Meetups
The meetups groups
Meetups
Facebook Meetup Groups
These Facebook groups are useful to find hiking/scrambling, and even climbing partners:
- Alberta Hikers Together: Dedicated to finding hiking/scrambling partners. More info.
- Find Hiking Groups/Partners, Alberta: Also dedicated to finding hiking/scrambling partners. More info
- Alberta Hikers & Climbers: Not dedicated to finding hiking/scrambling partners, but the community is tight-knit and people use the group to coordinate activities. More info
Difference between Alberta Hikers Together and:
- Find Hiking Groups/Partners, Alberta:
- The two groups have very similar goals and rules.
- Find Hiking Groups/Partners, Alberta has more members and is a bit more active.
- Alberta Hikers Together encourages posting specific hiking events (come up with a suggestion you'd like to hike, and a meeting time), whereas Find Hiking Groups/Partners, Alberta has a lot of posts about people looking for hiking buddies without specific hikes in mind.
- Alberta Hikers Together is a public group, so when cross posting in different groups, it's easier to post first in Alberta Hikers Together, and then share to the other groups.
- Alberta Hikers & Climbers:
- Alberta Hikers & Climbers caters to those with an intermediate to advanced skill level in either hiking or climbing.
- The Alberta Hikers & Climbers community is more tight-knit, and not just focused on finding hiking partners. People ask and post about trail conditions, avalanche and crevasse rescue courses, scrambling routes, indoor climbing events, etc.
- Alberta Hikers & Climbers is a place where you interact with people first (share tips, ask information, etc) to build connections, and then find hiking/scrambling/climbing partners as a result of the interaction.
Meetup.com Groups
I am not familiar with these meetup.com groups, but I am mentioning them given how popular they are. If anyone participating or administrating these groups is willing to add a bit more background information, please reach out.
- Slow and Steady Hikers: Even though advertised as "slow and steady", the actual speed depends on each organizer. Each organizer vets the participants and in some cases, even have a waitlist.
- Calgary Nature and Social Adventures
- Calgary/Banff Hiking, X-C Skiing, and Snowshoeing
Other Facebook Groups
I am not familiar with these groups, but let me list them here given that they have some traction. If anyone participating or administrating these groups is willing to add a bit more background information, please reach out.
- Women Who Hike Alberta: A group dedicated to women.
- Banff And Canmore Hiking Community: A local hiking community for the Banff and Canmore area.
Guided Trips
If you would like to participate to guided trips, you can hire the services of a certified mountain guide: