The problem with Europe is that there are TOO MANY OPTIONS. Deciding on where to go can be confusing.

Here are 10 of their favourite trails. I’ve only done one of these.

• Saksun to Tjørnuvík Hike, Faroe Islands
• Edelweissweg, Zermatt, Switzerland
• Walenpfad Panorama Trail, Engelberg, Swiss Alps
• Alpstein High Trail, Appenzell, Switzerland
• Emperor’s Crown Trail, Tyrol, Austria
• Schladminger Tauern High Trail, Styria, Austria
• Triglav National Park Traverse, Slovenia
• Seekarspitze – Seebergspitze Ridge Trail, Lake Achensee, Austria
• Hell’s Valley Gorge, Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany
• Pala di San Martino Circuit Trail, Dolomites

Details on their website:

Hiking Europe in July: 10 Favorite Trails

BUT it’s nearing end of life for multi-day cycling. I broke off the rear rack on my last long trip.

Right now I’m upgrading my other bike ➙ 2015 Ghost Panamao X 3 Bicycle  – CAD$725. It’s in great shape right now now as Brian has been doing the maintenance. BEST about the Ghost is front suspension like a mountain bike. A comparatively inexpensive gravel ride, it carried me from Vancouver to Calgary in 2020.

Next bike?

IF I was to upgrade, my first choice is the somewhat more expensive Priority 600 series with front suspension. More comfort is the main thing I’m looking for.

An option is electronic Pinion Smart.Shift technology, 600% gear range across 12 speeds.

It’s available in titanium and aluminum.

In fact, my guru — Ryan Duzer — switched from a Checkpoint to the Priority. That’s Ryan in the photo.

One of the designers, some call this bike the Duzer Cruiser.  He just rode it from Canada to Mexico on the Tour Divide.

I think I’d prefer the no maintenance belt drive pinion system. And the nearly unbreakable Gates Carbon Drive.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube. 

My second choice, so far, is another Trek.

The new (expensive) Check-OUT.

It’s only available in Carbon and Aluminum.

Again, the main reason is front suspension. It also offers wireless electronic SRAM AXS shifting, which is a bit tempting.

I had a test ride on the Check-OUT and it does feel fantastic.

I’ve broken 3 rear racks in the past — and much appreciate the built-in variation invented for the Checkout.

Click PLAY or watch the pitch on YouTube.

Without reading any instructions — or watching any videos — I set up the NEW freestanding Horizon Lite 2 Pro.

It was easy.

I like the bright Seafoam Blue colours.

DAC FeatherLite NFL poles, YKK zippers, DAC J-stakes, Dyneema® core guylines, a stuff sack, and repair kit.

Details.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

WindQuester has asked me to do some testing in the real world on my upcoming hiking trip to the Balkans, Dolomites, and beyond.

It weighs almost 3 pounds (1.33 kg). My 1-person Hubba weighs about 2 pounds, by comparison. But many solo bikepackers (like Ryan Van Duzer) carry a 2 person tent in order to get all of their gear out of sight at night. Worth the extra weight for more space.

The WindQuester pole is shorter than the Hubba. Nice as I bring all my gear on to planes as carry on.

Click PLAY or watch the WindQuester OFFICIAL set-up on YouTube.

Is it good in the wind? See for yourself.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Dan’s Packs and Tents are super popular in 2026.

Long video — but I found it interesting.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Out visiting friends in Kelowna and Vernon, my original plan was to cycle back to Calgary on the Trans Canada (Great) Trail.

I’d cycled Vancouver to Calgary on this route in 2020 — so well knew the challenges.

Click PLAY or watch 2 minutes of highlights on YouTube.

Vernon, Kelowna, Penticton

Here I am setting out from Vernon. Clean & keen.

I stopped by Sun Country Cycle in Vernon to have them top up air in the tires and look over the bike for any potential problems.

The Okanagan Rail Trail leaving Vernon is fantastic. This is not part of the Trans Canada Trail.

