Gillean Daffern s KANANASKIS Country Trail Guide 4th Edition VOLUME 2 West Bragg The Elbow The Jumpingpound
CONTENTS TRAILS Changes in the 4th Edition 6 Acknowledgements 6 Map of Kananaskis Country 7 Kananaskis Country 8 What to expect 9 Facilities 11 Camping 12 Info 13 Using the book 14 Area map 16 Maps 270 Index of trails 278 Contacts 280 North Hwy. 549 18 West Bragg Road 26 Hwy. 66 39 Powderface Trail 186 Hwy. 68 249
e k Introduction Waiparous Creek GHOST to Hinton Kananaskis Country and adjoining areas covered by the Kananaskis Country Trail Guides Lake Minnew anka to Banff Ghost River South Ghost WAIPAROUS BENCHLANDS 940 Bow River 22 to Sundre COCHRANE Whiteman's Gap 742 Spray Lakes Reservoir MT. SHARK ROAD CANMORE BOW VALLEY SPRAY SMITH- DORRIEN DEAD MAN FLAT Nakiska Ski Area KANANASKIS VILLAGE KANANASKIS VALLEY SMITH-DORRIEN/SPRAY TRAIL Kananaskis Lakes EXSHAW 40 Kananaskis Fortress Junction River 1A P OWDERFACE TRAIL ELBOW L i ttle Elbow Elbow Ri ver Jumpingpound C JUMPINGPOUND Canyon Creek WEST BRAGG 68 reek 66 549 McLEAN CREEK Threepoint Creek SHEEP TRANS-CANADA WEST BRAGG CREEK ROAD GORGE CREEK TRAIL HIGHWAY BRAGG CREEK 22 762 8 1 Elbow River PRIDDIS MILLARVILLE 546 22 1A 22X CALGARY to Hwy 2 7 to Okotoks BLACK DIAMOND TURNER VALLEY KANANASKIS LAKES ELK LAKES 40 ELK S h e ep Highwood Pass Highwood River R i v e r FLAT CREEK Flat Creek River 541 22 to High River LONGVIEW ELK LAKES PROVINCIAL PARK RIVER ROAD Information Centres Winter Gates Vol. 1 Kananaskis Valley, Smith-Dorrien, Kananaskis Lakes, Elk Lakes Vol. 2 Jumpingpound, West Bragg, Elbow Vol. 3 Ghost, Bow Valley, Spray Vol. 4 Sheep, McLean Creek Vol. 5 Flat Creek, Highwood, Cataract Willow Creek, Livingstone to Elkford HIGHWOOD Highwood House CATARACT Cataract 940 Old man River C r e High w o o d LIVINGSTONE Wilkinson Summit 940 Pekisko C WILLOW CREEK The Hump r e e k Willo w to Coleman 532 22 C reek 540 to High River to Nanton to HWY 3 7
Introduction USING THE BOOK ARRANGEMENT OF TRAILS Trails are arranged by highway and are colour coded. Refer to map on page 16. TYPES OF TRAILS Official trails are maintained by Kananaskis Country, Alberta Tourism, Parks & Recreation, and Alberta Sustainable Resources are a mix of new and old trails, logging and exploration roads, fire roads and cutlines. Expect parking lots at trailheads, biffies and the occasional picnic table. Junctions are marked with signage of the You are here variety. Some trails have directional arrows or coloured markers on trees or posts. Unless the trail is equestrian, expect bridges over creeks. Unofficial trails are similar to the above, but sometimes have no obvious trailhead, are neither signposted nor marked in any way except perhaps, for the occasional piece of flagging, cairn or trimmed branches. Creek crossings are the norm. For the first time, this category includes trails demoted from official status. Routes either have no trails or have long trail-less sections where you have to navigate from one intermittent game trail to another. Often there is some bushwhacking. Scrambles can have official or unofficial trails or be routes. They range from ridge walks to gruelling uphill flogs in excess of 1000 m to the top of a mountain. You can be sure of scree, and possibly a pitch or two of easy scrambling. There may be mild exposure. Special equipment is unnecessary in optimum conditions when the mountain is devoid of snow and the weather is good. HEIGHTS, HEIGHT GAINS are given in both metric and imperial. RATING TRAILS No attempt has been made to classify trails. What s difficult for one person is easy for another. It s all relative. Also coming into play are the length of a trail, its gradient, its remoteness from a trailhead, conditions underfoot and so on. Read the introductory description carefully. If you re having a horrible time, it s up to you to turn back and try something easier. RATING TIMES Times are dependent on too many variables everybody chugs