Resources for Photographing the Canadian Rockies
Each week I get emails or messages from fellow photographers asking where they should photograph in Banff National Park and the Canadian Rockies. Others ask me where to go hiking or scrambling so that they can get off the beaten track. I love getting these questions and seeing people’s enthusiasm for shooting these beautiful mountain landscapes.
Each week I get emails or messages from fellow photographers asking where they should photograph in Banff National Park and the Canadian Rockies. Others ask me where to go hiking or scrambling so that they can get off the beaten track. I love getting these questions and seeing people’s enthusiasm for shooting these beautiful mountain landscapes.
To provide you with some direction, I thought I’d compile a list of resources that will help you photograph the Canadian Rockies – books, websites and apps you can leaf through for yourself to identify your next photo sweet spots.
Mt. Rundle, Banff National Park. Photo by Paul Zizka Photography.
Books About Hiking, Scrambling and Mountaineering
Canadian Rockies Trail Guide, by Brian Patton and Bart Robinson
The definitive and comprehensive Canadian Rockies hiking guide book.
Classic Hikes in the Canadian Rockies, by Graeme Pole
An experienced hiker/author compiles his list of classic hikes in the Rockies.
Scrambles in the Canadian Rockies, by Alan Kane
The best resource for beginner to advanced scrambles in the Canadian Rockies.
11,000ers of the Canadian Rockies, by Bill Corbett
All the big peaks of the Rockies in one comprehensive guidebook.
Canadian Rockies Photography Facebook Group
Join our Facebook Group dedicated to exploration and creativity through photography in the Canadian Rockies!
E-Book: Photography in the Canadian Rockies
For my opinionated guide on 60+ locations between Banff and Lake Louise, check out Paul Zizka’s Guide to Photography in the Canadian Rockies.
* Features 60+ locations organized into regions:
1. In and Around Banff Town
2. Lake Minnewanka
3. Bow Valley Parkway
4. Banff to Lake Louise via HWY1
5. Lake Louise and Area
* The best spots to shoot aurora borealis, wildflowers and fall colours.
* Easy-to-use symbols to guide you through each location, as well as access to online map.
* Suggested itineraries for 1 or 3 days in summer and winter.
Get your copy of Paul Zizka’s Guide to Photography in the Canadian Rockies.
Some locations in the Canadian Rockies are obscure, require good fitness and navigational skills. If you’re really keen to venture off the beaten track, I highly recommend you invest some time in finessing these skills. Coleman Lake, backcountry of Banff National Park. Photo by Paul Zizka.
Apps for Photography + Tracking Weather and Skies
I’ve been an iPhone user for years, and rely on a number of apps to help me make the most of my photos and “read the skies” in the Canadian Rockies.
Photo Apps
PhotoPills: Sort of a Swiss Army knife for photographers and great for planning shoots precisely.
The Photographer’s Ephemeris: Another great photo planning app.
Weather/Sky Apps
SpotWx: precise, thorough weather info.
StarWalk: A stargazing app, great for identification of constellations and celestial features.
ClearDarkSky: for cloud cover
Webcams
It’s easy to overlook this one, but webcams give you an instant look at conditions from higher elevations and in distant areas.
Aurora Watching Web Resources
Perhaps the biggest question of all is where people can shoot the auroras in the Canadian Rockies. Thanks to our dark skies, you have a good chance of seeing them if they’re out, so long as there is no cloud cover.
One of the best resources for tracking them in Alberta is the Facebook group called Alberta Aurora Chasers. You can request to join here: AlbertaAuroraChasers.
I have also compiled my personal favourites in another blog post. You’ll need to learn to read the data, but you’ll find the full collection in Aurora Watching Web Resources.
15 Images to Get You Stoked for Summer in the Canadian Rockies
The air is warm, snow is melting, wildflowers are sprouting, and lakes have returned to their vibrant blues. Summer in the Rockies is prime time for photography, and as locals know it can be extremely short-lived.
