CONTENTS TRAILS Changes in the 4th Edition — 6 Hwy. 68 (W end of Sibbald Creek Trail) – 18 Acknowledgements — 6 Map of Kananaskis Country — 7 Hwy. 40 (Kananaskis Trail) – 26 Kananaskis Country — 8 What to Expect — 9 Kananaskis Lakes Trail (N end) – 162 Facilities — 11 Camping — 12 Info — 13 Elk Lakes Provincial Park – 175 Using the Book — 14 Area map — 16 Kananaskis Lakes Trail (W end) – 185 Maps — 309 Index of trails — 318 Contacts — 320 Hwy. 742 (Smith-Dorrien Valley) – 233 Introduction ing a lot more country (over 4000 square KANANASKIS COUNTRY kilometres) and a lot more development, with facilities for every conceivable out- the NaMe door sport. Since the last edition the whole world Many people forget that Kananaskis has learned to pronounce the name Country has always been multi-use, mean- ‘Kananaskis’: CTV’s Lloyd Robertson, US ing it is open to logging, cattle grazing and president Bush, British prime minister oil and gas exploration. Tony Bair, Russian president Vladimir Putin. One wonders what explorer John LOCATION Palliser would have thought of it all. K Country is located on the eastern slopes The strange name dates back to 1858 of the Canadian Rockies, west and south of when Palliser named the pass he was the Olympic city of Calgary, Alberta. From about to cross ‘Kananaskis’ …after the the city outskirts the eastern boundary is name of an Indian, of whom there is a only a 20-minute drive away. legend, giving an account of his most The western boundary adjoins Banff wonderful recovery from the blow of an National Park, then runs down the Conti- axe which had stunned but had failed to nental Divide. The northern boundary is kill him, and the river which flows through delineated by Hwy. 1A and the fringe com- this gorge also bears his name. Possibly munities of Exshaw, Dead Man Flat and the Indian in question was the great Cree Canmore. The eastern boundary coincides Koominakoos who lost an eye and part neatly with the Bow-Crow Forest reserve of his scalp in a battle with the Blackfoot boundary, while the southern boundary is in the Willow Creek area, but made a mi- marked by Hwy. 732. raculous recovery and showed up at Fort Edmonton some weeks later …ready to gettiNg there take to the warpath again. Calgary is served by major airlines, sev- eral bus companies and by train from the the coNcept east. Greyhound buses run west along Today, the Kananaskis Passes, Kananaskis the Trans-Canada Highway to Canmore, Lakes and the Kananaskis River form the but stops are infrequent. That’s it as far as heart of Kananaskis Country (or K Country public transportation goes. You need a car. as it is more commonly called), a provin- The core area described in Volume 1 cial recreation area owned by Albertans is usually accessed from the Trans- and established on October 7, 1977, to … Canada Highway via Hwy. 40. It can also alleviate congestion in National Parks, be reached from the town of Longview and to provide greater recreation oppor- on Hwy. 22 via Hwys. 541 and 40 over tunities for Albertans. Highwood Pass. Another way in is along Let’s give credit to architect Bill Milne, Hwy. 68 from the Trans-Canada or via who got the ball rolling. Alberta premier Hwy. 742 from Canmore. Peter Lougheed and Clarence Copithorne, The northern portion of Elk Lakes Pro- then minister of highways, quickly came vincial Park is most often reached from on board and a new Hwy. 40 was built. Peter Lougheed Provincial Park on foot. Their vision for the Kananaskis Valley The alternative is to drive to Sparwood on was one of strenuous physical outdoor Hwy. 3, then take Hwy. 43 north to Elkford. activity accessible from a good road but From Elkford a gravel road follows the Elk with minimal services. As we all know, River Valley to the park entrance. that simple idea turned into a grand plan called Kananaskis Country, encompass- 8 Introduction WEATHER treNDS WHAT TO EXPECT Generally, the hiking season starts in April in a few valleys at the north end of Hwy. Volume 1 centres on the Kananaskis Riv- 40. The Smith-Dorrien and Kananaskis er Valley and its tributary Smith-Dorrien Lakes area starts to open up much later, Creek, most of which now lies within around the beginning of July. May is often Peter Lougheed and Spray Valley pro- a dry month, with rains starting in June. vincial parks. At the junction of the The flower months of July and August are two rivers lies the heart of K Country at the best for big trips, but be aware of late Kananaskis Lakes. afternoon thunderstorms should that be Radiating out from the lakes are a the trend that particular year. Indian sum- number of passes: Highwood Pass, which