On Friday, August 9, 2024, my dear friend Victoria and I embarked on our much-anticipated 4-night backpacking trip for our annual friend-venture. This tradition started in July 2016 as a front-country camping and day hiking trip, but has evolved into a grand backcountry trip over the years. Some of our most memorable trips include exploring stunning Skoki Valley and camping at Cline Lakes.
Originally, we planned an ambitious ~80 km loop in the Sawback Range of Banff National Park. Just days after booking our campsites, Victoria sprained her ankle, and we feared we might have to cancel. However, after a few weeks of rehab, she felt ready to give it a go. We agreed to hike the first day as planned, and then reevaluate the rest of the trip depending on how she felt. Unfortunately, after Day 1, her ankle was quite sore, so we adjusted our route, reducing the distance to 50 km and avoiding the steep mountain passes.
Typically, Victoria and I push ourselves to do as much as possible, but this trip forced us to slow down and appreciate the experience. Instead of scrambling up mountains, we enjoyed afternoon tea with fellow hikers, admired wildflowers, hunted for berries, and took leisurely lunch breaks by crystal-clear creeks. If you’re looking for a gentle introduction to backpacking, this could be the perfect itinerary for you. It’s also ideal for families with kids (we met an adorable family backpacking with three boys!) or anyone who prefers a relaxed pace. If you’re curious about our original itinerary and want more of a challenge, it’s included at the end of this trip report 🙂
Trip Stats/Overview:
Day 1: Johnston Canyon Trailhead to Luellen Lake; 17.5 km and 560m in elevation gain
Day 2: Luellen Lake to Badger Pass Junction; 6.5 km and ~100 m in elevation gain
Day 4: Johnston Creek Campground to Larry’s Camp; 8.5 km and 200m in elevation loss
Day 5: Larry’s Camp back to Johnston Canyon & back home; 8 km and 260 m in elevation loss
Key Information:
Bears: Be bear aware—bring bear spray and store food and toiletries in bear-proof storage. Take some time to research and understand basic bear safety in the mountains! We heard of an Italian couple who hid in the outhouse all night long due to a grizzly bear that visited their campsite at Mystic Valley!
Permits: You need a national park pass for your vehicle and reservations for campgrounds through Parks Canada.
Day 1: Johnston Canyon Trailhead to Luellen Lake
Victoria picked me up at 7:30 AM on Friday, August 9th and we started our drive to Banff from Calgary, eager and excited to escape the city and have a much needed break from the office grind. It was a beautiful and clear morning, and we arrived at the Johnston Canyon parking lot off highway 1A only to find it was full, but fortunately, there is a second parking lot on the other side of the highway that still had many spots available. This is an incredibly popular hike, so if you want to find parking, arrive early! Or alternatively, Banff Roam Transit makes a stop at this popular trailhead.
After sorting through our packs and deliberating on how many extra layers to bring (we brought them ALL – given the cool overnight temperatures in the forecast!), we set off on the trail shortly after 10 AM. The hike through Johnston Canyon is stunning as always – this is one of Banff’s most popular day hikes for a reason. In fact, it was one of the very first hikes I remember doing with my parents as a young girl (and one of Victoria’s early hikes with her Dad as well!).
The hike through Johnston Canyon is always breathtaking, with three main stops: Lower Falls (1.1 km), Upper Falls (2.7 km), and the Ink Pots (5.7 km). After passing Upper Falls, the crowds thinned, and we enjoyed a quieter hike to the Ink Pots, a set of stunning spring-fed pools with vibrant green and blue hues. This area also offers a the first beautiful view of the Sawback Range.
After lunch, we crossed the bridge and continued on the trail that continues along a short flat section by the creek before climbing up into the forest. The well-defined trail then continues through the forest for around 2 km before reaching Larry’s Camp.
After Larry’s Camp, the trail crosses another bridge over the creek again. Here, there is a junction – if you take a left this leads to Johnston Creek Junction while a right would take you up towards Mystic Pass. This entire trip has lots and LOTS of creek crossings – fortunately every single one we encountered has a well-built bridge, but these backcountry bridges are quite narrow – only two plants wide with a handrail on one side! We took a left, and started along the 8.5 km from Larry’s Camp to Johnston Creek Junction which was relatively uneventful.
Once we finally reached the Junction, we were exhausted and our feet were BARKING! Hiking for nearly 17 km with heavy packs is something that neither Victoria or I have done yet this summer and we sure were feeling it! Fortunately, Luellen Lake campground is only 1 km west from this junction. It descends first back towards the creek, where we passed by Johnston Creek Campground, then crosses over the creek again, and then climbs steadily upwards to reach Luellen Lake. Luellen Lake is a stunning camping spot with only 5 tent sites, the lake is quite large and is nestled beneath the cliffs of Helena Ridge.
