Backpacking the Rockwall Highline

You’ll need to arrive in Canmore a day ahead of your first hike to make sure everyone’s gear is ready to go. It’s an early start in the morning, so find yourself a comfy hotel bed and rest up.

Begin our adventure from the Paint Pots, a source of red ochre clay used by indigenous communities. You’ll hike along Ochre and Helmet Creeks, passing through mature forests to tonight’s campsite. You’ll be right in the middle of a stunning cirque dominated by one of the largest waterfalls in the Rockies, Helmet Falls (352 metres).

Watch for mountain goats on the cirque as you set up camp and eat dinner together.

Today and through the rest of the tour, you won’t stray too far from the lush subalpine meadows the Rockwall Highline is famous for. Hike out to Goodsir Pass, where stellar mountain views can be appreciated. Climb up through the larch forests to walk the ridges above the pass before descending back to camp.

Today is going to be a stunning one! Hike to the base of Limestone Peak and the northern end of the Rockwall. You’ll hike through flower-dotted meadows, making a side trip to Wolverine Pass, an impressive cleft in the Rockwall. From the cleft, look over the jagged spires of the Bugaboos to the west.

Drop down into the head of Tumbling Creek to make camp.

An easier trail takes you up to Tumbling Pass this morning, where you can snap photos of Tumbling Glacier (not tumbling very far, usually). The pass is gorgeous, with larches and wildflowers flanking you. On the pass, you can choose some ridgewalks to maximize your views.

Take a long descent into Numa Creek, where you’ll camp tonight.

After coffee at camp, start hiking through Numa Pass, the highest point of your trail. The views here are exceptional! You’ll descend to Flow Lake, one of the most beautiful places in the Rockies, with its waters speckled with fallen ice. You’ll get to camp right next to this magical lake tonight.

It’s your last day! It’ll be bittersweet as you pack up camp and hike through a forest regenerating after a forest fire in 2003. Watch for flowering perennials taking advantage of the extra sunlight.

Arriving at the van and driving back to Canmore, you’ll feel equally accomplished, satisfied, and sad to be leaving. You can choose to go out for dinner tonight with the grou to toast your journey if you’d like!