along at a different rate. Some will be carrying heavy packs; some people, like me, want to make frequent flower stops. And then there are the underfoot conditions to consider, the weather and so on. Half day, up to 3 hours. Day, up to 6 hours. Long day, up to 10 hours plus. (Take headlamps) Backpack, overnight camping. Some of the trips are designated bike n hike and bike n scramble. Biking the first part of the trail can cut down the time considerably. In this way I ve often squeezed a weekend trip into one day. DISTANCES Distances are given in kilometres. Distances shown between each segment of trail are not cumulative; they show the distance of that segment only. TRAIL DESCRIPTIONS Trail descriptions are arranged according to the character of the trail. Most trails lead to a single destination. But sometimes the destination is the springboard for further options under headings like going farther, side trip, optional descent route etc. I sometimes describe the same mountain with different ways up and down, or an area with a number of trails or peaks radiating out from 14
Introduction the same access. Occasionally loop trails can be extended into longer loops. Longdistance trails, rarely hiked in their entirety, are described by segment. DIRECTIONS Left and right refer to the direction of travel. Skier s left/right refers to descent, climber s left/right to ascent. GRID REFERENCES AND GPS RECEIVERS Where I give grid references you can follow along on your topo map. Maps have blue grid lines running east west and north south. Each line is numbered. The first two numbers indicate the grid line forming the west boundary of the kilometre square in which your point is located, and the third number the estimated number of tenths of a kilometre your point is east of that line. The fourth and fifth numbers indicate the south boundary of the square, and the last number is the estimated number of tenths of a kilometre your point is north of that line. GPS receivers are useful when bushwhacking or for finding your way back to a trail or a trailhead. MAPS IN BOOK Sketch maps in the text are not always to scale and serve only to clarify complex areas where you might go wrong. Maps at the back of the book are based on today s topo maps, which come in a mix of imperial and metric. Therefore, the contour intervals vary. There are also errors like missing creeks, lakes, mountains and glaciers. Because of this these maps are intended as a guide only. Still, trails and routes are marked as accurately as possible. Red line: a trail, official or unofficial. Red dash: a route. Black line: trail in other volumes, or trail not used. Dashed black line: route in other volumes of this series. BUYING MAPS Maps in the back of this book are for reference only. You need to carry a bonafide topo map. The latest editions of Gem Trek maps come close to being the perfect maps for the area, with contour intervals of 25 m. They show grid lines, up-to-date road alignments, official trails, some unofficial trails, and major powerlines. Government topo maps, depending on the edition, are in both imperial and metric, with contour lines at 100-ft. intervals and 40-m intervals respectively (not so good). Occasionally, features like small lakes, streams, glaciers and even mountains are omitted, which leads to exciting discoveries. Generally, road alignments are corrected on maps newer than 1983. Provincial Resource Base Maps from Alberta Energy are updated fairly regularly and show what the other maps don t: all cutlines, all powerlines and exploration and logging roads. Unfortunately, the reality is sometimes nothing like what is shown on the map. MAPS FOR VOLUME 2 Gem Trek Bragg Creek and Sheep Valley: scale 1:50,000, contour interval 25 m. Kananaskis Lakes: scale 1:50,000, contour interval 25 m. Canmore and Kananaskis Village scale 1:50,000, contour interval 25 m. Government Topo maps Scale 1:50,000 82 J/15 Bragg Creek 82 O/2 Jumpingpound Creek 82 J/11 Kananaskis Lakes 82 J/10 Rae 82 J/14 Spray Lakes Reservoir 15
7 8 Barrier Info Centre 68 78 77 79-83 83 Barrier Lake 84 85 70,71,73 74-76 69 72 65,66 2 3 West Bragg road 1 67 68 4-6, 8 6 60-64 58,59 17 9 8, 10-13 6, 7 Elbow Valley Info Centre F i s h e r R a n g e Powderface 55 18 16 2 1 Trail 57 56 21-24 26 28,29 19,20 25 14,15 5 51 28,30 4 26,27 31 32-34 35 45,52 53-54 36-37 44 3 43 O p a l R a n g e 47-50 41 42 46 38 37 Elbow Lake 39 40 The Area covered by Volume 2, showing location of trailheads with trail numbers and areas covered by maps at the back of this book 16
Hwy. 66 38 PIPER CREEK map 5 Long-day hike, backpack Unofficial trail, creek crossings Distance 4.9 km from Big Elbow trail to pass Height gain 610 m (2000 ft.) to pass High point 2576 m (8450 ft.) at pass Maps 82 J/10 Rae, 82 J/11 Kananaskis Lakes dudes on horseback by outfitters, that George called the valley after his wife so that from his mountain top he could look down on his beloved Norma for all eternity. Access Via #37 Big Elbow trail at 419145. A walk up a side valley of the Elbow River that can be done in one long day from Elbow Pass trailhead. The time can be cut down by camping at Elbow Lake or at Tombstone. Since the last edition a trail now runs all the way from Big Elbow trail to the mid-valley and offers fairly easy going with just a few short, steep hills. Know you must ford the Elbow River and Piper Creek and that the forest section is longer than one would wish for, but all this merely whets the appetite for the glorious finale of alpine meadows. From the valley head, there is the option of climbing to Piper Pass and for experienced backpackers to cross over into the west fork of the Little Elbow. NAMING NOTE Slung between the icy cliffs of Elpoca ain and the sunbaked tombstone-like slabs of Tombstone ain, the valley is one of the most beautiful in the eastern slopes. For years its stream was called Elpoca Creek until that name was officially bestowed on another stream on the west side of Elpoca ain. The name Piper honours Norma Piper Pocaterra (the wife of George) a well-known singing teacher in Calgary and opera singer whose international career was cut short by World War II. It took 20 years for the name to gain acceptance. A resubmission by one of Norma s accompanists, Dale Jackson, with the whole weight of the Kiwanis Music Festival committee behind him, finally did the trick in 2005. Long before the name became official, a legend grew up, told to unsuspecting Elpoca ain looks down on the upper meadows of Piper Creek Valley. 129
Elbow Flower meadows below Tombstone ain. 130
Hwy. 66 To Piper Creek 1 km An undulating section which crosses the Elbow River valley. Be prepared for two creek crossings. At the cairn at about 419145, the trail leaves Big Elbow trail and straightaway descends very steeply to the Elbow River, which has to be waded. Climb the far bank. (A bench above the first uphill makes a fine camping spot.) Cross an open ridge then dip into and out of a shallow draw. I love the next stretch which follows an open ridge with views in all directions. Suddenly the trail turns sharp right and heads across to Piper Creek. Cross at 414148. To the upper valley 3.4 km A fairly easy forest climb to meadows. The trail turns left and continues along the right bank of Piper Creek. Shortly, veer right, up the hill. Cross a grassy side slope, then descend into the valley proper, which is all forest at this point. Good time can be made on the trail which gains height slowly up the right (northeast) side of the valley between Elpoca and Tombstone mountains. Cross a stony creekbed, the steepest, longest hill occurring on the climb out of it. Then continue as before, crossing small pockets of meadows and many tiny side creeks with water. Just below treeline the creek falls in a series of cataracts down a small canyon. It s here that kaleidoscopic flower meadows begin. The trail leads you out of the trees into the short turf of the upper valley. Note the waterfall up a left fork and a first view up ahead of ruddy-coloured Piper Pass between Cats Ears and Tombstone ain. A marker branch and rock indicates trail s end, leaving you free to wander the meadows at will. This is the home of Alpines, including Lyall s rock cress and my friend s favourite golden fleabanes. Rivulets interlace across the surface of the grass, sometimes sinking into trenches a metre deep and a few centimetres wide. Up ahead, the right-hand fork, tumbling over a rock step, issues from a tarn tucked under the highest summit of Tombstone. Across the valley to the left, hidden in a fold of moraine, lies another tarn. Fed by a perpetual snowbank, it lies deep in the shadow of Schlee, named after Gerry Schlee, a well-known Calgary climber who forfeited his own life trying to save two paddlers caught in the Bow River weir. To Piper Pass 500 m Wherever you go, Piper Pass is a must-go for the view. Head up the right side of the right fork, and cross it above a waterfall. Continue to the head of the valley, making for a very large white boulder at the demarcation of meadow and scree. There are actually two low points in the watershed ridge separated by a ruddy-coloured hump. From the boulder a trail in easy-angled scree heads for the lower, right-hand pass at 392175 (cairn). The tarn under Tombstone ain, backdropped by Elpoca ain. Photo Alf Skrastins 131
Elbow From this high vantage point, there s a glorious view back down the valley to Mt. Rae. If Norma were here she would surely burst into song as she was wont to do when arriving at a mountain pass. Perhaps her favourite aria from the mad scene in Act III of Lucia di Lammermoor: Il dolce suono. Conversely, the view north into the west fork of the Little Elbow is obscured by cliffs and vertiginous scree slopes; only the bright meadows of Paradise Pass can be seen in the distance. As you can see the way down into the west fork is for experienced scree bashers and route- finders only. See #47. Top: Piper Pass from the white boulder. Bottom: Looking back down the valley from the pass to Elpoca ain, Mt. Rae and the Rae Glacier. Photo Roy Millar 132
Powderface Trail 69 JUMPINGPOUND RIDGE TRAIL maps 2 & 7 Day hike Official trail with signposts, red markers & cairns Distance 7.3 km to summit, 13.8 km right through Height gain N S 701 m (2300 ft.) Height loss N S 549 m (1800 ft.) High point 2240 m (7350 ft.) Map 82 J/15 Bragg Creek Access Via Powderface Trail (road). NOTE This section of Powderface Trail is closed Dec 1 May 15. North Lusk Pass trailhead (no biffy). South Canyon Creek parking lot (no biffy). Also accessible from the southern terminus of #70 Coxhill trail, the western terminus of #68 Jumpingpound ain east ridge, from #67 Jumpingpound Summit trail, and #58 and #54 Canyon Creek/Ford Creek trails in Canyon Creek. A not too strenuous ridge walk the ridge is broad along the entire N S axis of Jumpingpound ain. Taking in the summit of Jumpingpound ain is optional, but NOTE this short diversion is now an official viewpoint! It s easy to see why this is Don Cockerton s favourite creation: it takes in some really fine country above treeline that is often in condition right through to December 1 when the highway closes. It s also popular as an early spring hike when the highway opens on May 15, but be aware that snow piled up waist deep on the lee slope section of the north ridge means a clamber over the boulderfield. Most people hike the northern portion to the summit and return the same way (14.6 km round trip). I recommend hiking the entire ridge and for this you ll need two vehicles because walking back along the highway, as we did once, is mindnumbing. You can also combine it with #70 Cox Hill (18.9 km one way). The grunting you will hear signifies not bears but mountain bikers. (Watch for the Bow 80 race in September.) Also The northern section of the ridge in late fall, with the summit of Jumpingpound ain in the background. 226
Powderface Trail in September, the ridge is the scene of a three-day triathlon for horses. HISTORY NOTE This north end of the ridge was first climbed by members of the irrigation survey led by A.O. Wheeler. On these meadows on the 28 and 29 of May, 1897, the smoke was so thick from fires the survey crews could do nothing (a frequent occurrence), though they waited around until 2 pm on the second day. Finally, they gave up and returned in July of the next year. Summer s moss campion. Photo Gillian Ford NORTH TO SOUTH To Coxhill Ridge junction 4.1 km From Lusk Pass trailhead, cross the highway onto the start of the trail. Straightaway after crossing the bridge over Jumpingpound Creek, you re into long, sweeping zigs up a forested northwest ridge. The trail straightens, flattens briefly, then resumes a steeper, tighter, twisting climb to the southern terminus of Coxhill Ridge trail at treeline. To Jumpingpound Summit 3.2 km. Turn right and stride along the northern section of the main ridge. If you re here in the late fall, as I often am, it appears a wind-blasted tundra harbouring tiny reflecting tarns, a boulderfield which the trail avoids by deking into the trees of the lee slope and lots of cairns, nowadays just ruins of their former glory. (A horticulturist friend of mine assures me that the ridge greens up nicely in the summer.) Regardless of when you go, the treat here is the view: the Moose ain summits to the east and to the west a Fisher Range panorama where you can pick out a large number of scramble peaks. Reach a Y-junction with signpost and map. The shortcut trail ahead passes about 50 vertical m below the summit of Jumpingpound ain along the west flank. Barring a thunderstorm or a whiteout, it would be unnatural not to want to bag such an easily attainable top, so keep left. At the next T-junction turn left and walk up a few rocks to the summit, where the view to the south ridge on ridge and range on range receding into the noonday sun is suddenly disclosed. To Jumpingpound Summit trail 800 m Return to the last junction and go straight, past a cairn. In 170 m you meet the shortcut and keep left. Not long after slipping into the trees you arrive at a T-junction. Keep left. (To right is Jumpingpound Summit trail.) To Canyon Creek 5 km The southern section of the ridge is different in character. To avoid a section built like a porcupine s back, the trail traverses the west flank in the pines for a couple of kilometres, then climbs back onto the ridge, now broad and grassy, bristling on the west side with rocky outcrops. From here you get a fabulous view of 12-km-long Nihahi and Compression ridges. Back in trees the trail starts its descent to Canyon Creek, winding about a small creek, then squeezing between The Gates. A few more zigs lead down to meadows in the valley bottom. Beyond a belt of trees you emerge on an old exploration road also used by routes #54 and #58. This junction at 470423 is marked by a signpost. To south access 700 m Turn right, and on old exploration road cross a side creek and climb a hill. A final straight leads to the parking lot on Powderface Trail the road. 227
Powderface Trail #69 The tarn backdropped by the scramble peaks of the Fisher Range. Photo Angélique Mandel. #69 The southerly section of the ridge, looking north. #70 On the summit of Cox Hill, looking east to Moose ain. 228
SEE VOLUME 1 5 North Fork Tarn 49A 48 EVAN-THOMAS PASS North Fork 49 MAP 6 Romulus Remus 49.2 45 Evan-Thomas PARADISE PASS 49.1 Romulus Packenham Hood 48 West Fork 47 South Fork 50 43 Brock Cornwall 50B Blane 45 Talus Lakes 50 50A 47 SEE VOLUME 1 Burney MAP 4 Wintour Jerram Cats Ears PIPER PASS Tombstone ain Tombstone Lakes 46A 45 38 Piper Creek 46 ranger cabin Tombstone 37 Kananaskis Trail Elpoca ain Lake Rae SEE VOLUME 4 SEE VOLUME 1 274 Elbow Pass Elbow Lake 37 h