We set up our campsite, then made a delicious dinner of lazy pierogies which we practically inhaled. Victoria and I enjoyed a relaxing cup of tea and sat by the lakeside reflecting on our day. It was at this point we had a debrief about how our bodies and Victoria’s ankle were feeling and decided we would need to change our original plan. We came up with our alternate route, then settled in for the night.
Day 2: Luellen Lake to Badger Pass Junction
It was a very chilly night at Luellen Lake – much colder than expected and the morning was brisk! Victoria and I kept on our layers and made our famous backcountry coffee to warm up.
Here is our recipe:
- 1 pack of instant coffee (we used Starbucks Via Instant Pike Place)
- 1 (or two) squares of dark mint chocolate
- A scoop of whole milk powder
Put all ingredients into your camp mug. Add a small amount of hot water and whisk with your fork to get all the lumps and clumps out. Then add more hot water until the total water added is around 250 ml. And enjoy!
This seriously tastes like a Peppermint Mocha, it’s life giving in the backcountry! I digress…
Since our plan today was only to hike the 6.5 km from Luellen Lake to Badger Pass Junction, we took our time having breakfast and relaxing by the lake. We finally packed up our campsite and started the next leg of our hike mid-morning, descending the same way we came back to Johnston’s Creek Junction, and took a left at the junction to head North.
At first, the trail was more of the same – hiking through the woods. But then things started to open up and soon we were hiking through the beautiful open valley with towering mountains visible ahead. Our hiking pace slowed immensely as we took in the views, admired an incredible variety of alpine wildflowers, and even found wild strawberries growing along the trail!
We paused for a snack by a beautiful bridge that offered a gorgeous view of the mountains in the valley. The creek bed rocks were filled with violet fireweeds buzzing with happy bumblebees. Continuing on, the trail in parts was quite deeply rutted and narrow, and surrounded by lots of shrubs and willows. This wasn’t a big deal, but it did start to drizzle a bit. Despite donning our raincoats and pack covers, our legs and boots got quite soaked from rubbing against the wet willows while hiking!
Fortunately, the rain let up quickly and we were able to continue our leisurely stroll through valley, arriving at the Badger Pass Junction campground around 3 in the afternoon.
The rest of the day was a fairly relaxing one – we took a little nap in our tent, and spent some time reading our books while sipping tea. Unfortunately, this campsite was absolutely swarming with bloodthirsty mosquitoes – so it was hard to enjoy spending time outside, even when doused with bug spray. Later that evening, some other backpackers settled into the campground and we chatted with them about their adventures. One group of guys were also on their annual friends backpacking trip – and we learned that the light drizzle we encountered down in the valley was a torrential downpour up at Badger Pass!
Our backpackers dinner de jour was Mexican rice with chicken and veggies – and we had a little photoshoot in the beautiful evening light before settling in for the night.
Day 3: Pulsatilla Pass and back to Johnston Creek Campground
We woke up bright and early around 7 am so that I could set off on a little solo hike to check out nearby Pulsatilla Pass (8 km roundtrip from the campground) while Victoria tried to get some rest after a fitful night.
From Badger Pass Campground, you return back to the main valley, then head north west on the trail that follows close to the creek through the meadows which were filled with beautiful wildflowers fringed in early frost. There are a few trails that run parallel to the main path – I believe due to the use of horses in this area. I did lose track of the trail a couple of times and the creek does braid in spots, but as long as you mostly stay by the creek you’re heading in the right direction!
Eventually I came to some lovely little waterfalls – the trail stays to the left of these falls and meanders through beautiful sub-alpine larch forests. After about a kilometer, I came to a sign that said “Pulsatilla Pass 1/2 mile”, pointing towards the lush alpine meadows speckled with giant boulders. This is also where the trail steepens and there is a consistent uphill grade, gaining just under 300 m in elevation. The pass is named for the Pulsatilla Occidentalis wildflowers which are abundant in this area – a funny little flower that looks like a miniature Truffula Tree with its wispy white villous hairs.
As I came up to the pass on top of the wide saddle – incredible views down the other side of the pass opened up in front of me. Below was a magical mountain paradise – a lush green valley nestled between towering mountains and in the middle, a pristine Pulsatilla Lake sparkled in the sunshine. I was the only person on top of this stunning pass and was enjoying this special solitude when I noticed a family of marmots frolicking among the boulders – a mama, papa and young marmot living out their best lives! I could have spent hours soaking in the beauty of this alpine heaven – it is one of the most scenic, and by far most serene, passes I have ever hiked to.