The air is warm, snow is melting, wildflowers are sprouting, and lakes have returned to their vibrant blues. Summer in the Rockies is prime time for photography, and as locals know it can be extremely short-lived. I personally don't take on a whole lot on the work front between now and September as I try to carve out creative and exploratory time with the camera. Here's to a lengthy, colourful, adventurous summer season that is full of possibilities!
I hope these images encourage you to find your next adventure in the Canadian Rockies, whatever that looks like for you. We can always go further, see what's around the next corner, stay up a bit later, and discover something new.
What's your favourite spot in the Canadian Rockies? Tell me in the comments!
All images in this gallery are available as stock or limited-edition prints. Please contact us with any inquiries.
Click any image to enlarge.
All images in this gallery are available as stock or limited-edition prints. Please contact us with any inquiries.
10 Best Backcountry Stays in the Canadian Rockies
I'm all for wilderness, camping and nights spent in the fresh air, under a sea of stars. But, let's be honest, I also love home-cooked meals over a wood stove, a cozy bed and hard walls that keep out the wind and rain better than any tent could.
I'm all for wilderness, camping and nights spent in the fresh air, under a sea of stars. But, let's be honest, I also love home-cooked meals over a wood stove, a cozy bed and hard walls that keep out the wind and rain better than any tent could.
When you can combine the two, you get the most amazing experience, and thanks to some incredible lodging in the region, we have many options to choose from in the Canadian Rockies. When I'm lugging extra photo gear, not having to pack the tent and cooking supplies is an added bonus.
Here are some of my personal favourites, in no particular order:
1. Skoki Lodge
Skoki Lodge. Photo by Paul Zizka Photography.
Possibly one of the most magical of backcountry lodge experiences, Skoki Lodge has a charm unto itself and is chock full of history. Accessible in both winter and summer, it gives backcountry skiers the hikers a great base for exploring the famous Skoki region.
2. Scott Duncan Hut
Scott Duncan Hut. Photo by Paul Zizka Photography.
One of the lesser-visited huts in the chain of alpine huts run by the Alpine Club of Canada, Scott Duncan Hut can be linked to other huts on the Wapta/Waputik icefields, or accessed on its own via Sherbrooke Lake.
3. Shadow Lake Lodge
Shadow Lake Lodge. Photo by Paul Zizka Photography.
Now owned and operated by the Alpine Club of Canada, Shadow Lake Lodge has a series of cabins and communal hanging out/dining cabins for guests to enjoy. Nestled in a beautiful meadow, it's the perfect base for day hikes in the region.
4. Lake O’Hara Lodge
Lake O’Hara Lodge. Photo by Paul Zizka Photography.
I hear Lake O'Hara Lodge is booked out far in advance, and for good reason. For one, you can actually take a bus to it (whereas most of the other options here require some hiking or skiing). Situated near the shore of beautiful Lake O'Hara, the lodge has a longstanding tradition of backcountry hospitality and is the gateway to some of the best hiking in all of the Canadian Rockies.
5. Elizabeth Parker Hut
Elizabeth Parker Hut. Photo by Paul Zizka Photography.
Named after one of the founders of the Alpine Club of Canada, Elizabeth Parker Hut is also accessible via the Lake O'Hara bus. It is one of the club's most accessible huts and features a wonderful sleeping/communal area (with a wonderful wood stove), kitchen, and access so remarkable hiking and skiing terrain.
6. Peyto Hut
Peyto Hut. Photo by Paul Zizka Photography.
This alternate perspective on Peter and Catharine Whyte (Peyto) Hut shows just how much snow and ice surrounds it. Located on the Wapta Icefield, adventurers can link it together with the other Wapta Huts or use it as a base to climb nearby peaks.
7. Mount Assiniboine Lodge
Mount Assiniboine Lodge. Photo by Paul Zizka Photography.
