Glacier Lake and Hoodoo Creek Day Hikes (5/6/2017)

CARPOOL: meeting in front of Good Earth Coffeehouse (936 91 ST SW) at 7:15am and departing 7:45am. When you arrive please introduce yourself to others and start making your carpool and tent arrangements. :)

Due to weather changes there is tons of snow up in Wilcox Pass and since it's a class 2 terrain we will not be attempting this trail during winter like conditions. I have renamed the event to reflect the planned day hikes. You can expect some mix of slush/mud/gravel. Waterproof shoes and microspikes are a must for this trip.

Please note: I will be travelling with my puppy on this event

Glacier Lake on saturday: Distance: 18 km, Elevation: 400m, Time: 8+ hrs. Trail head is found at the back of the parking lot across from the Saskatchewan Crossing Resort. We will cross the foot bridge over the North Saskatchewan River. At the 2.2 km mark we will get to the Howse River View Point. Interesting to note that David Thompson who led a group of fur traders camped at this very spot for several days in 1807. From this historical viewpoint we can see Howes Pass, Mount Murchison, Mount Outram, the Sir James Glacier and the beautifully coloured Howes River. We will then follow the trail to the right (west) as it drops down towards the river. The trail meanders upstream along the banks of the Howes River for another 2Kms or so then enters a lush spruce, fir and pine forest. Lots of wildflowers and mushrooms can be found on this section of the trail. We'll eventually reach a signed trail junction that points towards the Glacier Lake Campground. The trail splits here towards Glacier Lake and the dangerous Howes River crossing that joins the historic Howse Pass Trail, part of the great divide trail. From the junction it's a short distance down to Glacier Lake. Glacier Lake is the fourth largest lake in Banff National Park. It is 4.6kms long and .9kms wide. The lake is fed from the massive Lyell Glacier that whispers your name 8.5 kms west of here. Please note a portion of this hike will be in the dark, tent set up will be after this hike and will likely be in the dark as well.

Hoodoo Creek on sunday: Distance: 6km, Elevation: 420m, Time: 4 hours. The trailhead for Hoodoo Creek is 3 kms south of Windy Point just east of David Thompson Resort. We will follow the trail as it ascends the creek canyon until we reach the Hoodoos. The Hoodoos and the large boulders resting on top look like they're going to fall at any moment. From here the trail disappears and the hike turns into an easy creek and canyon scramble. Hoodoo Creek runs crystal clear and is very inviting on a hot day. The clear stream pools found amongst the rock slaps are beautiful. As you scramble your way up the canyon you'll see a cave opening on your right. A short quick hike up the scree slope places you in the caves entrance. The cave has a very large cavern with a tunnel leading towards the back wall where it looks like another tunnel extends on higher above. A few old trees have been dragged to this point to use as a ladder.

Front country camping: Two O'clock Creek Campground is found in the Kootenay Plains Provincial Recreation Area, 67 km west of Nordegg on Hwy. 11. This scenic campground offers both unserviced sites suitable for RVs and walk-in sites. Most sites are found in open grassland, with a few found next to Two O'clock Creek. $27 per site. Amenities include: firepits, firewood ($), waterpump (untreated), pit/vault toilets, cooking shelter.