Heli Hiking in the Cariboo Mountains

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Have you ever had a trip where you have to keep pinching yourself so you know it’s real? That happened to me this summer as I went on a trip I never would have thought of booking myself. The opportunity actually came about through work, and I was sent to experience this 3 day heli hiking trip in the mountains of British Columbia. Not too bad a life to be given a trip anywhere, I admit. But this wasn’t just anywhere, and this wasn’t just any experience.

CMH – Canadian Mountain Holidays

The trip was through a company called Canadian Mountain Holidays. CMH specialize in winter heli skiing, and in the summer they do heli hiking. We were here to experience the latter. They have a few different lodges in the province, but we were spending our time at the Cariboo Lodge located in Eastern BC. It was the first time in 10 years this lodge was taking summer visitors so they invited media and travel professionals to experience it. Somehow I was lucky enough to become involved in this trip and I had my bags packed before they could change their minds.

CMH involves helicopters which are your main mode of transportation for the duration of your stay. That alone should give you a hint that this is a luxury travel product. Packages range from about 3 to 6 nights and once you’ve paid, most everything you need is included: accommodation, transportation, all meals, rental equipment you will need. Alcoholic beverages, spa treatments and gratuities are about the only thing you’ll end up buying once you’re there. I did the three night trip and it was just incredible.

What the heck is heli hiking?

Up until I went on this trip I honestly didn’t really know much of what I would be doing. As the name suggests, I had an idea that there would be a helicopter involved at some point, and some hiking. That was it. Heli hiking involves hiking in such remote areas that usually only a helicopter can get you there. We would helicopter to a specific location, hike around for the day, and at the end of the day they would come back for us at a meeting point. Pretty cool huh? If you haven’t already guessed, this also means you’re hiking in places that other people don’t generally go to. The areas we went to were so untouched, all I could do was be in awe of what I was doing the whole time.

Getting to the Cariboos

From my office there were two of us that somehow managed to wrangle our way onto this trip of a lifetime. We’re still not sure how, and we daren’t ask in case they realise they sent the wrong people. 

But nevertheless we were booked and made our way from Vancouver to Calgary to start our journey. We had to meet our group in Banff at 8am on the Friday, so we flew out early on the Thursday, and took the Brewster airport shuttle to Banff.  Hey, if you’re getting a trip to the mountains you’d better make the most of it. Arriving shortly after noon we checked into our hotel, the Elk & Avenue. We dropped our bags and set out to explore Banff for the afternoon.

Afternoon in Banff

First stop…the pub. Banff Avenue Brewing company is a great little brewery right on the main street. It was July and the weather was beautiful so we took to the outdoor patio on the second floor. The brewery has some nice local beers, and my favourite time of year for beer is the summer. So many great flavours. Luckily for us we arrived on “Stein day” which means happy hour is a cheap Stein of beer – pretty much a pint and a half of beer in one. I decided to settle for the pint but our server had other ideas and I ended up with the Stein anyway. Giving my arms a work out I got the Apricot Rhubarb Ale. Totally worth it.

After that we wandered around some of the little shops in the town, checking out souvenirs and marveling at the spectacular views you see everywhere you turn. Taking a walk over the bridge we walked to the Fairmont Banff Springs, probably the most famous hotel in the Rockies. It’s essentially a castle in the mountains, originally built in the late 1800s. Inside, all brick and wooden beams, it is filled with history (and ghosts). We finished the day off with some well earned pub food and an early night ahead of the full day of travel planned for the next day. Read more about Banff in this ULTIMATE guide to the Canadian Rockies.

The most beautiful highway

Getting from Banff to Valemount, British Columbia was a long journey. Valemount is where we would take the helicopter to our accommodation for the next few days. Picked up at 8:30am we travelled by bus along the highway, arriving at the heli-pad about 3pm. That was a long day, but CMH looked after us, picked us up with a lunch packed for everyone and a sneak peek what we could expect for the next couple of days. Although the journey was by highway, it really is a pretty one.

Driving North we followed the huge mountains just outside of Banff. Passing the turn off for world famous Lake Louise we continued along the Icefields Parkway past Bow Lake and the Athabasca Glacier at the Columbia Icefields. Even from a bus window it’s unbelievable seeing these views. Mesmerized, the journey passed pretty quickly as I stared out the window wondering what could top this.

We arrived in the small mountain town of Jasper to pick up our last passenger then headed West another hour or so and finally arrived at Valemount, our gateway to this fantastic adventure.

Safety first – taking a helicopter ride

After getting off the bus our luggage was put on a truck. This would take the long route up the mountainous path to the lodge where we would be staying. This takes about an hour whereas our journey by helicopter got us there in about 8 minutes.  The helicopter here leaves from a large parking lot type area, however when you’re hiking in the mountains your runway is slightly smaller usually. So we were given a lot of tips on how to not get flattened by a chopper.

