Snowpatch Spire - cc by pmc (Wikipedia)

Topography of the Bugaboos

The rugged terrain and region’s limited access call for dedication and a level of skill beyond the level of casual day hiker.  But for those willing to prepare and make the effort, the Bugaboos provide the ultimate climbing, hiking and skiing experiences.

MapSherpa can be used to create both regional topographic maps for planning purposes as well as more detailed maps to support specific climb or hike activities.

Bugaboo Region

Self-directed activities are possible or if you are more comfortable, choose from one of several guiding operations that can lead you. The Alpine Club of Canada maintains Conrad Kain Hut approximately 4 hours from the road as a base for climbers and skiers.

Custom Maps of the Bugaboos with MapSherpa

With MapSherpa you can create your own custom maps of the Bugaboos for the for the area where you are planning your excursion. Just search for Bugaboo Glacier Park, and click on the result which will take you to a topographic map of the mountains that you can customize.

The National Capital Commission is in charge of Gatineau Park and they keep the majority of the trails maintained during the winter season. Their web page is full of information regarding the state of the different trails in the park and what access roads are available. A day pass to the park costs $12 which is used to support trail maintenance.

Des Loupes Wolf Trail

The Des Loupes/Wolf Trail is a fairly well known, longer trail that is used all year round.  While it is a moderate 8km loop, the NCC still recommends it for snow shoeing as you can turn back whenever you like.   If you’re really feeling up to it, you can always search for the geocaches that are hidden along this route as well. This route climbs about 200 meters on the loop, so it can be a bit difficult if you are just starting out snow shoeing.   Make sure to check the weather conditions before you go out on a longer trek like this, as a storm could leave you stranded. Also, this route crosses a few streams and goes near some boggy areas. If the weather has gotten too warm, you may have to turn back before you intended. Play it safe and leave something like a MapSherpa topographic map with someone so they know where you are going.

Custom Maps of Gatineau Park with MapSherpa

With MapSherpa you can create your own custom map of Gatineau Park for the for the area you plan go ski. Just search for Gatineau Park, and click on the result which will take you to a topographic map of the park that you can customize.

Cross Country Skiing in Saskatchewan

Topography of Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park

One of the more interesting places to visit is Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park, straddling the Alberta / Saskatchewan border. The highest point between the Appalachians and the Rocky Mountains, Cypress Hills has geography, geology and biology unique to the area. This means that you can cross country ski in the hills when you often can’t in nearby areas. As always with winter sports, do check ahead to see if they have snow. That corner of the province gets the least amount of precipitation, but often by Christmas time, there’s enough snow on the ground for snowshoeing and cross country skiing.

Attractions at Cypress Hills

The majority of places that you can stay are within the bounds of the map below. There are some nice cabins that you can rent in the winter that you can pretty much ski, snowshoe or snowmobile out of – but you can get your car up on the other side as well. There are no trails marked here because it seemed that you could ski almost anywhere.  We skiied on the lakes, through summer-only campgrounds, next to roads, anywhere that there was enough snow. Our preferences were anywhere with trees, so that the trees sheltered us from the wind. The snowmobilers also tend to go on the lakes more often so we steered clear.

Make sure that you have a map to get out to the park, since it’s a fairly isolated but beautiful place.

A Topographical Map of the Townsite of Cypress Hills Provincial Park

Custom Maps of Cypress Hills with MapSherpa

With MapSherpa you can create your own custom map of Cypress Hills Provincial Park for the for the area you plan go ski. Just search for Cypress Hills, and click on the result which will take you to a topographic map of the park that you can customize.

Winterlude Schedule

Winterlude has been going on for 32 years and doesn’t seem to show any signs of disappearing soon. This year, Winterlude starts February 5th and runs until February 21, 2010. The Taste of Winterlude, where restaurants have created fixed price menus for $25 to $65, started January 28th and will continue until the end of Winterlude.

MapSherpa topographical map showing Winterlude locations

Winterlude Events around Ottawa

The Winterlude Opening on Friday night introduces the locals and tourists alike to Winterlude. There will be musical entertainment on and near the Rideau Canal from 7 to 11 pm, as well as at some nearby museums like the Canadian Museum of Civilization in Gatineau. One of the more interesting things this year is the Musical Fireworks, that will be set off at 8:50pm to an interesting soundtrack. The NCC recommends viewing the Fireworks from Major’s Hill Park, or the Canadian Museum of Civilization. If you view the topographic map above, you can see the binoculars at the two locations recommended.

