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Waypoint Journeys Presents

Battle Abbey Summer

Glaciers & Wild Rivers of the Selkirks

Summer 2028

Via Ferrata · The Omoo Glacier · Heli-Hiking · Bull Trout Rivers · Alpine Lakes · A Lodge With No Road In

4 or 5 DaysFrom $5,695 USDUp to 12 guests

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The Destination

The Selkirks With the Snow Gone

Battle Abbey opened in 1978 as a ski and climbing lodge, and summer is when its country shows what lies under the snow: granite ridges, tumbling glaciers, jewel-coloured lakes and valleys of old-growth cedar. The lodge sits at 2,200 metres in British Columbia's northern Selkirks with no road in; a shuttle bus from Calgary airport takes you to Golden, and the helicopter flies you in from there.

Every day is guided and settled with you over breakfast: a via ferrata on Foremast Peak, crampons across the Omoo Glacier to Kings Landing, a helicopter day for heli-hiking, or for fly fishing and rafting a wild river, and long walks through ancient forest. Walks run from 3.4 to more than 8 kilometres with 300 to 1,300 metres of climb, and the plan bends to the weather and to what you want. Children are welcome; if they can walk four or five kilometres on rough ground, there is plenty here for them.

This is grizzly, mountain goat, elk and wolverine country, with eagles and ptarmigan overhead and wildflowers across the slopes. Back at the lodge there is a sauna, massage by arrangement, a patio for a cold local beer, and a four-course dinner built on Canadian ingredients and Okanagan wine.

"The glacier is a morning's walk from the door, and the nearest road is a helicopter ride away."
Hikers walking the Omoo Glacier near Battle Abbey
Crossing the Omoo Glacier on Day 2
Why Battle Abbey in Summer

Glaciers, Granite and Rivers Few People Reach

The Omoo Glacier

Crampons on, you follow the guides across the ice, past the granite pillars called the Throne, to Kings Landing, named for the King of Spain, who landed here to heli-ski in the 1990s. Lunch comes with the Selkirks and the Purcells all around.

Via Ferrata

Fixed cables and rungs up Foremast Peak put real exposure within reach of anyone who can climb a ladder, with a swim in Round Lake below the Omoo Glacier waiting afterwards.

A Day by Helicopter

One day flies out over the northern Selkirks to the day you chose: heli-hiking along linked ridges and wildflower meadows back to the lodge door, or a wild river valley far below.

Bull Trout and Old Growth

The river day is spent casting for bull trout beneath towering cedars, with elk and deer on the banks. Anyone not fishing rafts the river or paddleboards its calm, glacier-fed channels instead.

Pequod Pass

The five-day trip adds the Pequod trail to the head of the Butters valley, where two glacier tongues and waterfalls meet below Mount Moby Dick, and a view over the Incomappleux, an inland rainforest with trees up to 1,800 years old.

Sauna, Massage, Dinner

Afternoons end with a sauna, a massage by arrangement or a pint on the patio, then a four-course dinner from the lodge's chef, built on Canadian produce and a list of Okanagan wines.

Day by Day

The Summer Programme

Five days as they usually run; the four-day trip leaves out Day 4. Routes change with the weather and with what you choose each morning.

Route map of the Calgary to Battle Abbey: Battle Abbey.
The Route

Calgary to Battle Abbey

A scheduled flight into Calgary, the lodge's shuttle bus west over the Rockies to Golden, then the helicopter into the Selkirks. Every night is spent at the lodge, and every walk starts at its door.

  1. Days 1–5Battle Abbey
Explore the route
Calgary → Battle Abbey · Foremast via ferrata
Day 1
Calgary → Battle Abbey · Foremast via ferrata

The day starts at Calgary airport, where the lodge's shuttle bus collects you for the drive west over the Rockies to Golden; we can book you a hotel by the airport the night before. From Golden the helicopter carries you into the Selkirks to the lodge. Once you have settled in, the guides lead you up the via ferrata on Foremast Peak and down to Round Lake for a cold swim below the Omoo Glacier and Mount Ridiculous. Sauna, then a four-course dinner. Arriving by private jet, you can instead take a one-hour direct helicopter transfer from the FBO in Calgary to the lodge.

The Omoo Glacier · Kings Landing · Schooner Pass
Day 2
The Omoo Glacier · Kings Landing · Schooner Pass

After espresso and breakfast, crampons go on for the Omoo Glacier. You follow the guides past the granite pillars of the Throne to the crest at Kings Landing, where lunch comes with the Battle group, the northern Selkirks and the Purcells in view. The afternoon walks and scrambles along the ridge tops to Schooner Pass and down to the lodge, in time for a sauna, a massage or a pint on the patio before dinner.

Helicopter Day · Heli-Hiking or a Wild River
Day 3
Helicopter Day · Heli-Hiking or a Wild River

Today you fly, over glaciers and deep valleys to the day you chose. Heli-hikers start on a remote summit and follow a chain of ridges and wildflower meadows all the way back to the lodge door. Anglers drop into an old-growth river system known for bull trout and cast beneath the cedars, with elk and deer for company and an eye out for grizzlies; others raft the river or paddleboard its glacier-fed channels. A swim and a good dinner close the day.

The Pequod Trail · Pequod Pass
Day 4
Five-day trips
The Pequod Trail · Pequod Pass

A narrow trail runs along the Butters valley at lodge height, with Mount Butters in view the whole way, to the foot of Pequod Pass and Mount Moby Dick, where two glacier tongues and a string of waterfalls converge. Lunch there, then up to the pass to look over the Incomappleux, an ancient inland rainforest whose oldest trees are around 1,800 years old, home to grizzlies, wolves, cougars and wolverines. Back for an early sauna before dinner.