As you get closer to Kelowna, the route is not nearly so good. I was hurting, as well, and could barely walk after only about 60km. I checked into the hostel in Kelowna wondering if I’d be able to continue. My muscles were cramping badly.

BUT I did make it to Penticton. Still hurting, but less and less.

AND was able to cycle up to the Myra Canon trailhead — though the 945-meter elevation gain at never more than 2% grade in the HEAT was tough!

I crashed that night.

Myra Canyon Trestles & Tunnels

The 18 trestles and 2 tunnels are one of the highlights of the entire Trans Canada Trail. This was my 3rd time here and I enjoyed them as much as ever.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Kettle Valley Rail Trail

Myra Canyon is one small part of the 650 km Kettle Valley Rail Trail.

I continued on the KVR towards Calgary.

Fantastic views — though the surface near Kelowna is very sandy & rocky. Those on eBikes were much happier than me. A good mountain bike would be better, as well, than my gravel bike.

On the other hand, I had the trail to myself most of every mile.

I stopped for coffee at Chute Lake, charging my electronics and filling up about 5 lites of water.

Up high on the trail, this was my brightest fire red sky at night. I was lucky to avoid any worse smokey air.

Columbia and Western Rail Trail

The KVR ends at Midway B.C.

I continued on towards the Columbia and Western Rail Trail. It’s about 162 km connecting Midway, Grand Forks, Christina Lake, and Castlegar.

Great sections, but not nearly as good as the KVR.

Highlights for me were sweeping views of the Granby Valley, Christina Lake, and Lower Arrow Lake.

And it offers ideal wild camping — though there are not all that many water sources.

I enjoyed dinner every night, rehydrating meals frozen by my niece. Much tastier than any commercial camping dinners I’ve ever tried.

NEW for me is using a toy drone automatically following my bicycle.

Also new for me while bikepacking, is carrying a portable camping chair.

I love it!

Though rehydrating meals is ideal …

… I eventually had an urge for solid food.

Here I am saying goodbye to the Columbia and Western Rail Trail.

To Nelson & Crawford Bay

As we had a house in Crawford Bay B.C., I was keen to continue on to Nelson and the old homestead. But I was forced on to highways and rural roadways with … HILLS.

Why didn’t someone warn me there were HILLS in British Columbia?

After flat rail trails, almost every ascent seems daunting. And HOT.

I love Nelson and checked into the hostel for a night. Happily, my friend Tam happened to be in Nelson at the same time and we were able to catch up for coffee.

Rather than cycle the dangerous tourist highway out of Nelson, I put my bike on the local bus to the Kootenay Lake ferry.

In 2020 the house my Dad built was in rough shape. Six years later it looks even worse.

I’m wondering when anyone actually last lived here.

Like 2020, I stopped for lunch at the fantastic Kokanee Springs Golf Course.

Busy, Dangerous 2-lane Highways

The highway from Crawford Bay to Creston is a favourite of mine. To drive.

On the bicycle it’s dangerous with very narrow shoulders in places.

I stopped at the Gray Creek General Store to inquire whether or not cyclists were taking the Trans Canada Trail up and over the Gray Creek Pass — probably the most challenging section across the nation.

Not many, I was told.

• Average of nearly 9% grade for 17 km from Kootenay Lake up to Gray Creek Pass
• Average of nearly 6% grade for 12 km from Gray Creek Pass down to Parker’s Creek
• No service
• Rough surface
• Not recommended

As I did in 2020, I chickened out and cycled the highway to Creston.

My first flat tire EVER on this bike. After trying to add air with my (crappy) hand pump, I saw there was a bike shop only 4km distant. Rolling my bike there, the street was shut down by police.

This was a crime scene. Stabbing, I was told. Possibly murder.

The bike shop owner happened to drive past, informing me it was still possible to enter the shop from the back. With no customers coming in the front door, they fixed the flat immediately and at low cost. Whew.

Creston to Cranbrook

Mostly highway. No photos.

Crawford Bay to Cranbook was the least interesting section.

