Graeme Pole

I've been to several of these parks, plus Glacier National Park (disappointingly, it's not included in this book although it's one of the parks of canadianrockies.org; probably omitted because technically it is in the Columbia Mountains) and hiked, or strolled, a number of these trails. This book makes me feel eager to go back as soon as possible and hike the rest. Not intended for ambitious and energetic young backpackers, but more for slower hikers young or old, and of course for those who show more want to get out of the car and stretch their legs for half an hour while enjoying the best of the Canadian Rockies, this book includes 95 annotated trail listings. The sidebars are also worthy of attention, focussing on interesting tidbits of knowledge about the Rockies, from geology (why are glacial lakes so vividly coloured?) to botany (fireweed) and safety (several gruesome reasons not to hike on a glacier). The end matter comprises lists of which of these trails are particularly suitable for young families and the elderly, which are wheelchair accessible, which are convenient to campgrounds, the author's favourites, a bibliography of field guides, and other useful information.

The Rockies and their trails are probably buried under several metres of snow about now, but as soon as the season permits, I'll be packing camping gear and this book and heading west. show less

A novel about Banff National Park, in the Rocky Mountains of Canada. The park is in crisis, its managers quarrelling, its field staff demoralized, its biodiversity in decline. In the headlines, environmentalists scrap with developers and the beaurocrats sympathetic to them. (A situation painfully close to the reality.) Deep in the back country, map dreamer and mountaineer Greg Phillips, explores the ancient Front Range landscape. There the paths of mountaineer, bears, wardens, wranglers, show more wolves and spirit prospectors intertwine. And there, Phillips discovers a misguided plan to give away the wilderness heart of the park. Pole is the author of several non-fiction books about the Canadian Rockies. show less

This is, as the title indicates, a photogaph history of the early Canadian Rockies towns, railroads, lodgings, trails, mountain climbing, early roads, and its people.

The book is not strictly chronological, but instead, is divided into five parts. The are, listed in order; "Rails into the Wild", "The Comforts of Home", "The High frontier", "Professions and Pastimes", and "Wonder Roads".

Because it is an early history and covered an era prior to color film, the photos are black and white. Most show more of the photos are very nice technically and the scenic ones are also artistic with respect to lighting and composition.

Text is about 30 percent and helps document the history, not just act as captions for photos. The book is standard size in height and width so fits on a normal bookshelf. show less