18 images that prove the Canadian Rockies should be at the top of your bucket list

PICTURE perfect landscapes await you at the end of every road and around every trail bend in the Canadian Rockies: Lush forests, the snow-capped mountain peaks, and azure lakes. So grab your hiking gear and book a flight to Canada immediately. Beauty awaits you and your camera.

1

Nub Peak, Mount Assiniboine Provincial Park

This is a mid-summer sunset self-portrait, captured on a ten-second timer with my camera on a tripod. I had to hike 27 kilometers just to set up the base camp; from there, it was another three kilometers up to this viewpoint.

2

Mount Assiniboine Meadows

Mount Assiniboine, known as the 'Matterhorn of the Rockies,' reflected in the pond below.

3

Mount Rundle, Banff National Park

Mount Rundle sits 2,984 meters above sea level with Banff N.P. at its foot. Heavy winds blow snow from the cloud-veiled summit.

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4

The Wiwaxy Gap Trail, Lake O’Hara backcountry

A rocky outcrop made the perfect setting for this photo stop on the knee-wrenching ascent along the Wiwaxy Alpine Trail. As you cross the valley, Lake O’Hara's deep turquoise will leave you stunned and grateful.

5

Kinney Lake, Mount Robson Provincial Park

Seven kilometers into a 50-kilometer return hike, I captured mist flowing across the surface of Kinney Lake and low clouds entering the distant valley in the distance.

6

Mount Robson and Berg Lake, Mount Robson Provincial Park

A sunrise at the foot of the tallest mountain in the Canadian Rockies. The Alpenglow illuminated summit and cloud were mirrored in the perfectly still Berg Lake. All throughout the previous night, the glacier had calved into the lake with a roar like thunder.

7

Athabasca Glacier, Jasper National Park

We set up a hammock with ice screws in an ice cave at the foot of the Athabasca Glacier. It was eerily quiet in the cave, and surprisingly warm.

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8

Lake Louise, Banff National Park

This photo was captured from a sunrise helicopter flight through the Canadian Rockies. Alpenglow lights up the mountains surrounding Lake Louise, and the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise.

9

Bow Lake and Crowfoot Mountain, Banff National Park

The first snowfall of the year to reach the valley bottom fell overnight, blanketing this fallen tree. The skies cleared the next morning and gave way to a golden sunrise.

10

Lake Minnewanka, Banff National Park

I caught this sunrise along the shore of Lake Minnewanka. Light burst above the mountains onto the cloud above the tree. A thirty-second exposure captured the movement in both the clouds and the lake.

11

Mount Assiniboine, Assiniboine Provincial Park

The 3,618-meter summit glowed bright pink on a crisp fall morning, and was reflected on Magog Lake below.

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12

Mount Assiniboine Lodge, Assiniboine Provincial Park

I captured this scene of the Milky Way aligned with Mount Assiniboine's Peak in subzero temperatures, in grizzly habitat, through the late hours of the night.

13

Abraham Lake, Nordegg

Every year Abraham Lake freezes. There is a short window of time to capture these frozen methane bubbles. The bubbles form from decaying plant material in the lake bed.

14

The Yukness Ledge, Mount Yukness

The sun was setting behind Mount Yukness as we began to traverse the icy ledge to the other side of the valley on a beautifully clear day in the Canadian Rockies.

15

Moraine Lake, Banff National Park

A sunrise at one of the most beautiful lakes in the Canadian Rockies. Alpenglow lights up the Valley of the Ten Peaks, which are reflected in Moraine Lake below.

16

Vermillion Lakes, Banff National Park

A beautiful spring sunrise occurs as the lake ice begins to thaw. The clouds held on to the orange of sunrise for what felt like forever. Mount Rundle towers in the distance.

17

Yoho National Park

After a heavy rain the previous day, cloud engulfed the surrounding mountains. A ray of sunlight lit up these clouds.

18

The Elizabeth Parker Hut in the backcountry of Yoho National Park

As a friend returned to the cabin with his headlamp on, I noticed his shadow cast on one of the huts so I made him return and stand there for a photo. This hut sits near Lake O’Hara, one of the most protected and fragile regions of the Canadian Rockies - and Canada as a whole. Mount Huber is in the distance.