For stiffer hikes to panoramic lookouts, head southwest of town to the Sulphur Gates Staging Area48 and hike the 6.5 km trail up 1 (www.grandecache.ca) Mount Stearn or the 10 km route up the adjacent Lightning Ridge. Advanced mountain bikers can tackle the Grande 3 Mountain Loop (20 km, stunning views) or grind up Mount Hamell (20 km). WillmoreIf you’re looking for hiking, Wilderness horseback riding and Park backcountry camping in a remote, spectacular mountain setting, Willmore Grande Cache Area WilliamWilliam A. Switzer A. Provincial Switzer Park is setProvincial in rolling foothills 25 Park km northwest of Hinton. A park highlight is the Athabasca Wilderness Park is for you. More than 750 km of trails bisect this 4,597 km2 park, bounded on the south by Jasper National Park Located 143 km northwest of Hinton, Grande Cache is perched on a lofty plateau surrounded by forested foothills, some 20 mountain The Smoky River Nordic Ski Club46 grooms 6 km of cross-country ski trails (including 1 km of night-lit skiing) at the Grande Cache Lookout Nordic Centre3, one of the finest cross-country ski facilities in Alberta, with 35 km of hilly forested trails and including a and on the west by the Continental Divide marking the Alberta-B.C. border. Here you can venture for days or more than a week – up peaks and valleys that harbour two rivers, numerous small lakes and a number of waterfalls that can be reached on foot. It’s a Campground and Golf Course47. At Pierre Grey’s Lakes Provincial Park, east of Grande Cache along Highway 40, biathlon range and two warm-up shelters and a natural luge run. mountain flanked valleys, into side basins and along wildflower-strewn ridges – often without seeing other humans. recreational paradise for trail and waterways users and a great place for viewing wildlife and wildflowers. And for hardcore runners, there’s 18 km of looped ski trails and a warm-up shack. there’s the infamous annual Canadian Death Race, a 125 km, 24-hour race that follows well-defined trails over a couple of Throughout the year, the park’s Kelley’s Bathtub Visitor Centre2, to the near north, is a staging point for a network of trails for hikers, Chances are good, though, you’ll see wildlife. With its many windblown, grassy slopes and sheltering subalpine forests, this mountains north of town. skiers and cyclists. The Jarvis Lake Trails run for 13 km through rolling hills, meadows and mixed-wood forests, while the 2.5 km wilderness is home to some 20 per cent of Alberta’s bighorn sheep and mountain goats, as well as to elk, woodland caribou, black Grande Cache and Area Friendly Vistas Trail gravel trail (wheelchair accessible) follows the shores of Jarvis Lake to a wetland, with viewpoints along the and grizzly bears, moose, cougars and wolves. The town of 4,000 people offers a full range of tourist services and attractions. Check the Grande Cache Tourism and Interpretive way. Popular short loop trails east of Highway 40 include Kettle (3.5 km), Blue Lake (3 km) and Beaver Ranch (1.5 km). Centre51 (888-827-3790) for information on area events and attractions. Just outside the centre, Birds Eye View Park features an Many of the park’s well-established trails follow in the historic footsteps of Aboriginal hunters, fur traders, coal miners and trappers. interpretive trail. River Scattered throughout the park are remains of old cabins and gravesites, some dating back to the late 1800s. Grand Cache Lake In Grande Cache, the 12 km (return) Griffith Trail loops around town through rolling, scenic terrain and can be hiked or biked. The Smoky Cowlick Creek Smoky 47 52 William A. Switzer Given the distance from the nearest community, visitors to Willmore Wilderness Park should be experienced, well equipped back- nearby, 7 km Sulphur Rim Trail is another multi-use track that follows the deep gorge of Sulphur Canyon45. Grande Cache is also River South 40 packers or riders, who have planned their trips carefully. Valley bottom trails are often muddy or thick with willows and brush, though the northern gateway to Willmore Wilderness Park and its hundreds of kilometres of superb hiking and equestrian trails. park staff, outfitters and the Willmore Wilderness Foundation are working to clear a number of overgrown trails. None of the river 40 crossings are bridged, and those on foot should be prepared for fording cold mountain streams. Backcountry campsites are primitive 51 sties often without toilets or bear poles. For those not wishing to venture into the park on their own, outfitters can be hired to lead trips Mt. Stearn Victor Sulphur Gates Woodland Caribou Grande Cache Canadian Death Race Lightning Ridge Lake Hiking in William A. Switzer Provincial Park r ve on horseback or to carry supplies and establish camps for those on foot. For more information on trips to and trails in Willmore, Wildhay Ri consult the Willmore Wilderness Park map, available from Alberta Tourism, Parks and Recreation. d a o R er Willmore Wilderness Park has three major staging areas for both hikers and horseback riders, all reached off Highway 40 to the iv