INDEX Banded Peak, normal route 133 descent to Cornwall Creek 135 Beaver Flat to Cobble Flats 90 93 via Elbow River 91 via Rainy Creek 93 Beaver Lodge interpretive trail 89 Belmore Browne Peak 214 descent route 219 Big Elbow trail 122 128 viewpoint side trip 123 Bobcat trail 37 Brakeless 60 Bryant Lake 204 Canyon Creek ice cave 67 Canyon Creek 190 Compression Ridge 176 Connops trail 22 Cornwall Creek falls 124 Cornwall Creek 141 Cornwall/Outlaw col 169 Corri Robb trail to Vents Ridge 85 Cow Col 100 Cox Hill 229 return via sunken valleys 232 Dawson to Deer Ridge 241 Dawson trailhead, loops from 235 Deer Ridge 258 Diamond T loop 49 Eagle Hill connector 254 Eagle Hill from Sibbald Lake 255 Eagle Hill via Seventy Buck Valley 249 Elbow Overlook 137 Elbow to Threepoint Creek 136 Elbow trail 29 Elbow Valley connector 52 Elbow Valley trail 50 Fisher Ridge 32 Ford Creek trail 183 185 Ford Knoll loop 181 Forgetmenot ain 121 Forgetmenot Ridge 119 Fullerton loop 39 Glasgow Creek 145 Glasgow Creek loop 145 cutline shortcut 147 Grizzly trail 20 Horizon trail 20 Hot Laps 60 Hunchback Hills 246 the horseshoe 247 Iron Springs trail 31 Îyarhe Îpan 114 Jumpingpound connector 268 Jumpingpound loop 268 Jumpingpound ain, east ridge 224 Jumpingpound Ridge trail 226 Jumpingpound Summit trail 222 Lake Prairie Basin 186 Little Elbow trail 152 155 Little Elbow, north fork 164 Little Elbow, west fork 158 Lusk Pass 242 Mclean Hill 18 22 Moose Creek 236 Moose Creek interpretive trail 266 Moose Dome Creek 70 Moose ain, normal route 62 from west peak 195 Moose ain, north ridge 237 Moose ain Summits from Canyon Creek 193 centre peak 195 south peak 196 southeast peak 196 west peak 193 Moose ain DHS trails 58 61 Moosepackers 45 Cornwall, normal route 143 Cornwall from Talus Creek 170 Howard 202 Mustang Hills, The 94 Nihahi Creek 171 Nihahi Creek, north fork 175 Nihahi Creek, west fork 172 Nihahi Ridge interpretive trail 178 Nihahi Ridge, south summit 179 North Bragg loop 26 North Fork Tarn 166 North Powderface Ridge 188 Ole Buck loop 260 Ole Buck ain 262 265 from south 262 278
from west 263 via second valley 265 Outlaw from Outlaw Creek 135 Outlaw from Talus Creek 170 Paddy s Flat interpretive trail 57 Paradise Pass 162 Party Zone, The 22 Peak 403471 217 Peak 406463 219 Peak 409435 207, 209 Peak 412443, normal route 207, 208 Peak 412443 from Jumpingpound 220 Peak 427439 211 from eastern cutblocks 212 Peak 436425 211, 212 from eastern cutblocks 212 Peak 461258 148 Peak 466270 150 Pine Grove day-use side trip 269 Pine Woods interpretive trail 266 Piper Creek 129 Pneuma 60 Powderface Creek 79 pack trail start 81 Powderface Ridge from the east 101 east ridge 102 Powderface Ridge, normal route 105 outlier 107 south end of ridge 107 Prairie Creek 76 Prairie Link trail 82 Prairie ain, normal route 72 south ridge 74 west ridge 75 Quirk Creek 108 to Wildhorse trail 110 Quirk Ridge 111 Rainy Creek trails 97 100 forks connector 99 Hill 539348 99 Rainy Summit connector 100 southwest fork 99 west fork 97 Rainy Summit Ridge 103 Ranger Hill trails 33 37 Ranger Ridge 37 Ranger Summit loop 34 Ranger/Ridgeback connector 36 Ridge trail 19 Ridge 417331 174 Ridge 548457 66 Ridgeback 46 Riverview trail 55 Second Gap trail 83 Seventy Buck viewpoint 251 descent via Ridge 448587 252 Sibbald Flat interpretive trail 254 South Lusk Meadows from the Jumpingpound 244 Special K 61 Stallion Run 20 Sugar Momma 36 Sulphur Springs trail 53 Swany s Ridge from Mclean Creek 23 25 Swany s Ridge from Quirk Ridge 112 Talus Lakes 167 Three Trail Pass, normal route 187 via Trail Creek Connector 189 Threepoint ain trail 138 Tom Snow trail south 40-43 Tom Snow trail north 233 236 Tombstone Lakes 157 Tombstone Lakes trail 157 Trail Creek connector, east leg 189 Trail Creek connector, west leg 189 Upper Canyon Creek 198 201 west fork 199 south fork 200 to Secret Pass 201 from Nihahi Creek 176 Upper Glasgow Creek 147 Upper Pneuma loop 65 Vents Ridge, normal route 85 east ridge 87 descent to Prairie Creek 86 Wildhorse trail 115 279