Summer Hiking & Maps
Guests at Mistaya Lodge have guided hiking included in their vacation package. WildCat Cabin guests have the option of hiring one of our ACMG certified hiking guides. Guests with hiking experience who choose not to have a guide must bring all necessary equipment to ensure a successful and safe experience. In addition to the printable list of hike descriptions, maps of the area are available for purchase at the lodge.
Interactive Map
Hike Options
The proximity of Mistaya Lodge to an abundance of interesting alpine terrain in the Canadian Rocky Mountains makes it an ideal base for exploring the heather fields, lakes and flowers, ascents of spectacular peaks, glacier tours, and instruction in a variety of skills. We can arrange day hikes that suit individual abilities from novice to advanced.
In the lower portions of the basin, trails provide efficient access to prominent features and help to prevent damage to the fragile alpine vegetation. In keeping with the essence of the pristine wilderness, there are marked routes rather than developed trails in the upper reaches of the basin.
Our on-site hiking guides offer non-technical ascents. These are single day ascents of between 2,600 and 3,400 vertical feet which require sturdy hiking boots, reasonable balance and stamina, and favourable weather.
Click here for a printable list of Popular Hike Descriptions.
Hiking Equipment
Guests travelling with one of our Mistaya Lodge hiking guides need to bring appropriate mountain travel gear that will keep them comfortable in the variety of weather conditions that the Canadian Rocky Mountains has to offer:
- good quality lug-soled hiking boots, recently treated with waterproofing agent
- a light day pack big enough to carry the essentials:
- rain gear
- wind jacket
- sweater
- light gloves
- sun hat and cold weather hat
- sunglasses
- camera
- sunscreen
- Blister prevention kit
- water bottle
- lunch (prepared for Mistaya Lodge guests)
In addition, experienced self-guided hikers who are not travelling with a guide will need all the necessary equipment for navigation and safety to ensure a good experience.
Mountaineering
In addition to your Mistaya Vacation package that has hiking guiding included, we can also arrange for Full Mountain Guides. With a mountain guide there are many options for technical snow, ice, and rock climbing. We can arrange mountaineering climbs, trips, and courses that suit individual abilities from novice to advanced. All technical mountaineering trips are led by professional certified mountain guides, who must be requested for this purpose. Please contact us well in advance of your trip to arrange for employment of a guide.
Due to the remote location of the lodge and travel time required, a guide hired for these technical routes normally requires the client to guarantee payment for 2 or 3 days of work regardless of whether or not conditions allow the desired routes to be attempted.
Terrain
Latitude/Longitude of Mistaya Lodge: 51.698736, -116.634464
Find us on Topo Map: 82 north/10 Blaeberry River
Orient yourself to some of the more notable and dramatic terrain features at Mistaya Lodge:
Mistaya Mountain
Mount Baker
Wapta Icefield
Note on the Geology of the Canadian Rocky Mountains
The Canadian Rockies are composed of sedimentary rocks, shale, sandstone, limestone and quartzite, whose origin is the deposition of sediments in an inland sea. The geological formations of the mountains of Banff are dated between Precambrian and Jurassic. The mountains which are formed there are 80 to 120 million years old.