To Grande Cache R ay park’s east. From south to north, they are Rock Lake Provincial Park, Big Berland Provincial Recreation Area and Sulphur Gates 40 H Stearn Trail Provincial Recreation Area, the latter just outside Grande Cache. The most popular of the three is Rock Lake, along the Wildhay River, Sulphur Gregg River which provides access to the heart of the park via a couple of main, valley routes: the winding Mountain Trail and Indian Trail. Sulphur Gates Gregg Lake Trail Lake Trail to Manzer’s Camp Winter Riding Hiking 45 Lakeside Campground Gregg Lake Day Use Gregg Lake Campground 48 Kettle Trail Athabasca Lookout Nordic Centre Beaver Ranch Group Camp Cache Campground Halfway Campground Beaver Ranch Trail Graveyard Lake Graveyard Campground Cache Finish Pan Can Road Lake Blue Lake Trail 4 Blue Lake Centre Prairie Creek Road Creek Prairie Jarvis Lake Trail Start Rock Lake-Solomon Creek Wildland Provincial Park 2 Kelley's Bathtub Moosehorn Lake Orge Canyon Entering the Willmore Visitor Centre & Day Use Area For those with only a few days to explore, Seep Creek Trail soon heads north off Mountain Trail to provide quick entry Southview Jarvis Pine Bay Group Camp into alpine country with plentiful wildlife and extensive views. Further along, Mountain Trail bends southwest and climbs Prairie Creek to Eagle’s Nest Pass, offering a fine base camp for day-trip explorations of the surrounding alpine lakes and 40 Jarvis Lake ridges. Mountain Trail then heads northwest along the Rock Creek and provides access, via River Lake 0 West Sulphur 0 Ridge Road Creek 0 Jarvis Lake Day Use 0 Sheep Creek Road Trail, to higher alpine terrain. Creek Laforce Jarvis Lake Campground 0 0 Simonette 6 Bolton While most trips into Willmore are multi-day expeditions, there are a few exceptions. Creek Norris 50 River The 2.5 km trail from Sulphur Gates staging area to scenic Eaton Falls The Alberta Trail Mapping Partnership is made possible through makes a nice half-day outing, and the 18.5 km climb to the Smoky the combined efforts of and funding from the following Caw 3 panoramic views of Adams Creek Lookout from Wanyandi organizations, under the auspices of the Alberta Recreation Meadows Big Berland River staging area is a Creek Sheep Creek Wanyandie Flats Forestry Trunk Road 40 Corridor and Trails Designation Program: 0 To HintonTo 0 East Settlement 0 reasonable overnight trip. Falls River 0 Lookout 9 Alberta Tourism, Parks and Recreation 9 Creek Wanyandie Flats Trail Athabasca 5 Lookout Alberta Sustainable Resource Development MuskegWest Settlement Creek Athabasca Tower Nordic Centre Kakwa Putzy and Viewpoint Alberta TrailNet Society Nickerson Beaver Dam Road River Alberta Off-Highway Vehicle Association South Creek Creek Horn Kakwa Wildland Wanyandie Alberta Snowmobile Association Creek Trench A major staging area for Willmore Wilderness Creek Creek Rock Lake-Solomon Creek Bear expeditions, the 331km2 Rock Lake-Solomon Gratitude is expressed to all local clubs, groups, organizations, 0 Creek Narrow Sheep individuals and municipalities for their review, comments and 0 Cote Creek Trail Creek Wildland Provincial Park is worth 0 0 8 Susa Creek updates in developing this map. 9 Swift exploring in its own right. Located 70 km north 5 Creek Neighbor Settlement Creek Creek of Hinton, the park protects one of Alberta’s For more information or for map access, please contact Alberta Joachim Grande Cache 49 Muskeg Creek Susa Muskeg-Seepee Creek Settlement Lake Settlement River Lone TeepeeCreek most diverse upper foothills ecosystems, TrailNet at 877-987-2457 or through www.albertatrailnet.com Cote Roddy Mason Creek Day Use Settlement Peavine Lake Creek Collie Creek featuring mountain peaks, grassy slopes, dense Famm Cowlick Creek Creek Smoky River South 52 Sterne Forest Recreation Area Pierre Greys Lake Mumm Creek Photo Credits: Creek Grande Cache Lake Mumm forests and wet meadows. The area is a 2 Mason 46 Bill Corbett Scott Sunderwald Rufus Creek Creek Jackson Creek Grande Cache Settlement Grande Cache Creek significant wildlife movement corridor and Malcolm Victor Lake Pierre Grey’s Lakes Gord Court Town of Hinton SheepCreek 51 47 Moosehorn 0 1 Creek 0 Prov. Park provides critical winter range for elk, deer and Wildhay River Hinton and Athabasca Ranch Area Off Road Connections Travel Alberta 0 Sheep Creek Trail 0 Trail Victor Lake Beaver Boardwalk in Hinton Biking Snowmobiling 7 River Rock Lake Rock Lake bighorn sheep. 9 Sulphur 45 Settlement Project Partners Willmore Wilderness Foundation 5 Rock Lake Provincial Park Gates Sulphur Cowlick Creek Trail Randy Kadatz Creek Corral 40 50 48 Cowlick Mahon An extensive network of multi-use, non-motorized Sheep CreekCreek Trail Faulk Stearn Recreational trail layer, campground layer and backcountry Casket Muddywater Creek Creek trails winds through the park’s forest and valleys Creek Rock Creek Solomon Creek Creek Llama Creek Delorme layer provided by Jasper National Park of Canada, Casket Creek Trail River and along Mumm and Solomon Creeks, Isaac Creek Rock Lake - Soloman Creek Casket Lake Goldenrod P.O.