Adventure Ends in Fernie

I got coffee in Cranbrook. And then tried to find the trail out of town.

It’s confusing. And I never found even one good navigation app for the Trans Canada Trail.

The end of my trip on day 11.   My rear rack broke off completely going over one of those bumpy cattle guards a few hours after leaving Cranbrook.

GMoney, a ski shop owner in Fernie — who’s a punk musician in his spare time — picked me up while I was hitchhiking. 

A big time hiker and cyclist, GMoney hosted me at his house and gave me advice on where I might get the bike fixed. 

Turns out none of the 4 bike shops in Fernie had the kind of tools to repair the rear rack.

I stayed at the excellent Angry Elk Hostel, as well, for a couple of nights — enjoying Fernie for the 1st time — until my brother & his wife came to my rescue.

(Same day GMoney collected me, he and a girlfriend were 2 yards away from an angry Black Bear with cubs.  Had to bear spray to stop her.  That’s the closest bear encounter of anyone I’ve ever known. )

In the end, my cycling distance over the 11 days was around 750 km.

I Missed Fernie to Calgary

I broke down at the end of the worst highway sections, and the beginning of one of the best trail & gravel road parts of the entire Trans Canada Trail.

Here’s how Fernie to Calgary went for me in 2020.

I might have to go back to Fernie and finish the job.

Once finished, I experimented with different navigation apps. NONE are good.

Best of the worst …

Gaia GPS relies on structured map layers and community-recorded tracks.

Method 1: Use the BRMB Canada Trails Overlay (Recommended)

Open the Map Layers menu (the stacked squares icon).

Tap Add Map Layers and navigate to the Canada category.

Select and add the BRMB Canada Trails Overlay (requires a premium subscription).

This overlays the entire 11,635-mile Trans-Canada Trail directly onto your base map in colour-coded paths.

Guest post by Mohan Raj Bhandari of North Nepal Travel & Trek

I have guided treks in Nepal since 2015, and the two questions I hear most from first-time visitors are “where is Mount Everest, exactly?” and “should I trek to Everest Base Camp or somewhere else?”

The first has a short answer.

The second one deserves an honest comparison, because every year I meet trekkers on the wrong trail: fit hikers bored on gentle routes, and office workers gasping their way toward passes they had no business attempting on a nine-day holiday.

So here is both answers, from someone who walks these trails for a living.

Where is Mount Everest?

Mount Everest sits on the border between Nepal and Tibet (China), in the Mahalangur section of the Himalayas, at 27.9881° N, 86.9250° E. The summit ridge itself is the border: the south side is Nepal’s Sagarmatha National Park, the north side is Tibet.

Nepalis call the mountain Sagarmatha; Tibetans call it Chomolungma.

Almost everyone who treks to Everest goes via Nepal. You fly from Kathmandu to Lukla, a 20-minute flight onto a runway built on a slope, then walk for about eight days to reach base camp. There is no road. Everything you eat above Lukla arrived on the back of a porter, a mule, or a yak, which explains why a bottle of Coke costs five times more at 5,000 metres than in Kathmandu.

One fact that surprises people: you cannot see Everest’s summit from Everest Base Camp. Nuptse’s wall blocks the view. For the classic photograph you climb Kala Patthar, a brown hill above Gorak Shep, at 5,545 metres, usually at 5 a.m. in a wind that goes through every layer you own.

Everest Base Camp: the famous one

Everest Base Camp sits at 5,364 metres (17,598 feet) on the Khumbu Glacier. The standard trek takes 12 days round trip from Lukla, sleeping in teahouses: plywood rooms, thick blankets, a stove in the dining room burning yak dung, and dal bhat twice a day.

The trail is not technical. The difficulty is entirely the altitude: at base camp the air carries roughly half the oxygen of sea level. Most people who fail on this trek fail because they climbed too fast, not because they were unfit. I have watched marathon runners turn back at Dingboche while retirees walked in comfortably, simply because the retirees followed the acclimatization schedule and the runners treated it as a race. If you are considering this trek, read up on how the altitude actually works before you book anything; we published a detailed Everest Base Camp altitude and acclimatization guide that covers the schedules and warning signs.

