A Meteor Shower Will Peak Over The Bow Valley This October

The Orionid meteor shower is back this October, and Bow Valley residents don't need to fight for space at one of Banff's busiest viewpoints to see it.

Haven't heard of the Orionids before? They're an annual meteor shower that produces what most of us would recognize as shooting stars.

Every October, Earth passes through a trail of debris left behind by Halley's Comet, and those particles disintegrate as they enter Earth's atmosphere, creating streaks of light in the sky.

The shower runs from Oct. 2 to Nov. 7 this year, but it peaks overnight Oct. 21-22. NASA says you can usually expect 10 to 20 meteors an hour under dark skies.

This year there's a catch: the moon.

A bright waxing gibbous moon will sit over the Bow Valley for much of the night, which washes out the fainter meteors.

The American Meteor Society says the darkest skies around the peak will come in the few hours between moonset and dawn.

In Canmore and Banff, the moon sets at about 3:55 a.m. on Oct. 22, and astronomical twilight starts around 6:26 a.m.

So roughly 4 to 6:30 a.m. is the darkest stretch. That doesn't make the rest of the night pointless, though.

The brighter Orionids still show up through moonlight, especially if you're well away from town.

These are some of the more realistic places to try.

From Calgary: Elbow Valley

If you're in Calgary and want mountain darkness without driving all the way to Canmore, the Elbow Valley has a few options, each a bit more involved than the last.

Elbow Falls is the easiest. Alberta Parks lists it as a year-round day-use viewpoint on Highway 66, and you barely have to walk from the car.

Farther west, Forgetmenot Pond is quieter and deeper into the valley, with still lots of parking options.

If you're up for making a night of it, Elbow Lake is the bigger commitment. It's 1.4 kilometres from the trailhead with about 120 metres of climbing, and camping means you can simply step out of your tent once the moon sets instead of hiking back to the car in the dark.

One word of caution: the trailhead is in the Highwood at roughly 2,200 metres elevation, so it's significantly colder than Canmore or Banff. By October, rain in the valley can mean snow up there, and that snow can linger. If you plan to stay overnight, Elbow Lake Backcountry Campground requires a permit and advance reservation through Alberta Parks.

Kananaskis

Mount Lorette Ponds might be the easiest dark spot in the region. It sits in a wide part of the Kananaskis Valley with very little development nearby, and there's almost no walking involved.

Closer to Canmore, Sparrowhawk on Spray Lakes Reservoir gets you darker skies. The reservoir opens up a big piece of sky, and the Smith-Dorrien corridor puts most of Canmore's light behind you.

The road is more of a factor here than at Mount Lorette. Expect no cell coverage and wildlife.

If you'd rather earn the view, there's Prairie View. The trail starts near Barrier Dam and climbs about 421 metres over 6.6 kilometres one way.

Canmore and the Bow Valley

For a quick trip out of Canmore, Middle Lake is an easy pick. The Bow Valley Provincial Park day-use area has a parking lot and a short interpretive loop around the lake, and it's far enough east of town to lose some of Canmore's glow.

Quarry Lake is the most convenient option, if not the darkest. Canmore's lights are still close, so it won't match Middle Lake or Spray Lakes, but for anyone in town it gets you away from streetlights with almost no driving. It's part of the town's paid parking system.

If it comes down to Quarry Lake or staying home because Kananaskis feels like too much effort, go to Quarry Lake.

Banff and Lake Louise

Banff has a good cluster of spots along the Minnewanka Loop: Johnson Lake, Two Jack Lake, Lake Minnewanka and Cascade Ponds, all a short drive apart.

Johnson Lake is smaller and quieter. Two Jack is easy to get to and has open water. Minnewanka gives you the widest view of the sky, and Cascade Ponds has big open areas that work well if you just want to watch meteors rather than line up a mountain photo.

Near Lake Louise, Morant's Curve is another option. The Bow Valley Parkway viewpoint has designated roadside parking and sits away from the bigger light domes around Banff and Canmore. Parks Canada lists it among the park's established locations and recognizes the pullouts and rest stops along the parkway.

Sort your pass before you go

Which pass you need depends on where you park.

The Elbow Valley, Kananaskis and Middle Lake spots all need a Kananaskis Conservation Pass. It's $15 a day or $90 a year and is registered to your licence plate, so you don't need a separate pass for each person in the vehicle.

You can buy it online up to 11:59 p.m. on the day of your visit, but cell service is spotty in parts of Kananaskis, so it's easier to buy it before you leave home.

The Minnewanka Loop and Morant's Curve are in Banff National Park, which requires a Parks Canada pass, either a daily admission or an annual Discovery Pass. The provincial and federal passes are separate, and one doesn't cover the other.

Quarry Lake falls under the Town of Canmore's paid parking.

Most Alberta Parks and Banff National Park day-use areas are open 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. That means a lot of the easy spots work for evening viewing but not for the moon-free window before dawn.

Before heading out

You don't need a telescope or binoculars. Just find as much open sky as you can.

NASA recommends getting away from artificial light and giving your eyes time to adjust to the darkness, which can take up to 30 minutes.

Bring a headlamp, ideally one with a red-light setting so you can see where you're going without ruining your night vision.

Pack more warm layers than you think you'll need. Standing or lying still for an hour on a late-October night in the mountains gets cold fast, and a blanket or sleeping pad makes lying on the ground a lot more comfortable.

Carry bear spray and keep it somewhere you can reach it, not buried in a pack. Bears are still active in late October before they den for the winter, and they're harder to spot in the dark. Make noise on trails, and give any wildlife you see plenty of room.

If you're hiking to Elbow Lake or Prairie View, dress for winter, not fall. Wear proper boots, bring traction like microspikes in case the trail is icy, and carry water, food and a charged phone. Tell someone where you're going and when you expect to be back.

Late October weather can turn fast. Check Alberta Parks and Parks Canada advisories before you go, watch the forecast and road reports, and stick to designated trails and parking.

Worth the cold, peak or not

Halley’s Comet won’t return to the inner solar system until 2061, but every October we get a little of what it left behind.

Living in the Bow Valley, it’s easy to forget how lucky we are when it comes to dark skies. Most people have to plan a trip for what we can reach with a short drive after dinner or an early alarm.

The moon won’t make this year’s Orionids easy, and if clouds roll in on the 21st, don’t write it off. The shower stays active for weeks, so a clear night a day or two either side of the peak is still worth a look, just with fewer meteors.