mers through September and October can carries the highest paved highway in be glorious. The mornings may be cold but Canada, Elk Pass, which leads over to the sunny, stable weather is a relief and the Elk Lakes Provincial Park in BC, and the larches may have turned. infamous North and South Kananaskis As in any mountain areas, snow can passes to the west. fall in any month of the year. In the rotten A large portion of the mid-Kananaskis summer of 1992, for instance, snow fell Valley is taken up by the Evan-Thomas on three consecutive weekends through Provincial Recreation Area, which fea- late July into mid-August. Conversely, the tures Kananaskis Village, Nakiska Ski summer of 1994 was consistently hot with Area, Ribbon Creek ski trails, Kananaskis the temperatures hovering around the mid- Country Golf Course and Boundary 30s. At such times the area can be locked Ranch. Farther up the valley is Fortress down to prevent forest fires. Generally, Ski Resort (closed at time of writing). low cloud is not the problem it is in other, The Fisher and Opal Ranges lining wetter ranges of the world and navigating the east side of the valley are good for by compass is an unusual event. exploratory trips up canyons and along rocky ridges. NATUraL hiSTORY iN a NUtSheLL Separating the Smith-Dorrien and I urge you to buy the appropriate field Kananaskis valleys is the Kananaskis guides or Ben Gadd’s all-in-one Handbook Range, which offers something for every of the Canadian Rockies. level of hiker: numerous lakes within cirques, meadows and passes, easy as- Mammals Most commonly seen: big- cents and classic ridgewalks, Mt. Allan be- horn sheep along Hwy. 40, moose along ing the prime example. Logging roads of- Hwy. 742, mule deer, elk, black bear and ten give access. In fact, the Smith-Dorrien grizzlies, which frequently close down the and Mt. Shark ski and bike trail systems Bill Milne bike path. Grizzlies most often are based on the old roads. frequent the valleys on either side of the In the west along the Great Divide, Smith-Dorrien Valley, the high passes to the K Country scenery reaches its zenith: the west and the area about Highwood high peaks (up to 3449 m on Mt. Joffre), Pass and Ptarmigan Cirque trail. Less com- glaciers, waterfalls, extensive alpine monly seen are wolves, goats, lynx (main- meadows, lakes, boisterous streams and ly in winter), and cougars at the north end old-growth forest. This is the scenario for of the valley. In the wet valley bottoms are the Canadian Rockies’ most spectacular muskrats, beavers and the odd river otter. backpack, the exciting Northover traverse. Other critters include porcupines, ground This volume also covers the north end and tree squirrels, and chipmunks, picas of Elk Lakes Provincial Park, which is and marmots among the rocks. known for its lakes and B.C. bush. 9 Introduction Birds Most common: whiskey jacks (the Conversely, creeks running west towards ones that gather around when you stop to Hwy. 742 and Hwy. 40 are much smaller eat), Clark’s nutcrackers, hummingbirds and manageable. (wear red), ravens, thrushes, chickadees, Caribbean water it is not, as Anthony kingfishers, owls, grouse in the forest, Hopkins found out during the filming of ptarmigans up in the alpine, loons on the The Edge. If cold water makes you feel sick lakes and various waterfowl in the valley to your stomach, wear neoprene bootiees. wetlands. Dippers are common in fast run- ning creeks. Golden eagle counting occurs Bears and other beasts At all times be during spring and fall migrations around aware of bears, but particularly in early the Ribbon Creek area. spring after hibernation and in fall when the berries ripen. Most of the area described in this book is a high bear area. Many hik- Fish Trout in the lakes, which are stocked ers carry a bear repellent and bear bangers annually. Bull trout spawn at the mouth where they can reach them in a hurry. of Smith-Dorrien Creek. In the paranoia over bears we often for- get that elk and moose should be given a Vegetation Trees range through fire suc- wide berth too, especially in spring when cession lodgepole pine in the east to with young and in fall during the mating spruce and fir mixed with larch in the season when males get very ornery. Lately west. Balsam poplar grows in the more cougars have become a year-round worry. arid valley bottoms of the Fisher Range and are associated with dryas flats. hunters Hunting is allowed outside the For too brief a time alpine meadows provincial parks and provincial recre- and grassy ridges are crammed with ation areas, Marmot Basin being a prime flowers in July and August.