Paget Lookout defines Yoho's 'wow'

"Views! Views! Views!"

"Location! Location! Location!" The real estate industry appropriated these phrases long ago, but as a guidebook writer, I am also in the business of advertising real estate. I think it's time to wrest these descriptions from the usurpers.

Specifically, let's put them back to useful, honest work on behalf of their rightful owners: national parks.

National parks afford truly grand views because their locations are indisputably the most spectacular in the country. In particular, the Canadian Rocky Mountain national parks offer a lifetime of sublime sightseeing to anyone willing to step off the pavement and follow a trail.

For example, just 90 minutes is all it takes for reasonably fit hikers to reach Paget Lookout and witness a panorama encompassing much of Yoho National Park, which is located just west of the B.C.-Alberta border, near Golden, B.C.

The park's name is a Cree exclamation of astonishment, roughly equivalent to "wow." The lookout site reveals how apt the name is.

Below it is the Kicking Horse Valley. Beyond are numerous 3,000-plus-metre peaks, including those ringing famous Lake O'Hara.

The lookout shelter--decommissioned but remarkably intact--is world-class real estate. A five-star property. As a Canadian citizen, you own it. You really should visit it at least once.

While you're there, check out the backyard. An athletic sortie on a rough-but-discernible route will earn you a superior vista from the summit of Paget Peak.

What to bring

Wear hiking boots. Use trekking poles if possible. Even if you start in shorts and a T-shirt, bring long pants, a long-sleeve shirt, a fleece pullover and a light rain shell in your day pack. You'll want sunglasses, hat and sunscreen. Gloves and a tuque will be useful if it turns cool. In addition to a hearty lunch, pack several high-energy snacks. A headlamp and first-aid kit are essential in case of emergency. Start hydrated and carry two litres per person.

Getting there

From Calgary, drive Highway 1 west, past Canmore and Banff. Immediately north of Lake Louise, where the Icefields Parkway(Highway 93) continues north, travel west on Highway 1. Ascend to the Alberta-B.C. boundary. Reset your trip odometer here, on the Great Divide. Slow down just past West Louise Lodge, near the west end of Wapta Lake. At 5.5 kilometres, turn right (north) into the Wapta Lake picnic area parking lot. Elevation: 1,615 metres.

The hike

From the parking lot, walk east toward the picnic shelter. The trail departs left, near the outhouse. Follow it north.

Within two minutes, reach a signed junction at 1,629 metres. Right (east) descends to West Louise Lodge. Go left (west).

About 20 minutes along, reach a signed junction at 1.4 kilometres, 1,771 metres. Left(northwest)leads 1.3 kilometres to Sherbrooke Lake and continues to Niles Meadow. Go right (north-northeast) for Paget Lookout.

From the trailhead, it's a 50-minute ascent through forest to the first unobstructed view(at the end of a short, right spur) of the Kicking Horse Valley(east/west). Just eight minutes farther, reach Paget Lookout at 3.5 kilometres, 2,135 metres.

The lookout view extends south-southeast up Cataract Brook Valley toward Lake O'Hara.

The prominent glacier-mantled peaks south-southeast are Collier Peak and (behind it) Mount Huber. Farther left (southeast) is Popes Peak. Directly south is Vanguard Peak. Farther right (south-southwest) is Cathedral Crags. Southwest is Mount Stephen, which rises above the hamlet of Field.

Immediately left (north) of the lookout, a route begins left of a large, flat boulder. Follow it north-northeast to resume ascending Paget Peak. The summit is 45 minutes to one hour distant.

Note landmarks while romping up the talus to prevent straying off course coming down. The route remains distinct on the peak's lower reaches. Cairns offer guidance.

Above are numerous paths boot-beaten into the scree. Take your pick; all will suffice.

Paget Peak's 2,565-metre summit grants a surpassing view of everything you saw from the lookout, plus the entire valley below Mount Niles.