Over the weekend, Confederation Park will be home to “Rogers One-Block Challenge” where participants will create ice sculptures from a single, large block of ice. These are best seen the first weekend, because if it warms up, these ice sculptures may take on shapes the artists never intended!

There are a lot of other activities going on in the Ottawa/Gatineau region, so be sure to check out some each weekend of Winterlude!

Skate along the Rideau Canal (blue line) and take in some sites along the way

Custom Maps for Winterlude with MapSherpa

With MapSherpa you can create your own custom map of the Rideau Canal for the entire skateway route or for a particular section where you can enjoy Winterlude fun! Just search for Rideau Canal, and click on the second entry which will take you to the Winterlude celebration area in Ottawa, Ontario.

You can also become a fan of Winterlude and MapSherpa on Facebook and follow MapSherpa on Twitter!

Whistler, British Columbia is located 125 kilometers north of Vancouver, joint hosts of the 2010 Winter Olympics. Whistler and Blackcomb Mountains are the two moutains framing the town of Whistler and the source of the many winter and summer activities that are the feature of this resort town. The moutains form part of the Pacific Range of the Coast Mountains.

History of Whistler

Whistler, BC and the surrounding region has a rich history extending back to the nomadic Coast Salish First Nations people, its first inhabitants as well as the Lil’wat and Squamish Nations. The first Europeans settled in the area in the 1860’s. Legend has it they were responsible for the Whistler name, choosing it after the whistling sound made by the western hoary marmot that also makes its home in the area.

Whistler and the 2010 Olympics

Vancouver, BC will host the 22nd Winter Olympics in February 2010 with its neighbor, Whistler providing host to the alpine events.  Whistler will also take centre stage as host to the 2010 Paralympic Games following the Olympics.

Outdoor Activities

Whistler’s reputation as both a winter and summer resort destination is well known.  Well over two million people visit Whistler each year.  Major attractions are alpine skiing and mountain biking at Whistler-Blackcomb.  With 8,000 acres of skiable terrain, the dual mountains of Whistler Blackcomb represent the largest ski area in North America.  The resort has regularly been voted among the top destinations in North America by major ski magazines.  In the summer, mountain biking takes over with the resort alone offering a lift-serviced descending mountain bike trails for all levels of mountain bike riders.

Beyond resort activities the Whistler area has lots more to offer from hiking to more leisure walking to golf and fishing.

Custom Maps of Whistler

If you are one of the many planning to visit Whistler – for the Olympics and Paralympics or some other time, MapSherpa is an essential tool for helping you to map out your activities.  MapSherpa’s various map options including terrain, topographic and street map layers allow you to start creating your own custom map with the best base map information.  Once you have selected your base map, get creative and customize the map to fit your area of interest and then annotate it with all the specific information important to you.

Create your own topographic maps of Whistler with MapSherpa. Search for Whistler, BC and it will bring you to the Park where you can navigate the map to get your own personalized map of the area.

Connecting the cities of Ottawa and Kingston, Ontario, the Rideau Canal is the oldest continuously operating canal system in North America.  It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and for a period every winter – a great skating rink.  In fact, it is billed the largest skating rink in the world.

Rideau Canal Skateway and Winterlude

The length of canal opened for skating extends 7.8 kilometres and is purported to have the equivalent surface area of 90 Olympic sized hockey rinks.  Canal skating starts within eyesight of the parliament buildings and continues southward to Dows Lake, eventually terminating at Hartwell Lock near Carleton University.

The Rideau Canal skateway is the focal point of Ottawa’s annual Winterlude festival when in excess of 650,000 people participate in various winter activities with the majority of them including skating on the canal as part of their itinerary.  But beyond Winterlude itself, thousands of people take advantage of every available day of skating some even using it to get to and from work.

Where are the Beaver Tails?

Beavertail Hut

Along the way, the National Capital Commission has strategically positioned facilities like huts for skate changing, washrooms and purveyors of food including hot chocolate and the world famous Beaver Tails.