I hiked back the way I came – finding the trail much easier to follow heading back than on the way up. As got back to the meadows in the valley, I found Victoria sitting by the creek enjoying the sunshine. By now, the sun was fully baking the rocks by the creek and temperatures were easily in the mid-20s (Celsius!). It’s not a girls trip without a skinny dip – and we took a frigid yet refreshing dip in the creek. It felt amazing to wash out the salt and sweat off our bodies and scrub some of the dead mosquitoes out of our hair! We dried off in the warm sun and ate a snack of tuna and crackers while admiring the abundance of butterflies before making our way back to camp to pack up.
The hike from Badger Pass back to Johnston Creek was quite straightforward as we simply went back the way we had come from the previous day. It only took around ~2.5 hours to hike the ~6 km to Johnston Creek Campground as the views were not as enticing to stop and photograph in this direction.
Johnston Creek Campground is surprisingly lovely – I think it gets overshadowed due to its close proximity to Luellen Lake. We chose a tent pad that sat up on the ridge overlooking the creek, and then went down to the cooking area which is nestled in the forest right beside the creek bed. It was an absolutely lovely spot to relax, have another afternoon tea, and read a book by the sounds of the rushing water. The biggest plus – there were hardly any mosquitos here to bother us at all!
Dinner tonight was my favourite of the trip – a flavour packed Peanut Satay Noodle dish that Victoria created using powdered peanut butter and coconut milk powder and mung bean noodles. She honestly is a genius when it comes to coming up with delectable backcountry dishes!
Day 4: Johnston Creek to Larry’s Camp
We had a much better sleep as it was significantly warmer at this campground compared to the previous nights, and the morning was warmer as well with no frost on the ground. We also slept in till 8:45 AM, which is probably why it was so much warmer! We made a delicious rice pudding porridge for breakfast and sat by the creek to eat. After another leisurely morning, we cleaned up our campsite and started our hike towards Larry’s Camp.
There’s not too much to say about this part of the trail – it is around 8.5 km and relatively flat, mostly through the forest, and covered the same portion of trail that we had hiked on our first day. At around the halfway point, we noticed that the clouds had ominously gathered together. Shortly thereafter, loud thunderclaps echoed through the valley – a thunderstorm was fast approaching! We picked up our pace significantly, speed-hiking the last 3-4 km of the way, and managed to make it to Larry’s Camp and set up a tarp just as the first sprinkle of rain broke into a downpour!
Feeling quite smug with ourselves for managing to narrowly escape the rain – we happily shared our rain shelter with other hikers we met at the camp. We enjoyed another delightful afternoon tea as the rain pitter pattered on our tarp, and had some lovely conversations with some friendly fellow campers. The afternoon hours passed rather quickly and we made another tasty dinner, this time Thai style chicken and rice, and set up our camp for our final night in the backcountry.
Day 5: Larry’s Camp to Johnston Canyon (and home)
The night before, we made the plan to wake up early and hike to the Ink Pots, then relax there to enjoy breakfast and coffee rather than hang out at Larry’s Camp. The campground is decent, but not as quiet as the others, with ten tent pads, all of which were full.
It was only around a 2.5 km hike to get to the Ink Pots from Larry’s Camp, and we settled down on a picnic bench that overlooked the beautiful ponds, and also offered a gorgeous view of the valley we had just come back through. We made our last camp coffee of the trip, and sipped on our hot beverage while watching the sun’s rays slowly envelop the frosted valley. The morning mist lifted and our cheeks warmed. A few hikers started to arrive – some early risers who wisely chose to beat the crowds. It was our last peaceful moment of near-solitude before officially leaving the backcountry and rejoining the “normal world”.
After savoring these final minutes of peace and quiet, we packed up and hiked back through Johnston Canyon to the parking lot. It was very crowded (even more than on our day 1) in the canyon and we walked slowly in single file across the boardwalks, past the waterfalls, back to our car. It was quite the jolt to go from hiking for hours without seeing another soul to squeezing past hundreds of day hikers trying to get a picture with a waterfall.
It wasn’t the trip we had originally planned – but it was the trip that we needed. To spend quality time together in nature, appreciating the beauty of our “backyard” and learning to go with the flow and take things slow 😉
Alternative Trip Itinerary:
Here was our original plan – which happens to be similar to the trip that was done by several other groups we met on the trail! This itinerary would complete the entire Mystic Pass Loop.
Day 1: Johnston’s Canyon to Luellen Lake (or Johnston’s Creek) – 17.5 km
Day 2: Luellen Lake to Block Lakes Junction (going over Badger’s Pass) – 18.3 km
Day 3: Block Lakes Junction to Sawback Lake – 12.5 km
Day 4: Sawback Lake to Mystic Valley – 11 km
Day 5: Mystic Junction back to Johnston’s Canyon – 18.5 km
Total: 77.8. km
Christina Lives Freely 