Upper Kananaskis Lake, Peter Lougheed Provincial Park, Alberta, Canada (7-17-14)

On the third day of Lupe’s 2014 Dingo Vacation to the Canadian Rockies & Beartooths, she woke up in Waterton Lakes National Park in Canada.  SPHP was disappointed to see that it was still smoky out.  Although the area was gorgeous, the heat and bugs hadn’t been much fun on the previous day’s hike to Bertha Lake either.  Lupe and SPHP had breakfast at a picnic table near Upper Waterton Lake.  After breakfast there was a stroll along the beach admiring the lake.  The lake was fabulous, but it looked like another hot, smoky day was on its way.

SPHP was in the mood to head farther N.  Heat, bugs, smoke and lots of people around wasn’t really what Lupe & SPHP were after.  So after the stroll along the beach, Lupe bid farewell to Upper Waterton Lake.  Back in the G6, Lupe and SPHP headed N on Hwy 6 to Pincher Creek.  After a short jog to the W on Hwy 3, there was a beautiful drive N on Hwy 22 to Longview.  From Longview, SPHP drove SW on Hwy 542 to Hwy 40.  There were lots of cows in this area and Lupe was delighted to have the opportunity to conduct a dingo-satisfying barking frenzy.

SPHP turned N on Hwy 40, a wonderful drive through big mountains.  SPHP had forgotten to get water before leaving Waterton Park and stopped at several places along Hwy 40, but none of them had water.  Hwy 40 climbed up and over a pass into Peter Lougheed Provincial Park.  With no clear destination in mind, SPHP decided to check out the Kananaskis Lakes area.  Maybe there would be water?  Soon Lupe was at Upper Kananaskis Lake.  There were lots of people around here too, but not so many as at Waterton Lakes.  SPHP was impressed enough to want to do a bit of exploring.

Upper Kananaskis Lake
Upper Kananaskis Lake

Lupe’s first exploration at Upper Kananaskis Lake was along a trail above the S shore heading W from the SE corner of the lake.  Although the day had been bright and sunny earlier (it hit 84 °F according to the G6), Lupe and SPHP didn’t get very far along the trail before encountering intermittent rain and thunder.  Lots of people suddenly appeared on the trail heading back towards the parking lot.  Lupe got as far as a waterfall where the bridge across Sarrail Creek was out, if there had ever been one.  Three large, wet and slippery looking logs at varying levels served as the only bridge across the stream.

Lupe stopped at this waterfall near the S shore of Upper Kananaskis Lake. The stream comes down from Rawson Lake, which Lupe visited 2 days later.
Lupe stopped at this waterfall near the S shore of Upper Kananaskis Lake. The stream comes down from Rawson Lake, which Lupe visited 2 days later.

Other people were having no difficulty negotiating the logs across the stream, but SPHP decided against having Lupe try it.  The weather was deteriorating and everyone else was heading back to the parking lot.  Lupe and SPHP retreated to the parking lot, too.  Lupe took a nap in the G6 while SPHP wrote.  It rained on and off.  It even hailed a bit, but the hail was small and didn’t last long.  Eventually the rain stopped, and it became sunny and breezy out, although there were still quite a few clouds around.

The rain had temporarily cleared the smoky haze out of the air, and the evening was shaping up to be cool and pleasant.  Lupe had snoozed enough and was ready for another exploration.  The trail she had been on earlier was part of a trail that circumnavigates Upper Kananaskis Lake.  This time Lupe and SPHP took the trail in the opposite direction, heading NW along the NE shore.  To get to this portion of the trail, Lupe had to cross a dam.  (Although Upper Kananaskis Lake is a natural lake, the level has been raised by the construction of two dams.)  She picked up the trail on the other side of the dam and continued along the NE shore of Upper Kananaskis Lake.

Looking back to the SE from the trail on the NE shore of Upper Kananaskis Lake, Peter Lougheed Provincial Park, Alberta, Canada
Looking back to the SE from the trail on the NE shore of Upper Kananaskis Lake, Peter Lougheed Provincial Park, Alberta, Canada
Evening at Upper Kananaskis Lake from near the collapsed section of trail.
Evening at Upper Kananaskis Lake from near the collapsed section of trail.  Photo is looking WNW.

There were lots of great viewpoints along the trail, which was typically elevated 10 – 40 feet above the lake.  After crossing the 1st dam, Lupe met no one at all on the entire trail, which was puzzling to SPHP until Lupe neared the 2nd dam.  Lupe had already traversed about 4.0 km of the 4.2 km between the dams, when suddenly she could go no further.  On a steep slope 40 feet above the lake, a 30 foot section had caved in.  The area was taped off and marked as closed.  There was no way to continue, so Lupe and SPHP turned around and again got to enjoy a private stroll back to the first dam.

Sunlight breaks through the clouds to shine on Upper Kananaskis Lake.
Sunlight breaks through the clouds to shine on Upper Kananaskis Lake.

SPHP liked Upper Kananaskis Lake so much that Lupe got to spend several more days in the area.  She went on two fabulous daylong expeditions while in the area.  One was on the Maude-Lawson Lakes trail to the Turbine Campground where she saw three grizzly bears.  The other was to Three Isle Lake and South Kananaskis Pass where she crossed into British Columbia from Alberta.  Oh, and yes, there was drinking water available in campgrounds near Upper Kananaskis Lake – there was even a shower house!

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