The Blue Danube · Old Growth · Fly Out
Day 5
The Blue Danube · Old Growth · Fly Out

A last climb to the ridge called the Blue Danube, a granite vein that snakes toward the valley floor, then down through the trees into the old growth of the Butters headwaters, a world away from the glacier of two days before. Snacks on the trail, an early lunch at the lodge, then the afternoon helicopter to Golden and the shuttle bus back to Calgary airport. Plan to fly home the following day.

Battle Abbey lodge lit up at dusk

Heli-Access Backcountry Lodge

A Mountain Summer
With No Road In.

In Pictures

Battle Abbey in Summer

Every photograph here is the lodge's own: the glaciers, the helicopter days, the rivers and the house. Open any one to see it full screen.

Glaciers and Ridges

Hikers on a rocky summit, glaciers across the valley Walking the moraine above a blue, crevassed glacier A half-frozen lake in a granite basin Wildflowers below a glaciated peak Hikers on granite blocks at the edge of the snow A hiker on the slabs above a broad glacier A dark granite ridge above the ice A group crossing polished granite toward the glacier A rest on the summit, a turquoise lake far below Hikers crossing the alpine as the helicopter passes Soft pink light on the peaks above two alpine lakes Walking a grassy ridge above the treeline A hiker on the granite slabs above the valley Butters Lake in low sun, from the ridge above A group on the summit, two little ones along in carriers

Helicopter Days

Glaciers through the helicopter window The helicopter waiting on a high granite shoulder Crouched by the packs as the helicopter lifts away The helicopter set down beside the river

Rivers and Lakes

A raft on a glacier-fed river, seen from above Rowing the raft through milky glacial water Rafting down through the forest The river running white through the forest Where two rivers meet, from above The river braiding down a long forested valley A bull trout, held for a moment in the river Casting in the shallows of a wide river A cold swim in an alpine lake

At the Lodge

The lodge in summer, set among granite and meadow The lodge on its knoll, looking out over the range Ravioli made fresh in the lodge kitchen Dinner plated for the whole table at once The chef plating dinner
Expedition Details

What's Included

Duration4 or 5 days with every night at Battle Abbey, from and to Calgary
DatesThe lodge is closed through summer 2027 while it builds an extension, so the next summer season is 2028, from July to September. Its dates are released in early November 2026: tell us the week you want and we will put you forward as soon as they open
Group SizeUp to 12 guests share the lodge with its guides, and all ages are welcome; whole-lodge private takeovers on request
AccommodationBattle Abbey lodge, 3,500 square feet over three levels: warm rooms, a lounge, dining room, hot showers, a sauna and a patio facing the peaks. Solo guests share with another solo guest of the same gender at no extra cost, or take a private room at a supplement
Included ExperiencesThe Foremast via ferrata and Round Lake (Day 1); the Omoo Glacier to Kings Landing and Schooner Pass (Day 2); a helicopter day for heli-hiking, or bull trout fishing, rafting and paddleboarding (Day 3); the Pequod trail and pass (Day 4, five-day trips); the Blue Danube and old-growth walk (Day 5)
TransportThe lodge's shuttle bus from Calgary airport to Golden and back, the helicopter between Golden and the lodge, and the Day 3 helicopter flights, all included; arriving by private jet, you can take a one-hour direct helicopter transfer from the FBO in Calgary instead
Guides & GearGuides certified by the ACMG or IFMGA, or working toward it; crampons, harnesses and radios provided for every outing
MealsEvery meal from the lodge's private chef, packed lunches on the trail, four-course dinners and the espresso bar
Not IncludedFlights to Calgary, the hotel night before, alcohol bought at the lodge, gratuities and travel insurance

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Common Questions About This Expedition

You should be able to walk four or five kilometres a day on uneven ground. Most routes run from 3.4 to more than 8 kilometres with 300 to 1,300 metres of climb, and each morning you choose between a relaxed route and a bigger day. No climbing or mountaineering experience is needed: the guides provide crampons and harnesses and show you how to use them.
Yes, all ages are welcome. The via ferrata, the lakes and the shorter trails suit families, and the guides set each day around the youngest walker.
Grizzlies live in these valleys, which is part of the draw. Every outing is guided by people who work in this country all summer, and any sighting is kept at a safe distance.
Weather rarely stops the helicopter on a changeover day. When it does, you spend the night in Golden and fly in as soon as it clears, then carry on with the normal programme. Costs from a weather delay fall on the guest, so we recommend trip interruption and cancellation cover; our insurance page covers the options.

Expedition Investment

$5,695USD

per person, four-day summer trip, shared lodge

Includes the shuttle bus between Calgary airport and Golden, the helicopter to and from the lodge and on Day 3, every night at Battle Abbey, all meals from a private chef, certified guides and all technical gear. The five-day trip, with the Pequod Pass day, is $7,000

Excludes flights to Calgary, alcohol, gratuities and travel insurance. Prices per person in US dollars, set from the lodge's current summer rates and confirmed when the 2028 dates are released; a private room is available at a supplement

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A Note on Safety & Logistics

Summer in the Selkirks is kind weather for walking, and every outing runs with certified guides, radios and the right gear for glacier travel. The one thing to plan around is the flight in: mountain weather rarely holds the helicopter on a changeover day, but when it does you spend the night in Golden. Arrive in Calgary the night before and leave a spare evening at the end. Field rescue and medical evacuation cover is available through our Global Rescue partner page.