Trail Description:
Fantastic weather, hot at trail head, good hiking temp on the trail, cool at the top. Mostly sunny, cloudy patches
The trail head is on the Smith-Dorrien highway. This is a winding gravel road from Canmore, up until it makes it past the divide at white man's gap. Some time after that it opens up into a wide gravel road. If you go south on Hwy 40 to come around from the south, you still end up going on a fairly long section of gravel
Out house at trail head, map signage just after trail head. I do not remember any other of these signs on the trail, so pay attention.
Book reference : Gillean Daffern's KANANASKIS COUNTRY trail guide - Vol 1 3rd Ed. is a good reference, black and white pictures, decent topo maps in the back. The Map itself is 82j14;
Start on the mud lake parking, setting out on the built up service access road going West past the South side of Mud lake and over the muddy stream flowing through the culvert under the trail. There is a pretty serious grate covering the culvert.
The trail itself starts off as an old logging road.
Well travelled, do not take the first trail on the left around Mud lake, but then stay to the left at the fork, or you will go up French creek ( see http://www.trailcafe.com/hiking/individual/french_creek.html ). Right now that trail is signed as closed.
Initially the trail is reasonably strait and an easy climb. It is very obvious. It is an old logging road. It is not too exciting along this section. It is a typical walk through the pine forest.
Lots of yellow daisies, the odd purple one with the bright red of fire weed here and there. Lots of the other flowers and brush, but mostly the trees them selves.
To the right (North) is Burstall creek, it is often heard but only seen at times.
Burstall Lake (the first one I think).
The recent trail maintenance has resulted in a large blown down tree being cut up with the logs for sitting on moved to a small clear area surrounded by a few trees, making a nice stop for the first rest and snack on the hike.
Shortly after is a cement bike rack. ( looks like a bit of a tire. Bender) , and the logging road transitions to a proper trail, with the prerequisite tree roots, and drops to avoid. It is still a very well travelled trail. It also has sections which are a bit more steep now.
Section of streams:
After leveling out for a bit the trail leaves the forest and enters the flat alluvial plain Above the Burstall lakes, today there are lots of small streams spitting and rejoining. Much of the source of the streams are from the glacier between Mount Robertson and Mount Sir Douglas / Whistling rock in the valley on the left.
There are other hikers on this section, they ask if we brought some water shoes. Some of the streams are easily jumped, some have "bridges" (small log other hikers have laid across). Today it is possible for an adult to get across without soaking a shoe, but not easy. For an eight year old it is impossible, nor even desired. This was her favorite part of the trip, successfully crossing all stream, whether, by bridge, jump, or stomping strait through. The 12 year old liked it too, but because she enjoyed the challenge of staying dry.
This section goes on for a few 100m or so. With sign posts marking the trail. Although they are easy to miss a bit hidden by the tall scrub trees which grow through out this section. It is in this section that you first get really good views of the mountains around the pass. Prior to this the hiker is rewarded only with partial glimpses ( except at the lower lake)
looking back just exiting the stream section, looking at Birdwood Mountain(?)
Now back in the trees the trail again begins a steeper climb, once again through a forest of pine trees.
Flat through the upper plateaux. Here there are some great views of the peaks surrounding the upper parts of the valley. A km or so of flat trail allows for a bit of a walking rest. The trail transitions from heading mostly West to South in this section. With the late start today, It makes for good light in capturing the solid rock wall extending North from Mount Sir Douglas on the East side of the upper valley, which dominates the view on this section, although looking back down the trail the Mount Bridwood to the North is very impressive.
Next climb section:
Once again you enter the trees, this time there are patches of snow here and there. The tree are in general less dense, and now a bit smaller. After a while the trail begins to climb and turn west as it runs up the side of the ridge ??? (not named on 082J14). There are to fairly long traverse sections on this trail, taking you near the tree line, before it starts to run a bit North.
Mount Douglas (I think) marked on one map as Whistling rock
we've gone over the ridge here (again looking back) trail still obvious, but smaller than the virtual road at the start
Continuing into Banff park itself, the trail again runs West. it ends up skirting a large depression, which is mildly interesting in that there is no water captured within it. Apparently these depressions mark the head of an old glacier, or so I've read once. The actual trail as shown on the map runs down into the valley, however stay leftward on the most traveled part of this trail to get to the view point.
It is high enough up, and windy enough to make it fairly cool. Since we were out late, a quick lunch and we are off on the return trip.