If you have never ridden in a helicopter before, there are two things that typically come to mind when encountering one. The first is seeing the rotors on the top and the tail end moving so fast you are convinced there’s no way you’re making it into the vehicle without losing a limb. The second is that this is the coolest way to get around EVER. James Bond has nothing on you!

Some of our 45 strong group had never been on a helicopter before. Not that it’s my primary vehicle every day but I have been on a helicopter twice before with work on other trips. Usually just a flight-seeing tour with space for about 4 people. This was a bit different, and a little bigger – room for 12. We were given a big safety talk by the pilot who gave a couple of examples of ways you can face instant death if misbehaving around a helicopter. Always listen to the pilot, he knows best! All joking aside he did a great job of making us feel comfortable with these massive machines.

First flight in a helicopter

I learned through Wikipedia, in an attempt to settle an internal debate as to whether helicopters have rotors or propellers, that helicopters can also be known as “choppers”, “copters”, “helis” or “whirlybirds”. As you can imagine this new information means I will from this moment on, only refer to them as whirlybirds.

So we prepared to take our whirlybird to the Cariboos Lodge. Following our eye-opening safety talk, we hunched over until mere inches off the ground and shuffled into the machine. We lifted off in a much smoother fashion that I’ve ever experienced on a plane. For me that’s usually a combination of white knuckles from digging my fingers into the arm rest, and my favourite mantra of “It’s going to be OK, it’s going to be OK”. The maneuverability of these choppers (I mean whirlybirds) is incredible and within minutes we’d left the dusty heli-pad and busy highway behind and arrived at a beautiful, serene location up in the mountains.

The CMH Cariboos Lodge

The Cariboos Lodge cannot be faulted. The staff are the most welcoming, friendly group of people who kit you out instantly for the next few days of heli hiking. Hiking boots, rain gear, backpack and water bottle, basically all you need. You’re given your room name, all delightful names like “Twilight” and “Enchantment”, and you have some time to settle in before dinner. The lodge is beautiful, with a nice outdoor area on the second level where we were able to hang out with the other guests and have a drink on the balcony area. It’s the perfect place to watch the sunset and realize just how insignificant you are in this mountainous area.

Outside of the lodge is a nice little swimming pond with some chairs set up around it and a kayak. There’s a spa for booking a massage for after your day of hiking. Inside the lodge there’s a gift shop for anything you might have forgotten or a souvenir. Also a gym in the basement with plenty of machines, a rock climbing wall and pool table. We even had the option of going for early morning stretch class to prepare for the day ahead. There are comfortable couches next to a bar where we got an apres-hike beer each afternoon. This is next to the dining room where we ate our meals.

Food at CMH – keeping up our energy

Meals are communal in a big dining room in the main lodge. The dining room is rustically decorated – even the light fittings were wooden carved antler shaped. We sat ourselves at dinner so it gave us an opportunity to mix with other travellers. The staff of the lodge also sit with you, as well as serve your meals and cleaning the dishes away. The whole group ends up feeling like one big family which is one of the parts I loved most. I liked sitting next to different people at each meal so you got new conversation.

The menu for dinner is posted on a board through the day so you can check out what will be served that evening. They were really good at catering to dietary requirements too. I’m a vegetarian, and my friend cannot eat dairy. The staff came by before each course to check with us that what we would be served would work for us and if we needed any modifications. They created some beautifully plated dishes, and more food than you can shake a stick at. After dinner that first night I thought I would never be hungry again.

Remember to take a reusable water bottle with you on your travels, like this one from FastTech

Getting started – heli hiking preparation

I chose to get up early for the stretch class. An hour of stretching and yoga style poses to warm up for the long day ahead. I wasn’t really sure what to expect with the hiking so I thought it best to be as prepared as possible. The staff right a bell throughout the lodge to wake people up, so whether you do the stretch class or not, you’ll be up.

After the class I ate another feast. This time breakfast. Pastries, build your own granola station, fruit juices and hot food items. All of which put me into a mini food coma that I needed to work my way out of quickly. After breakfast we checked out the list of groups for the day’s hike. Put into groups based on your selection of comfort level, I’d chosen to be part of the ‘moderate’ group. I didn’t want to go full hiker, but also wanted a bit more of a challenge than an amble through the forest.

Ready to hike

Each group had about 8 people and 2 guides who know so much about the areas you go to. We ordered our lunch time sandwiches the first day for the whole trip so just has to grab a lunch box and start filling it up with what we wanted. There were plenty of healthy options and things designed to keep your energy levels up. Heading outside I put on my hiking boots, grabbed my backpack and went to the helicopter for the ride out of there.

