HIKING IN BANFF | The SPECTACULAR Pipestone-Siffleur-Dolomite Circuit

Perhaps the best hike I've ever experienced ... that thought kept going through my mind as I hiked deeper into a remote area of Banff National Park and the Pipestone, Siffleur, and Dolomite valleys.
Five days of incredible vistas, valley walks, high mountain passes, and interesting trails all combined to make this one amazing adventure.
0:00 Intro
0:25 Day 1
3:13 Day 2
11:01 Day 3
19:08 Day 4
25:27 The Joke
26:31 Day 5
Music: "Wild Soul" by Reveille, licensed by Soundstripe ND9S3JPZZ3V5QZ5H

[@randysandberg5615]

I did this exact same hike in 1973. From Isabella lake to Helen lake, there was no trail. We followed the creek and our primitive map. I saw my first caribou on this trip. There were 3 of us on this hike and we had a two-man tent! That was crowded. We never saw another person the entire trip.

[@lismos100]

Wauw what a beautiful hike. I love the Mountains! I was one time in Jasper national Park. Greetings from Switzerland 🇨🇭

[@jjinthemountains369]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@tylernblaney]

Another great video JJ! Love to do that trip soon.

[@jjinthemountains369]

Thanks Tyler. Hope the rehab on your back surgery is going well. I look forward to getting out there and hiking with you sometime.

[@getubelogin]

Great trip!

[@jjinthemountains369]

It sure was. Thanks for watching.

[@brandog8247]

Loved this, subbed for the joke =D

[@jjinthemountains369]

Not one of my best jokes, but thanks for hiking along with us! And for subbing.

[@andrewduncan7643]

Almost hit the permit button on this one as Mosquito Creek was available for a loop I've been wanting to do since watching Neil Sweets video of this loop & Devon Lakes. However, managed to wrangle some Rockwall permits for September 24th onward so as to be one with the larches. Couldn't believe they were available still yesterday. So, this loop with Devon Lakes will have to be next years Rockies adventure. Maybe see you there if you go again.

[@jjinthemountains369]

Hey Andrew, late September - weather behaving - will be an awesome time on the Rockwall for you. The trail was covered with larch needles when we hiked there in mid October last fall. Enjoy the adventure!

[@andrewduncan7643]

Thanks JJ. Hope we get a decent weather window for the larch viewing but honestly am looking so forward to this Devon Loop you did maybe even more so. @@jjinthemountains369

[@stephenbouchard8075]

Great video

[@stephenbouchard8075]

Did you use Gaia?

[@jjinthemountains369]

We used Topo Maps Canada on this hike. @@stephenbouchard8075

[@rickrayn]

Liked the joke a lot.

[@davebloggs]

Great video, and to answer your tree question the answer is squirrels , they like to sit on high rocks and eat cones, the seeds often fall into the cracks and if conditions are right hey presto new tree, , as for the leave no trace people they have clearly never been off trail in the mountains completely turned around and then spot a cairn and a huge sigh of relief. I understand minimal impact etc but leave the cairns alone they can literally be life savers. , ok we dont need them every ten feet but at key or dangerous junctions and routes it can make the difference of a safe enjoyable hike or the beginning of a nightmare, having done search and rescue in a former life i can tell you they are often life savers,

[@jjinthemountains369]

Totally agreed, Dave. Minimal impact is one thing, but cairns, as you say, can be lifesavers. Try walking a "path" (which sometimes is a very generous term) through a boulder field or some such mess, in driving rain, without any cairns to help you find your way. Call them reassurance markers, trail markers, guide points, whatever you want, they've been around for hundreds of years. For a reason.

[@davebloggs]

@@jjinthemountains369 Exactly just go to baffin island they have been there for generations. just another example of someone sitting in an office trying to feel good about themselves by leaving no trace etc mean while a lost hiker heads into a canyon with a 100 foot cliff in driving rain because they took a wrong turn. Personally I like to see them at important points on the trail and will continue to build them in places that from experience i know its easy to go the wrong way.

[@tweedytreks]

JJ, there isn't many people that can share a self-committed bear spray story (or two) but I certainly can. Had a full body/full spray/freak accident about 13 ish years ago. What a true nightmare. That said, hike looks like it was probably incredible and I'm confident I'll do this hike at some point. Smoke always sucks on trail. Especially in an area where views allow for vistas as far as the eye can see. Cheers.

[@jjinthemountains369]

Hello sir. I just discovered your channel this past weekend. That Grand Sawtooth Loop looks interesting, it's got me thinking perhaps next year I should do that one. I really enjoyed this hike, but getting permits for those campsites (especially Mosquito Creek and Fish Lakes) is getting harder and harder each year, they are so popular. I'd hike this one again, but I'd "random camp" and go into Devon Lakes for a night or two also.

[@tweedytreks]

@@jjinthemountains369 yeah, we’re entering a world where the permit process/competition for them is always going to be tough for anywhere that’s special for the most part. Is what it is. Glacier NP in the states just moved to an “early lottery system” for 24 for example. All of this makes wilderness areas remarkably more appealing of course, but that said, the NPs are national parks for a reason. They’re stunning. You absolutely will not be let down by the sawtooths. They’re spectacular and there’s an immense amount of different trips you can do. I’ve got another video of the wind river range in WY coming extremely soon and the winds might be even better than the sawtooths and that’s really saying something. Both have so much to offer. Then lastly, in another few weeks, I’ll have a vid of my first Canada trip ever. The Brazeau lake loop. Which was spectacular also. I went first weekend of Oct. saw one group of people total in 50 miles. Between those 3 trips, I think you’ll love any/all of them if you don’t jump in on something else.

[@tweedytreks]

@@jjinthemountains369 btw can you disperse/random camp just in this section of the park or what’s the word there? I assumed everything has to be permitted?

[@jjinthemountains369]

The Brazeau loop is one I've done 3 times. It never disappoints. IIRC, the first weekend in October this year was good weather. I was on vacay in eastern Canada otherwise I would have been hiking the Rockwall Trail then instead of doing it in mid-October. Early October is a great time to hike the Canadian Rockies, if, and it's a big if, the weather co-operates. Few people, lots of solitude, and some great trails.

[@jjinthemountains369]

The random camp zone doesn't start until past the Fish Lakes campsite so you need to hike in about 20+ km from the Mosquito Creek trailhead on the Icefields Parkway to camp there. Otherwise you'll need to book a night at either Mosquito Creek camp or Fish Lakes camp, and good luck with that.