Who it suits: people who want the name, the Khumbu’s Sherpa villages and monasteries, and don’t mind sharing the trail. In October you will queue at the suspension bridges.

Gokyo Lakes and the Three Passes: same mountains, fewer people

If the crowds put you off, the Gokyo Lakes route branches west from the main EBC trail into a valley of six glacial lakes between 4,700 and 5,000 metres. The water is a blue that looks fake in photographs. From Gokyo Ri at 5,357 metres you see four 8,000-metre peaks in one turn of the head: Everest, Lhotse, Makalu, Cho Oyu. I think it is a better viewpoint than Kala Patthar, and you will share it with a tenth of the people.

The Three Passes trek connects Gokyo, base camp and the Chhukhung valley over Renjo La, Cho La and Kongma La, all above 5,300 metres. It takes 17 to 18 days and it is the hardest teahouse trek in the Everest region. Do not make it your first Himalayan trek.

Annapurna Base Camp: big mountains on fewer days

Annapurna Base Camp (locals just say ABC) sits at 4,130 metres, a full 1,200 metres lower than EBC, which changes everything: shorter itinerary, warmer nights, gentler acclimatization. From Pokhara you can walk to ABC and back in 5 to 7 days through rhododendron forest and the stone-staircase villages of Chhomrong and Sinuwa. The camp itself sits inside a ring of peaks, with Annapurna I (8,091 m) and Machhapuchhre standing over your breakfast.

Most people don’t know there is a second base camp on the mountain’s north side, the historic route of the 1950 French expedition. The North Annapurna Base Camp route takes about five days, sees a fraction of ABC’s traffic, and passes hot springs at the trail’s start. We guide both; I send people north when they tell me they want mountains without a queue.

The Annapurna Circuit: the long walk

The Annapurna Circuit is a different kind of trek: instead of walking to a point and back, you walk around the entire Annapurna massif, crossing Thorong La pass at 5,416 metres, higher than Everest Base Camp. The classic route takes 10 to 12 days now that roads have shortened both ends.

The reason the Circuit endures is variety. You start in rice terraces, climb through pine forest, and end in a high desert that looks like Ladakh. The village of Manang, at 3,519 metres, is where everyone takes an acclimatization day: bakeries selling sea-buckthorn juice and apple pie, a small clinic run by the Himalayan Rescue Association giving free altitude talks at 3 p.m., and day hikes to Ice Lake that prepare your body for the pass. Crossing Thorong La starts around 4 a.m. and hurts. Then you descend to Muktinath temple and the windblown Kali Gandaki valley, and it’s done.

Mardi Himal and Poon Hill: short treks that don’t feel small

Not everyone has two weeks. The Mardi Himal trek climbs a forested ridge directly above Pokhara to a high camp at 3,580 metres and a viewpoint at 4,500, staring straight into Machhapuchhre’s fishtail summit. Five to seven days, quiet trails, and in spring the entire ridge flowers red with rhododendron. It has become my standard recommendation for first-time trekkers.

Ghorepani Poon Hill is shorter still, 3 to 4 days, topping out at 3,210 metres. The price of admission is the stone staircase at Ulleri, roughly 3,300 steps that will introduce you to muscles you forgot. The reward is the sunrise from Poon Hill, when Dhaulagiri and the Annapurnas turn orange in sequence. Yes, there will be a crowd at the top with camera phones. It is still worth it.

Manaslu Circuit and Tsum Valley: the quiet circuit

The Manaslu Circuit is what the Annapurna Circuit was thirty years ago. It loops around Manaslu, the world’s eighth-highest mountain, crossing Larkya La at 5,106 metres, through villages where Tibetan Buddhism is not a decoration but the daily schedule. It is a restricted area: you need a special permit and a licensed guide, and you must be a group of at least two trekkers. That paperwork keeps the numbers low. On a November morning below Samagaon I have walked two hours without meeting another foreigner.