This fried dough pastry was first introduced to people in Ottawa’s Byward market but are now sold around the world.  A bit of skate work and a GPS helped us to create this map showing locations of key points along the canal.

Maps of the Rideau Canal and Winterlude

Click for Larger Map

With MapSherpa you can create your own custom map of the Rideau Canal for the entire skateway route or for a particular section and then get out and skate your map!

Over the next few months, I will be writing about the different things that you can do in Waterton Lakes National Park. I’ll be covering some of the longer hikes, such as the Tamarack Ridge and the Anderson-Carthew Lakes, as well as some of the shorter, easier hikes, like Crandall Lake and Red Rock Canyon.  I will be adding information about trails that enter the United States, such as Lakeshore Trail, when MapSherpa incorporates American maps.

Topographical Map of the Waterton Townsite

Waterton Trails for All Seasons

Waterton Lakes National Park may have its busy season in July and August, but the rest of the year can also be very appealing – particularly if you don’t like crowds. Cross-country skiing is very popular, with two major tracks open and groomed each winter. Snowshoeing is, of course, an easy way to get around, but do take care to stay off the cross-country ski trails. Not all of the hotels are open during the winter season so it is definitely a good idea to reserve a room in advance.  According to one account, there are only 100 people in the townsite and about 20 mule deer in the winter. So having the place all to yourself is definitely an understatement.

View from outside the Prince of Wales Hotel in Waterton National Park

Spring and summer will bring wildflowers, wild meadows and wild animals roaming around the park in greater frequency. This is something to be aware of if you are in some of the further flung campgrounds, as bears tend to frequent Crandall campground because of the large number of saskatoon berry bushes. These bushes bear fruit in August, so if you are afraid of bears, July might be the best summer month to visit. If you want to see them, drive along the parkway in late evening as the sun is setting. Not only will you get some gorgeous views, but you will likely see some bears, goats or deer in the area. Red Rock Canyon is at the end of the drive, a short easy hike that allows you to see the hematite that is abundant in the area as well as a lovely waterfall. It is a shorter interpretative trail, with signs along the route telling you about the geology and geological history of the area.

Topographical Overview of Waterton Lakes National Park

Customize your map of Waterton Lakes National Park

Create your own maps of Waterton Lakes National Park with MapSherpa. Search for Waterton Lakes National Park and it will bring you to the Park where you can navigate the map to get your own personalized map of the area.

The Mer Bleue Conservation Area near Ottawa, Ontario provides a wonderful location for many outdoor activities including:

• hiking in the summer,
• skiing and snowshoeing in the winter,
• and geocaching all year round

The area is managed by Canada’s National Capital Commission. Free access is provided to the public.

Lots of geocaching to do around Mer Bleue Bog

GeoCaching around Mer Bleue

Geocachers can sometimes be a superstitious lot and sometimes not. There are geocaches on and near grave sites and churchyards and ones that will take you out in the middle of nowhere, testing your nerve. Some geocaches will even take you out in the middle of nowhere at night and have you sit in the cold, shivering, shining your flash light around, hoping to see something reflect light back at you, telling you where to go next. You hope.

It's got to be here somewhere.

This is essentially how Friday the 13th went for some of us this past November. We met for all-you-can-eat sushi and then set out to find 13 geocaches by midnight on Friday the 13th. This would mark two geocachers’ 1300th finds, assuming that we could find all 13. One of the two was the one that coordinated all of this, he was the one that had decided on 13 on the 13th for 1300 was appropriate, so naturally he was the one that decided on where we were going.

Naturally he was the one we were blaming when it was 10pm, we were traipsing through an old garbage dump and we hit water. Two of us weren’t prepared for water since it hadn’t rained for two weeks.  We then had to turn around and find others in the area. So after quickly finding some “drive-bys”, we went back to the Mer Bleue Bog to find the 13th cache of the evening, one appropriately called “Friday the 13th”. This cache was put out as part of an event that took place on an earlier Friday the 13th.

The Final GeoCache – #13

So, with a larger crowd of geocachers, we parked on the side of a road and started walking in. The terrain wasn’t too bad until we detoured away from the path, into the bush. After a bit of dodging pointy tree branches and leafless bushes, someone called out that we were at Ground Zero – in other words, the cache should be near.

