If you’re going out in the woods today, there’s a pretty simple way to avoid surprises. If it’s your first time in Jasper, or even if you’ve been down most of the local trails before, picking up a hiking kit from the Friends of Jasper National Park can make all the difference between a pedestrian experience or a captivating walk in the great outdoors.

The kit conveniently comes packed in a durable Mountain Equipment Co-op backpack, and there’s plenty of room left over for your own supplies once the items have been checked and you’re headed out the door. While borrowing the package is free of charge, the Friends of Jasper do ask for a credit card imprint or cash deposit to make sure you don’t make off with the materials.

Departing the Friends store in the historic confines of the Park Information Centre in downtown Jasper, the options for a day-trip or afternoon jaunt are as impressive as the panorama visible before you. Not sure where to go? Simply dip into the reams of printed matter now strapped to your back. You have your choice of trail maps that highlight the most popular trips in the immediate vicinity, and while there are minor discrepancies in terms of distances listed on each map, both are largely effective aids to basic route finding and trip planning.

Once you’ve hit the trailhead, don’t simply rush toward your destination. The kit is full of helpful pamphlets making it easy to identify wildflowers, birds and mammals, providing you with the conditions to live the old adage that the journey is more important than where you end up. The pack comes equipped with a pair of binoculars as well, perfect for spotting lone wanderers trudging between Whistlers Summit and the tramway station, but equally as effective for tracking the path of a soaring osprey circling above the Athabasca River.

No matter where you choose to go, the pack will almost certainly contain some relevant piece of information, though at times the material is amusingly dated. Take for instance the leaflet on “Trees and Forests of Jasper National Park” published nigh on thirty years ago. With a definite seventies sensibility, the graphics might confuse the more literal-minded visitor, but the information contained in the document will allow attentive trail users the chance to identify most of the trees they see along the way.

The kit is ideal for families, as it includes multiple copies of some of the field identification pages and an art kit, complete with paper, coloured pencils and crayons. Just remember, if the younger members of your party are trying to track down a lady slipper or sketch a squirrel, leave everything in its place and try to avoid disturbing the animals any more than necessary.

While the kit includes a small first aid pouch, you’re best off to bring your own supplies if you’ve got them, particularly those who may have an allergic reaction to wasp stings. It can be a little while before help arrives and the most dangerous creatures you encounter along the trail won’t necessarily be bears.

Speaking of insects, the lack of a good field guide to the creepy crawlies of the montane ecoregion is the one thing that’s really missing from the package. As I wandered alongside the riverbank on a sunny afternoon, I wanted to identify the tiny butterflies that floated around my feet.

But these are minor quibbles. The kit has almost everything you need to be entertained and informed as you take a turn in Jasper National Park.