Come learn about local species of fungi on a mindful hike around Johnson Lake in Banff National Park.
It’s peak season for mushrooms in the Canadian Rockies so it’s a great time to learn about mushrooms, fungi and the mycelial web of life.
The Kingdom of Fungi creates the foundations for life on Earth through their pivotal role in creating topsoil by recycling and regenerating dead matter back into the living web of life.
Yet most people know very little about fungi and the crucial role they play in every forest and grassland ecosystem on Planet Earth.
The goal of this mindful mushroom hike is to change that.
We will use the latest citizen science tools to document the different species of mushrooms we discover using the free apps Seek and iNaturalist.
We won’t be picking any mushrooms because it’s not allowed in Banff National Park, I’ve previously covered where you can legally forge in Alberta.
After this mindful hike, you will have the tools to continue learning about the fascinating world of fungi, their webs of invisible mycelium and the fruiting reproductive bodies of these mycelial networks we call mushrooms.
Why Johnson Lake?
Johnson Lake is overlooked by most tourists because it doesn’t have colourful glacial rock flour so it is much more a place of peace and tranquillity than nearby Two Jakes Lake and Lake Minnewanka.
It is the warmest lake to swim in Banff National Park and there’s a great beach and rope swing in the summer.
In the late spring and early fall season, the area around Johnson Lake becomes an ecological wonderland for mushrooms because the dense forests along the towering Fairholme Range get some of the highest rainfall in the valley.
This area also has one of the largest groves of massive old-growth Douglas Fir in Banff National Park and the trail around Johnson Lake is a place of local lore and legends. The most famous story is about the Hermit of Inglismaldie whose abandoned cabin still stands along the far shores of Johnson Lake.
This is a free mindful mushroom hike on Tuesday, September 17th but we can only accommodate 12 people, so please download the Seek + iNaturalist apps and RSVP early in the Banff And Canmore Hiking Community if you would like to participate.
He started Mindful Ecotourism in 2016 and he has spent the last decade leading workshops, retreats and hiking adventures around the world teaching ecological mindfulness and experiential learning practices for learning about flora, fauna and fungi.
He offers training, mindful hiking adventures and educational field guides.
- Finding The Mother Tree: Banff’s Old-Growth Douglas Firs - September 17, 2024
- Mindful Hike In Mount Revelstoke’s Meadows In The Sky - September 13, 2024
- Mindful Mushroom Hike Around Banff’s Johnson Lake - September 13, 2024