We were instructed where to put our backpacks and where to stand (or kneel) as the chopper came in and landed. We all got in, fastened our seat belts, and were off the ground in minutes. Seriously, is this real? The journey only lasted about 10 minutes and we were dropped by a lake high in the mountains.

First day of heli hiking

The good thing about having two guides is that if you feel your level of ability is higher than in the group you placed (or lower) the guides can split the group up into two to cater for everyone. Our group did have some people who were not able to keep up so one of the guides took them a different way that was a little easier. We walked around and hiked up onto a ridge, altogether about 2 and a half hours of hiking. The views were incredible and everywhere we looked there was something I needed to take a photo of.  I also made sure to enjoy the moment. It was too easy to keep getting the camera out and not appreciate where you were at that time. 

Bugging Out – the only drawback to heli hiking

What kept bringing us back to reality were the bugs! Oh my God, so many. There were more mosquitos than I have ever seen, and apparently that time of year is pretty bad for them. Plus it’s an area people haven’t been to for so long that the bugs seem to have taken over. The horseflies were the size of birds. The lower areas, and the meadows there were way more bugs so I was happy to keep climbing. So many of my photos have black dots which don’t look too bad until you see them up close and realise they are the horseflies:

Hiking around new places

The helicopter came back around noon and picked us up, taking us to a new spot for our afternoon hike. We went higher into the mountains and were dropped next to a glacier. I sat on a rock eating my lunch, watching big chunks of ice crash to the ground from the glacier in front of me. It was incredible. There were also less bugs in this higher altitude. 

The afternoon was spent with even more magnificent views than the morning. Emerald green lakes, alpine meadows, cascading waterfalls, and the ice and snow of the peaks all around us. The pictures don’t do it justice, and I’m not sure my words can even describe how impactful this trip was.

After a long day heli hiking we returned to the lodge around 3.30pm to unwind with a nice cold beer. Dinner was another 7 course feast. I really liked that the manager of the lodge personally came around to chat to everyone about their day, how much fun they’d had and what they’d seen. It was such a genuine thing for him to do. Once again, I think the staff do an amazing job. Retreating to my room after another relaxing beer, I did not have any trouble falling asleep that night.

Day 2 of heli hiking

Waking up early, I went for the stretch class again. I needed it after the day before, and was still feeling the effects of hiking and carrying a backpack all day. After another big breakfast to start the day, I quickly packed my lunch and headed out for my helicopter ride. No big deal, right? Just another heli ride! We were getting used to this now.

The first drop point was a meadow in a beautiful valley. Lots of plants and trees all around us, it was very different from day 1. We were swarmed with bugs from the minute we landed. The day before I had carried a small towel with me, mainly in case the summer heat got to me and I had to wipe the sweat from my face (nice, huh?!). But I found a better use for this towel that I now relied on during day 2 – fly swatter! I was soaked from head to toe in bug spray, constantly twirling around to evade the bugs, all the while smacking a towel into thin air. If ever there was a stereotype for a city person in the wild, I was it that day. I was bitten so much from mosquitos and the horseflies which have a really nasty bite.

The views were being overshadowed by my need to keep moving away from the wildlife. By the time we were picked up at around noon I was all but ready to call it a day and go back. But I decided to give it a shot in the afternoon and I’m so glad I did.

Unparalleled views in the Cariboo Mountains

We were taken so much higher, which like the day before really helped the bug situation. Dropped at the Zillmer glacier and I had possibly the best lunchtime view I will ever have in my life:

The afternoon hike was a lot more challenging. A good portion of it was uphill, scrambling over moving rocks and well packed snow. Climbing up big rocks and over small rivers and waterfalls, we kept going up and up and up. I was constantly at the rear of the group, preferring to take my time, but feeling a little out of my league. However a number of people in the group had about 20 years on me, so also my pride kept me going. I’m glad I did as I was eventually treated to a view of where we had travelled and it was spectacular.

The afternoon was over, and I was exhausted. We choppered back to lodge for one last 15 course extravaganza (OK not quite) and another night where I was out like a light.

Leaving a hiker’s paradise

After a few amazing days heli hiking in the Cariboo mountains it was time for one final helicopter ride. We packed our bags, which were taken on the truck ahead of us as we enjoyed one last big breakfast. No stretch class today, just a lot of sadness over having to go back to reality. We gathered at the helicopter site and took our last ride down to the parking lot area where we boarded the bus. Another long day by bus back along the Icefields Parkway, we briefly stopped in Banff before continuing on to Calgary to fly home. 

I know this is not a cheap product, and heli hiking is not the kind of thing that most people will think of doing. It’s not something I really thought about doing. But despite all the bugs, hard work, sweat and tears (due to the beauty of the mountains, not the bugs I swear) I would recommend this to anyone. It was a fantastic experience that I am so humbled to have been a part of. It’s actually this trip that really inspired me to start writing a travel blog. 

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