We started searching. Well, some of us started searching while the others, many of whom had already found the cache, stood back in anticipation. The obvious tree was searched. No cache! We had little more than twenty minutes to find this cache, had it gone missing? Were we out of luck? There wasn’t anything else in the area and the last person found the cache over a month prior. Could it be gone?

13 caches were found succesfully and the obligatory bad pictures were taken.

“FOUND IT!” came the exhuberant cry from the next tree where the cache was safely tucked away. The bystanders cheered, pictures were taken, banana bread came out of somewhere and was shared. Despite some bad luck trying to find too many multi-caches in the dark in a short time frame, the two geocachers got their 13 caches for 1300 total. The rest of us just got some very tasty banana bread.

Make your own Topographic Maps of Mer Bleue

Create your own maps of the Mer Bleue Bog with MapSherpa. Search for Mer Bleue and it will bring you to the region where you can navigate the map to get your own personalized map of the area.

The Cabot Trail is a 300km driving tour that takes you through stunning scenery, centuries of Canadian history and ample opportunities for outdoor recreation.  The trail circles a large part of Cape Breton Island which was rated among the top 10 islands to visit according to Travel and Leisure Magazine World’s Best ratings for 2008.  The Cabot Trail was completed in 1932, linking fishing villages and other communities throughout Cape Breton Island.  Today, the trail provides access to a wide variety of possible activities, suitable for all ages.

Topography of the Cabot Trail

The Cape Breton Highlands region is an ancient plateau that crosses Cape Breton Island. This extension to the Appalachian mountain chain provide the geologic basis for the stunning scenery found along the Cabot Trail. Topographic maps showcase the Cabot Trail traveling along the periphery of the plateau where it meets with the various water bodies surrounding the island.

Exploring the Cabot Trail

The Cabot Trail Working Association website includes an excellent interactive map that illustrates the diversity of recreational and cultural activities along the trail.  MapSherpa compliments this map, allowing you to create custom maps of specific areas along the trail.  For instance, this map of a section of the Margaree River shows several famous pools along this Canadian Heritage River offering world class fishing opportunities for Atlantic salmon.

Exploring Fort Louisbourg

Once you have travelled the Cabot Trail tour the country-side along the east coast of Cape Breton Island including a visit to historic Fort Louisbourg and the Louisbourg Lighthouse –Canada’s first lighthouse originally constructed in 1730.

Create your own maps of the Cabot Trail and Fort Louisbourg with MapSherpa. Search for Cape Breton, NS or Louisbourg, NS and it will bring you to the region where you can navigate the map to get your own personalized map of the area.

Wilderness Viewing in the Laurentians

Fairmont Kenauk is a 265km², (65,000 acre) protected wilderness region along the shore of the Ottawa River. It is the largest and oldest private fish and game reserve in North America, granted to the original owners by the King of France in 1674.

Topography

Fairmont Kenauk is located within the Canadian Laurentians or Laurentides as they are often referred to in Canada. The region is part of the Canadian Shield and extend into the United States where the mountain range is referred to as the Appalachians. The mountain range is one of the oldest in the world.

Fairmont Kenauk – An Accessible Wilderness Oasis

Fairmont Kenauk is home to  over 200 species of birds and 50 different mammal species.  Topographic maps detail many of its more than 70 lakes containing trout and other species of fish.  Over the years it has accommodated a wide variety of guests including heads of state, royalty and celebrities.

Fairmont Kenauk is a great place to get away and relax.  There are 14 cabins within the entire Kenauk preserve that can be rented through Chateau Montebello, 8 of which are the only cabin on their lake.  The cabins are fully equipped, ranging in size to accommodate groups from 4 through 18.  Summer activities include kayaking and canoeing, fishing, hiking, wildlife viewing and general relaxation on your own private lake.  Some of the cabins are maintained for winter activities including cross country skiing, snowshoeing and ice fishing.

Formerly known as “Reserve de la Petite Nation”, Kenauk is associated with Fairmont Le Chateau Montebello, a historic luxury resort with a legendary red cedar log building that has welcomed guests from around the world since 1930. It is easily accessible from both Ottawa and Montreal.

Create your own maps of the Fairmount Kenauk region with MapSherpa. Search for Montebello, Quebec and it will bring you to the region where you can navigate the map to get your own personalized map of the area.