Enjoy the fall colours while respecting nature.
Have you joined in the excitement of Larch Madness? As fall arrives and the temperatures cool, Alberta’s forests turn from green to varied vibrant colours of yellow, red, orange, and brown. One of the most stunning experiences is visiting forests with larch trees, also known as tamarack, as their needles turn yellow before falling off. With this being such a beautiful experience, it has become an increasingly popular adventure for hikers.
Whether you are searching for places to visit or are gathering ideas for a fall activity, this blog aims to redirect the excitement around Larch Madness and provide you suggestions for how you can explore responsibly.
Photo by EALT
Tips for fall hiking
Plan ahead
Photo by EALT
Check trail conditions, closures, safety advisories, visitor guidelines or regulations. Don’t just look up the location on Google Maps or AllTrails, but visit the host website for the park or natural area.
Download or print a map.
Communicate a check in – let someone know where you will visit and how long you plan to be gone.
Visit early or have a back up plan
Please respect parking area capacities and signage and visit elsewhere if your desired hike is closed or full.
Leave no trace
Each visit has an impact on the land – make sure you can minimize yours.
Photo by Kassia J Photography
Stay on trail
Rather than stepping off-trail to get past a mud puddle, it is better to step in it. This prevents the trails from widening and eroding at a fast pace. With the right footwear, your visit will go smoothly despite the conditions.
Give wildlife their space
For deer family species, the rut (mating season during autumn) makes them more aggressive and unpredictable. Please keep at least 100 meters from large wildlife.
Photo by Kassia J Photography
Visit with pets responsibly
By keeping your dog on a leash, you can follow many of these tips listed above and protect wildlife while you visit.
You can take the Paws for Effect Pledge to show that you value wildlife habitat. If you sign by September 30, 2025, you can have a chance to win a prize pack.
Why these actions matter
Many parks and natural areas close to Edmonton are experiencing high numbers of visitors including those who aren’t respecting visitor guidelines. When natural areas receive too much attention, the effects are not only sub-par Instagram photos, but harmed ecosystems as well.
Please keep these impacts in mind when you choose to go out on your own fall adventure.
If you haven’t already begun your search for where you’d like to visit, here are some ideas.
Where to enjoy fall colours
Photo by EALT
Two places you can find larches, also known as tamarack, are up in the alpine or around wetlands. While we may not have alpine views in Edmonton, here are some areas you can enjoy fall colours provided by a variety of trees.
River valley trails – RVA’s events like the fall colours bike tour
Edmonton Valley Zoo – Get up close to wildlife while enjoying the trees, gardens, and river valley views. This site does have larches!
University of Alberta Botanic Garden – This stunning garden is open until mid-October.
Visit a hidden gem with no crowds – These EALT sites are within a 1-hour drive of Edmonton.
Glory Hills - maskihkîy meskanaw is another EALT conservation land that is perfect for viewing fall colours with a birch forest along the lake and 4 kilometers of trails to explore. Please respect the parking area capacity and visit another time if it is full.
Larch Sanctuary – this portion of Whitemud Creek includes unofficial trails to explore near the creek, and a paved trail with viewpoints along the top of bank in the Magrath Heights neighbourhood. Please note that this site does NOT have larches. This name came from Larix Communities, the developer that helped ensure that the area would be conserved in perpetuity.
Sensitive habitat - enjoy responsibly
For those that are still excited by the idea of visiting a place with tamarack, here’s a sneak peak at the kind of place that you will visit. The habitats of tamarack involve moist soil conditions - which are sensitive to high visitation. The soft, peat-based soil is easily compacted and damaged by hikers coming through.
The plant community alongside tamarack includes other trees and shrubs like black spruce, alder, birches, and small plants like bogbean, bog cranberry, and even orchids and carnivorous plants like sundew! Many of these plants are so small they could easily be crushed – so hiking mindfully or even avoiding these habitats altogether helps preserve biodiversity.
Larches are impressive trees that can withstand a wide range of weather conditions and cold winters. While they are adapted to these climatic pressures, the pressures from people make it difficult to stand tall.
You can conserve larch habitat
If you are inspired by these places that provide such beauty during the fall, consider protecting it alongside us! By donating to our stewardship fund, you can conserve natural areas close to Edmonton – now and forever.
You can see more nature-related articles by subscribing to our Nature Notes blog.