Built in 1928, Assiniboine Lodge was the first backcountry ski lodge in North America. It can be accessed via ski, hike or helicopter, and gives backcountry enthusiasts access to one of the region's most famous views: Mt. Assiniboine, considered the "Matterhorn" of the Canadian Rockies.
8. Bow Hut
Bow Hut. Photo by Paul Zizka Photography.
See that beige speck on the rocky outcropping beneath the glacier? That is the incredible Bow Hut, another Alpine Club of Canada hut. This is one of the gateways to the Wapta Traverse and various mountaineering objectives, but it is also a great destination for an overnight hike, and perhaps a sunset stroll up "The Onion."
9. Abbot Pass Hut
Abbot Pass Hut. Photo by Paul Zizka Photography.
If you truly want a backcountry experience like no other, Abbot Pass Hut, nestled at the pass between Mts. Victoria and Lefroy, offers a memorable stay. Originally built in 1922 to house early mountaineers, today hikers also enjoy the stone hut (though it does involve some scrambling to get there!). Update: Parks Canada slope remediation work continues at Abbot Pass Hut and the ACC is not taking summer bookings at this time.
10. Neil Colgan Hut
If I had to pick a favourite, Neil Colgan Hut might be it – the highest permanent structure in Canada at 9,700 feet. It is truly a mountaineer's hut, with no straightforward way of accessing it, and gives you access to the famous ten peaks. Many memorable nights have been spent here under the stars.
Neil Colgan Hut. Photo by Paul Zizka Photography.
There are many more where that came from. In particular, check out the full listing of Alpine Club of Canada huts on their website.
Journey to the White Continent
It always seemed so unattainable to me. But after two days at sea, and a year of anticipation, I was mesmerized when we first caught sight of a few rocks off Elephant Island through the thick fog – harbingers of our imminent arrival on the fabled White Continent. There is no wilder place on Earth, nowhere more remote, more inhospitable.
Antarctica.
It always seemed so unattainable to me. But after two days at sea, and a year of anticipation, I was mesmerized when we first caught sight of a few rocks off Elephant Island through the thick fog – harbingers of our imminent arrival on the fabled White Continent. There is no wilder place on Earth, nowhere more remote, more inhospitable.
And as I found out over the six weeks following that moment in early January 2017, you’d be hard-pressed as a photographer to find another location on the planet that is more overwhelming. The photo opportunities just kept on coming, and I’ll never forget the sense of remoteness, the way life thrived on a whole other level, and the scale of the land down there. I’m thankful for One Ocean Expeditions for bringing me on board.
Amazingly, I managed to underestimate how many photographs I would take on the trip. When I returned home from the White Continent, the hard drives were filled to the brim, and between test shots, time-lapses, bracketed sequences and such, I came home with 40,000 files! I’m just starting to put a dent into all that material, but I would like to share some of the early results with you.
Antarctica is a place that will stay with me forever, and I very much look forward to revisiting my experience there through the thousands of photographs. I hope you enjoy the sneak peek!
The scale of South Georgia is absolutely overwhelming. Massive mountains grace the horizon. Glaciers are colossal. Penguins come by the thousands. Fur seals are everywhere you look. And the island itself is 2,000 km from the nearest mainland – isolation beyond description. I took this from our ship, the Vavilov, on an early morning at Gold Harbour, a place of incredible beauty. This is a penguin highway, which is simply a path of least resistance the animals continuously follow. In the back is the rapidly receding, spectacular Bertrab Glacier. By the way, the Canon 100-400 was by far my most used lens on the trip. Photo by Paul Zizka Photography.
I’ve taken my share of selfies, but never with penguins, fur seals and elephant seals looking on. That morning at St Andrews Bay was a highlight of the time spent on South Georgia with One Ocean Expeditions. Photo by Paul Zizka Photography.
A trio of synchronized whales swim into the endless Antarctica sunset. We saw dozens, perhaps hundreds of cetaceans that evening in the Gerlache Strait. The ice and mountains alone were just breathtaking. Photo by Paul Zizka Photography.
