Hiking is an activity that exposes participants to a wide range of natural and man-made hazards. The information on this site is a guide only, and all users of this site must rely on their own judgement of the hazards involved and of their physical ability.
The hikes described on this site are in the backcountry wilderness of some of the major mountain systems in North America. They might take you to areas where access is difficult and where arranging rescue can be problematic.
Every person using this site agrees by entering that they accept the risks involved in hiking these trails, and hold McMurdo Publications, its principals, employees and advertisers blameless for any misadventure that befalls them.
Bears: It is possible to encounter bears on every hike listed on this site. Hikers should know how to avoid bear encounters, and at the same time should be prepared to deal with them. There are a number of excellent books about bear avoidance. Our favorite is Bear Attacks: Their Causes and Avoidance by Stephen Herrero.
Another recommended read is The Bear Encounter Survival Guide by Gary James Shelton. Note that his other two books that describe bear attacks may convince you to stay in your car, but they don't give you much useful information about avoiding bear encounters.
There are two different words used here, and you need to be aware of the difference. A bear encounter is when you are walking along and suddenly say to yourself, "Oh my goodness, there's a bear." The bear may or may not experience a human encounter at the same time, where he says, "Oh my goodness, there's a human."
A bear attack, on the other hand, is when a bear decides a human is a threat to them, their offspring, or their food supply, and decides to do something about it. The trick to avoiding bear attacks is to manage encounters in such a way that they terminate when the bear is still a long ways away.
The first rule of hiking in bear country is to keep a sharp eye out. Constantly scan the terrain and watch for bears. If you understand bear habitat, this task is easier.
The second rule is make noise when you think you are in bear habitat. Yelling, talking, yodelling... let any bear know you are there. This is especially important when crossing lush slide paths, where the vegetation will reduce visibility to near zero. Some people are reluctant to do this because they think they will look like idiots if what's coming is not a bear, but another hiker. Don't worry. Other hikers will be doing the same thing, if they have any sense at all.
The third rule is when you find you are sharing a space with a bear, leave. Don't turn and run, but back away slowly. I try to talk calmly with the bear at the same time. I don't know if it calms the bear, but it works wonders with me.
It is now considered prudent to carry pepper spray or bear spray while hiking in bear country. There are a few things to keep in mind with this. First, spray is no good to you during a bear encounter if it's in your pack. There will be no time to pull it out. Wear it on your belt.
Second, bear spray is effective only at extremely close range. A story will illustrate this. A number of years ago, an experienced hiker met a bear in Mt. Assiniboine Provincial Park. While backing away, the hiker tripped and fell on his butt. The bear, a grizzly sow, charged him and sank her teeth into the heel of his hiking boot. He nailed her with the bear spray and she took off. Now, that is an effective range.
Visitors from the United States should note that carrying a sidearm is not an option in Canada, and there are serious criminal penalties for doing so.
And, to put things in perspective... you are far more likely to be injured while driving to the trailhead than you are in a bear attack while hiking.
Cougars: Cougar attacks are extremely rare, but get great media coverage. There are cougars in this area, there have been fatal cougar attacks in the Rockies, and most people who live, work and hike in the mountains can go their entire life without ever seeing a cougar.
Because they are so rare, cougar attacks are not well understood or studied. It seems when a cougar attacks, they chose children, women of smaller stature, and dogs. If you encounter a cougar, make yourself look as big as possible. Bear spray has been used successfully in cougar attacks.
Elk: Elk can be dangerous at any time, but especially during the fall rut. They are big and have pointy horns. Don't annoy them. (There is a postcard available in Banff of a group of tourists lined up on one side of a tree, and one really annoyed bull elk, head down and ready to charge, on the other side. It's funny only because no one was hurt.)
Porcupine: No, it's not what you think. Sure, they have quills, but the real danger is that porcupines like salt. They really like the road salt that builts up on the rubber parts of your vehicle. Tires, gas lines, and so on. In persuing this salt, they can destroy the tasty but essential car part, and make it impossible to get your vehicle back to civilization. The solution is to wrap chicken wire around your car if you are leaving it for more than a day. If you go up to Bugaboo Provincial Park, for example, you'll probably find rolls of chicken wire left behind. Feel free to use them if they are not currently wrapped around a car.
Ticks: Ticks are small insects that burrow into your body and can, in rare cases, lead to some serious medical problems. They are prevalent on grassy slopes in the Rockies, especially in the early summer. Wear long pants while hiking, and have someone check your body all over for ticks after your hike.
Weather: Weather can make or break your hike, and mountain weather can change very quickly. Rule one is always keep an eye on the weather. Be aware that at higher elevations, it can snow on any day of the year.
Another major weather hazard is lightning. Watch for thunderheads, and if one is coming, get off the ridge or peak.
Creeks: Creeks and rivers can be hazardous during June and July in this area, as the spring melt continues up high to feed them. They can also rise quickly during a rain event, as warm rain falls on isothermic snow in alpine bowls. It might not be raining where you are, but rain higher up the mountain can quickly have consequences below.
Cornices: Cornices are areas of snow that build up on the lee side of peaks and ridges during the winter and are the last patches to melt in the summer. They frequently form at the top of cliffs. They are extremely dangerous to walk on. Unfortunately, some visiting hikers think a photo of themselves standing on a cornice would make a great souvenir to send home. Don't do this. A photo of your broken body lying at the bottom of the cliff is not so great a souvenir.
Cliffs: Many of these hikes go near, around, and on top of cliffs. Stay away from the edges. Sounds simple, but...
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