Classic Hikes in the Canadian Rockies (Altitude Superguides) [Paperback]

Graeme Pole (Author)

Book Description

Series: Altitude Superguides | Publication Date: July 1, 1999

A comprehensive guide to all the best hikes in Canada's Rocky Mountains. From day trips to extended overnight adventures, this book provides you with the information you need to experience the magnificent mountain environment of the Canadian Rockies.

Each hike is introduced with detailed route and trailhead instructions. Full color maps indicate the location and direction of each hike and point out the outstanding landscape features. The hike descriptions are supplemented with important information on history, geology, nature, as well as side-trip options.

The book includes information on bears, hiking equipment, how to handle backcountry problems, how to "leave no trace," tips on cooking, food and drinking water, as well as equipment checklists, off-season suggestions, rainy-day options and how to get to each trailhead, even without a vehicle.

This book is ideal for all those who love experiencing the outdoors - from novice hiker to seasoned backcountry veteran. If you want to hike the Rockies, this is the book to inspire and guide you.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

The most informative guidebook to hiking in the Canadian Rockies is now even better. Completely rewritten, with 14 new hikes, new maps, and new photographs, Classic Hikes in the Canadian Rockies is your guide to 63 backpacking trips and day-hikes Û the best in Banff, Jasper, Yoho, Kootenay, Mt. Robson, Mt. Assiniboine, Waterton, Peter Lougheed, and Akamina-Kishenina parks. The hike descriptions include information on history, geology, nature, and side-trip options. The reference material features bear safety information and describes the Ïhow toÓ of minimum impact travel. For the novice hiker to the seasoned backpacker, Classic Hikes in the Canadian Rockies will enrich the experience of every backcountry adventure. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Graeme Pole has been writing professionally since 1989. He is the best-selling author and photographer of six non-fiction books that describe the human history and the natural history of western Canada: Canadian Rockies SuperGuide (1991, 1997), The Canadian Rockies: A History in Photographs (1991), Walks and Easy Hikes in the Canadian Rockies (1992, 1996), Classic Hikes in the Canadian Rockies (1994, 2003), The Spiral Tunnels and The Big Hill (1996) and David Thompson (2003).He has written and published one novel, Healy Park (1998). His wilderness essays and photography have been widely circulated.

Graeme's books have aggregate annual sales of more than thirty thousand copies. Three of his titles have been finalists in the Banff Mountain Book Festival. Classic Hikes in the Canadian Rockies won the Mountain Exposition category at the inaugural festival in 1994. Graeme has been a runner-up for the Andy Russell Nature Writers' Award (1995), a finalist in the Crown of the Continent Nature Writing Award (1998), and in 1997 received a Northwest Outdoor Writers' Association "Excellence in Craft Award," and the inaugural Teddi Brown Award for Nature Writing, for which he was also runner-up. Healy Park was a "Staff Pick" at the Calgary Public Library, and was published to favourable reviews in 1998.

Graeme continues to write fiction and non-fiction. He has circulated an illustrated anthology of landscape essays, yet to be published, and has a novel, set in coastal BC, on the back burner. He lives with his family near Hazelton in northwestern BC, where he serves as a paramedic.

Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Altitude Pub Canada Ltd (July 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1551537060
• ISBN-13: 978-1551537061
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.9 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #516,839 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Graeme Pole has been trooping around the Canadian Rockies for almost 30 years, and has been writing about the human history and the natural history of western Canada since 1989. His catalogue includes eleven published books with cumulative sales of more than 300,000 copies. Graeme lives with his family near Hazelton in northwestern BC, where he serves as a paramedic. Hold that thought; there goes the pager....
Visit his website: http://mountainvision.ca

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great descriptions and pictures but not complete, March 24, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Classic Hikes in the Canadian Rockies (Altitude Superguides) (Paperback)

This is a really good guidebook if the hike you want is covered. The pictures really whet your appetite and are generally fairly high quality. The descriptions are good but sometimes only focus solely on the suggested hike. This can be a problem in some areas (like Lake O'Hara for example) have a lot of options and other trails that are not covered (on the bright side the suggested hikeis wonderful). If you want to focus on the highlights of the Canadian Rockies, this guidebook is a great choice. If you want a more complete guide of all the options available, you may need a different guidebook. Personally, I would buy both this and a more complete guidebook like "Canadian Rockies Trail Guide."

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Choose a hike and take the one page description with you., September 1, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Classic Hikes in the Canadian Rockies (Altitude Superguides) (Hardcover)

The key to "Classic Hikes in the Canadian Rockies, Binder Edition" is the word Binder. Choose a hike, remove the page and insert it in the protective plastic envelope provided. Leave the book at home! Each hike outlines trail location, distance, and elevation. A knowledgeable description follows. Tastefully integrated are photographs and highlighted vignettes. For example, read the words of explorer Walter Wilcox upon his discovery of Paradise Valley in 1894! One is delighted by Graeme Pole's keen attention to detail: turn a page and see animal tracks padding across it, another page reveals a silouette of a mountain flower. The only way to improve Classic Hikes is to personalize it with your notes in the margins.