Banff, Jasper, Yoho

[Robert A. Zeichner]

I asked this question a few weeks ago, but as I am headed to these locations this weekend, I must ask again has anyone just been there in the last week or two and could you report on water levels? The last couple of years were pretty dry in certain places and I want to avoid wasting time in dried up areas. Any other status on shooting conditons that might be helpful would also be appreciated.

[KenM]

I travelled as far as Tangle Falls (up Hwy. 93 North towards Jasper from Lake Louise) a few weeks ago, and it was running with a *lot* of water. There's no snow in the mountains to speak of (other than glaciers, of course), so any snow-driven run-of was pretty much dry, if not dry. Foliage hadn't started turning yet, but I would expect that to start pretty quick, if not already.

I'm not sure where exactly you were planning on going - If you could be a bit more specific, I might be able to offer a bit more information. Banff, Jasper and Yoho are, after all, are pretty big :-)

[Robert A. Zeichner]

I was particularly interested in Lake O'Hara and the Obapin plateau. Are the lakes in this area as dry as they were reported to be a year or two ago?

[KenM]

Well, Opabin Lake was full, but you could walk around it when I was there two years ago, and it's been a reasonable year moisture wise, so I would assume it's the same. I hiked up to Lake McArthur last year, and other than the lake, the trail itself was dry...

Of a greater concern is the bear issue - there have been two maulings over the last couple of days right around Banff - one on the Lake Minnewanka Trail, and another just south of Banff - various trails in and around Banff are currently closed, and will remain so for the next while until the bears move on...call ahead before you plan any trips to be sure.

Do you have a seat on the O'Hara bus? If not, you'll have to get there early (probably around 7am) to even have a shot at the very few (2?) open seats on the bus. Or, you can drive to Field, BC and try and get a seat at the Warden's office - there are 5 set aside every day; but they go - fast. You can always walk in, but it's 17km, and it takes about 4-5 hours (or so I've heard - I've never done it, especially with all my LF gear) of really boring hiking down a gravel road....

Good luck!