Paradise Valley

Paradise Valley Trail begins in a parking lot alongside the road leading up to Moraine Lake. This is the start of your journey today. It's Canada Day and what better way to celebrate this great nation than to hike one of the premiere trails in the Canadian Rockies.


Just like the Consolation Lake Trail, this is another group access recommended trail. There's no one around, so you'll just have to hike solo again, and take your chances with the bears.


After walking through the forest for a bit, you encounter your first crossing of Paradise Creek. Simply amazing! It truly is difficult to capture the magnificence of this place without experiencing it first hand.

As you follow the Creek up the valley, you reach Lake Annette. 

There's more to be seen so you continue forward alongside the lake before going into the forest again but not for long as you come across a windy, rocky meadow with alpine flowers trying to make a go at life despite the unfavourable conditions.

Not surprisingly, it starts to snow. There were flurries overnight, and they've started again. The flurries aren't much of a nuisance for now, except for the fact that it's July 1st, and it should be summer now!


You make your way through the mud and over the snow until you see a long stretch of muddy trail ahead of you. Is it really worth going further? Of course, it is.... but is it really worth the potential damage to the vegetation and the trail... hmm, tough call... but you've seen and experienced so much already and plan on coming back again one day, so after much thought and deliberation, you decide to turn back and slowly make your way back to your car so you can experience Canada Day in Banff later that day.