Add the Tsum Valley and you get a side trip into a hidden Buddhist valley that only opened to outsiders in 2008, with nunneries, mani walls, and a customary ban on animal slaughter. The full Manaslu Circuit itinerary runs about 11 days; with Tsum it stretches to 18.

Upper Mustang: the desert behind the mountains

Upper Mustang is the odd one out: a high-altitude desert in the Himalayan rain shadow, so you can trek it in monsoon season when every other trail drips. The route follows the old salt-trade corridor up the Kali Gandaki to Lo Manthang, a walled city of whitewashed houses and 15th-century monasteries near the Tibetan border. The landscape is eroded red and grey cliffs pocked with cave dwellings. The permit costs US$500 for ten days, which filters the crowds better than any distance could.

The honest comparison

How to choose

Ask yourself three questions. How many days do you really have, counting the two buffer days every Himalayan itinerary needs for weather? Have you slept above 4,000 metres before, and how did it go? And do you want the famous trail or the quiet one?

If you have two weeks and want the name: Everest Base Camp, done slowly. Ten days and you want variety: the Annapurna Circuit. A week: ABC or Mardi Himal. If you have trekked before and want Nepal as it used to be: Manaslu. And if someone tells you a trek is “easy,” check what altitude they sleep at before believing them. The mountain does not care about anyone’s marketing.

Mohan Raj Bhandari is the founder and lead guide of North Nepal Travel & Trek, a guide-owned trekking company in Pokhara, Nepal. His team has guided the Annapurna, Everest and Manaslu regions since 2015 and publishes weekly trail-condition updates from its own treks.

The nearest towns of note are Nelson and Castlegar.

… there are three separate camping spots Drinnon Lake, Drinnon Pass, and the most beautiful one of all – Gwillim Lakes (free, 1st come, 1st served).

At Gwillim Lakes I counted at least 13 tent pads …

Finding the trailhead to Drinnon Pass and Gwillim Lakes

In many ways the crux of the hike is getting to the Drinnon Pass – Gwillim Lakes trailhead. I was ready to give up on account of the road in – though John was definitely not. The rough road is both a blessing and a curse. …

Plan to buy a roll of chicken wire before you head into Valhalla Provincial Park.

Wherever you park, be it at the trailhead or at some point along the final 2 – 3 kilometre section of road, wrap your car in chicken wire like they did in the car pictured below.

This will prevent the pesky porcupine from gnawing away on your car’s brake lines and causing untold misery getting back to civilization.

read more – Hike Bike Travel – Gwillim Lakes Hike, Valhalla Provincial Park

Cam is the hiker I’d trust most with my life.

This is the ideal gift for anyone thinking about getting into multi-day hiking:

Part 1: Getting Started with Hiking
Part 2: Gearing Up
Part 3: Setting Out on the Trail
Part 4: Creating a Home Away from Home
Part 5: Prioritizing Health and Safety
Part 6: The Part of Tens

Available in paperback and kindle from Amazon.

This is now the defacto beginners hiking guide.

BUT if you want to know more, check Cam’s post ➙

Introducing My New Book: “Hiking & Backpacking for Dummies”

To enjoy tenting, it’s essential you find an optimal way to sleep.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

I ended up staying in Fernie, British Columbia, for the first time because my bike broke down nearby.

Fernie is a fantastic hiking mountain town!

There are over 300 kilometers of multi-use recreational trails accessible without a vehicle.

I walked to the Fairy Creek Falls trailhead while drinking a Tim Hortons coffee.

Only 4.8km there and back, it’s super popular with families and dog walkers.

It follows the creek up to a pretty waterfall.

Expect mud on the trail, even in summer.

Here’s your destination.

Be bear aware. They are frequently spotted, even on this busy path.

In fact my Fernie friend G-Money had to deploy bear spray on the day I arrived in Fernie. They were mountain biking on a nearby trail when Momma Bear decided to protect her 2 cubs.