Hiking Mt. Bourgeau

In the depths of a cold snap this January, Billy and I started planning our hiking season for this summer. Last summer, we didn’t get out much since we were focused on working – he started a new job and we launched a new small business. From this experience, I learned that the majority of Edmontonians are ALL FUN, NO WORK from the months May to September.

We felt the change and missed the carefree fun we enjoyed in blissful ignorance before our summer of work. This summer is going to be about fun, exploration, and no expectations.

Our last BIG hike was Mt. Bourgeau, August 2017. Here are the stats from our trusty manual, Don’t Waste Your Time in the Canadian Rockies.

Location: Banff National Park
Round Trip: 24 km to summit
Elevation Gain: 1530 m to summit
Hiking Time: 6 to 8 hours for summit
Difficulty: Moderate to pass, challenging to summit due to elevation gain

Italicizing the last part is my way to emphasize that this hike kicked my butt but the views were incredible. I finished this hike super sore, ready to lay face-down on the path about 2 km from our car, and grumpy – but then again its the hike that I reflect back to the most, almost two years later. So is the challenge worth it? Hell yes. Make sure you are hiking with someone that can handle your potential belly-aching and will give you a nudge to finish.