the right is a shorter trail but steeper. I chose the right trail. At 3.1K it really opens up and you can see Saddle Mountain in front of you. At 3.6K you will now be surrounded by Larch Trees. Soon there will be a whole bunch of switchbacks which offer stunning views in all directions. At 4.3K the trail levels off, and you have mountains on all sides of you. At 4.5K you will reach the top of Saddleback Pass. This is a great place to take a break. If you want to summit Fairview Mountain you go one way, and if you want to summit Saddle Mountain you go the other way. Most of the people only hiked up to here. As you approach Saddle Mountain you will be walking through a magical bunch of Larch Trees. You will now have to start climbing up rocks and as you near the top there is a little bit of hands on scrambling. At 5.3K you will have reached the summit. Spectacular views in all directions. I had the summit all to myself, which was great.

If you want to do a Larch Tree hike, and not be overwhelmed with other people, this is the hike for you.

This is my 66th video. Thank you very much for watching. If you enjoyed this video, please give it a thumbs up. If you would like to see my other hiking videos, subscribe to my channel, LIVE ON ALBERTA. I feature over 60 different hiking videos. CHEERS
Thank you,
Cary Mason
#hikingalberta #canadianrockies #travelalberta #banff #lakelouise #larchtrees #hiking
Email - [email protected]
Instagram –   / carywmason