Larch Valley | Part Two

As I said in my last post about Larch Valley it is easy to see why hoards of locals & tourists flock to this area in the autumn to view the stunning colours of larch trees. Although there are a good handful of hikes you can see this trees Larch Valley stands out for its panoramic views of the 10 peaks that stand tall behind the trees.

This year my partner & I decided to do the hike a little differently. Instead of driving all through the night & trying to get an hour of sleep in the car before we hit the trail we decide to stay the night in Banff & do the hike before the sun came up. We had pho to get our bellies nice & full then turned in as early as we good to get some rest. The alarm went off at 1am & we packed up & headed to the trail. After a quick snack we laced up our shoes, put on our jackets, turned the head lamps on & headed up the trail.

There are no words to describe the feeling I get when I see that first ray of sun hit the peaks. The best way to describe the feeling is magic & just when you think it cannot get any better the sun hits those golden larches. This was my first hike in the dark for sunrise & definitely will not be the last. One hikes like this that literally see bus loads of people I do not take for granted being on of the few who made the hike up for sunrise.

This Valley will forever hold a place in my heart. I hope with the change to not allow personal vehicles up the road that I will still get to experience the magic that is Larch Valley & the Valley of 10 peaks.

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Here is more from my hike through the dark for sunrise at Larch Valley