They had warned me that South Georgia would turn anyone into a wildlife photographer… Hard to ignore those three king penguins backlit by a fiery sunrise. This was at St Andrews Bay, meaning there were another 100,000 penguins right behind me. Just mind-blowing. I’d never seen life thrive at that level. This is the largest penguin colony on the island. Photo by Paul Zizka Photography.
Love the mysterious, deep blue hues of Antarctic icebergs… Lemaire Channel, Antarctica. Photo by Paul Zizka Photography.
This was one of the most entertaining wildlife encounters we had on South Georgia: a macaroni penguin and a blue-eyed shag fighting over a little rock island. I think I took 100 shots of that interaction, but with the subjects moving and the zodiac bobbing around on the waves, I never quite got the composition where I want it… This is the best one of the lot. A wonderful wildlife moment in the middle of nowhere. Photo by Paul Zizka Photography.
A self-portrait taken on Petermann Island on the Antarctic peninsula. Between the gentoo penguins, the huge icebergs floating by, and the distant glaciated peaks, this is one place I found particularly overwhelming as a photographer. Just incredible. Photo by Paul Zizka Photography.
As we explored the coast of the island that morning, we all did our best to simplify our compositions, usually by isolating one or two animals. But the truth is, South Georgia is an incredibly cluttered place. It’s a compositional mess of colours, textures and lines. So here’s a crowded image I feel is representative of that amazing island! A lot of the detail is lost here on social media but I hope it conveys a sense of the place. Fortuna Bay, South Georgia. Photo by Paul Zizka Photography.
Ice in Antarctica comes in all shapes, sizes, textures and shades of blue. A paradise for the cryophile. The turquoise ramparts of this iceberg were particularly mesmerizing. Paradise Harbour, Antarctica. Photo by Paul Zizka Photography.
I think it’s fair to say gentoo penguins look rather clumsy above the surface. Underwater though, they move with incredible speed and precision. I took 500 shots. A handful had penguins in them… Photo by Paul Zizka Photography.
Gloomy morning at Fortuna Bay, South Georgia. Photo by Paul Zizka Photography.
Hiking on the peninsula, a sacred place. For me, every step was a privilege in that precious, stunning part of the world. In the background is the Conscripto Ortiz refuge, run by Argentina. Paradise Harbour, Antarctica. Photo by Paul Zizka Photography.
Camping on the 7th continent… Would you? I settled into my “moat” for the obligatory self-portrait and then realized the surroundings were just too good to pass up. I spent a sleepless, exhilarating, peaceful night exploring and photographing beautiful Leith Cove before returning to the ship. Leith Cove, Antarctica. Photo by Paul Zizka Photography.
Penguin life has its challenges. Gruesome, I know, but a reminder that leopard seals and other predators constantly prowl the icy waters of the Antarctic peninsula (good thing to keep in mind for the underwater photographer too I suppose). Danco Island, Antarctica. Photo by Paul Zizka Photography.
I really wished I hadn’t used the word “epic” so much before going to Antarctica. I think we all ran out of superlatives soon after reaching the continent… Gerlache Strait, Antarctica. Photo by Paul Zizka Photography.
Brash ice, cirrus clouds and mammoth peaks – a perfect afternoon on the White Continent. Photo by Paul Zizka Photography.
An Adelie penguin reaches the extent of the sea ice, Antarctica. Photo by Paul Zizka Photography.
Self-portrait at the edge of the world. Photo by Paul Zizka Photography.
An albatross conveniently soars through the frame as crepuscular rays rain down on the peaks of South Georgia. So much beauty in that remote corner of the world. Photo by Paul Zizka Photography.
Iceberg illuminated by the sun, Antartica. Photo by Paul Zizka Photography.
A lone Adelie penguin seemingly runs out of sea ice off of the Antarctic peninsula. As for us, we ran out of water. This encounter marked the southernmost extent of our journey: about 67 degrees, somewhere in Lallemand Fjord. Photo by Paul Zizka Photography.