Gillean Daffern's Kananaskis Country Trail Guide - 4th Edition: Volume 5: Highwood - Flat Creek - Upper Livingstone - Willow Creek

By Gillean Daffern

With over 100,000 copies of previous editions sold, Gillean Daffern’s widely respected hiking guides to Kananaskis Country have now been completely reformatted, revised and updated. As the pre-eminent expert on the area, the author continues to offer something for every level of foot-traveller, be they novice or experienced hikers, scramblers or backpackers. Gillean’s clear and detailed text, enhanced with colour photos and maps, enables everyone to navigate safely through this complex and beautiful area.

NEW! The original two volumes have been extended into five exhaustively researched books.
NEW! Each new volume includes exciting and previously unpublished trails and routes.
NEW! All maps have been completely redrawn and enhanced.
NEW! Full-colour photographs throughout do justice to the spectacular scenery of the Canadian Rockies.

• Language: English
• Publisher: RMB Rocky Mountain Books
• Release date: Feb 15, 2016
• ISBN: 9781771600958

Gillean Daffern

Gillean Daffern has been exploring Kananaskis Country for decades and understands its landscape and history intimately throughout every season of the year. She has also been writing and publishing bestselling trail guides to Kananaskis Country for over 30 years and is the author of the renowned five-volume series Gillean Daffern’s Kananaskis Country Trail Guide, which is now in its 4th edition and has sold well over 100,000 copies since it was first published in 1979. She also travels to mountain areas outside of Kananaskis Country, and in particular enjoys visiting countries off the beaten tourist path. Gillean is the co-founder of Rocky Mountain Books and, along with her husband, Tony Daffern, was awarded the Banff Mountain Festival’s Summit of Excellence Award in 2006. She lives in Calgary, Alberta.

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Gillean Daffern's

KANANASKIS

Country Trail Guide

VOLUME 5

The Highwood | Flat Creek | Upper Livingstone | Willow Creek

For Alf and Dewy

#4 Bull Creek Hills.

READ THIS FIRST

It’s frightening how some people, though adept at walking and scrambling, have none of the mountain sense usually learned through decades of mountain wandering, problem solving and familiarity with mountains in all weather.

Learn to read topo maps and be able to find a grid reference. Turn back if it looks too hard for you, if you can’t handle loose rock, if the river is too high, if you can’t hack a ten-hour day or if the route finding is out of your league. Turn back from a summit or ridge if a thunderstorm is approaching or if conditions are made dangerous by rain, snow or ice. At all times use your own judgment. The author and publisher are not responsible if you have a horrible day or you get yourself into a fix.

In this book there are no do’s and don’ts. It is assumed that users of this book are caring, intelligent people who will respect the country they are travelling through.

Be aware that in Kananaskis Country, trails can change in an instant owing to logging and the search for oil and gas. Please notify me of any changes you find so I can make revisions in future editions. Use Contact Us under the About tab at kananaskistrails.com.

CONTENTS

Changes in the 4th Edition

Acknowledgements

Map of Kananaskis Country

Kananaskis Country

What to expect

Facilities

Camping

Info

Using the book

Area map

Maps

Index of trails

Contacts

TRAILS

Hwy. 541 (Lower Highwood)

Flat Creek Road (East Highwood)

Hwy. 40 East (Highwood River Valley)

Hwy. 40 West (Highwood River Valley)

Hwy. 940 West (Cataract/Upper Oldman)

Hwy. 940 East (Lower Cataract/Livingstone)

Hwy. 532 (Willow Creek)

Changes in the 4th edition

The big news is that the guide now extends to five volumes. The reasons are all advantageous to the reader: to keep the number of pages down (who wants to tote around a 1000-page guide book), to allow for a more user-friendly layout where trails are arranged by access road, to make room for more maps, and for ease of adding new trails and subtracting old ones.

There have been major changes to access roads, trails and trailheads. And as before, trails continue to be affected by logging, pipeline construction and the search for oil and gas. In particular, roads, trails, day-use areas and campgrounds were hit hard by the great flood of 2013.

The Highwood, like other parts of K Country, has become a collection of parks: wildland parks, provincial parks, provincial recreation parks, Don Getty parks, ecological reserves, preservation zones etc., each with a different level of protection and different sets of regulations. Not only that, until September of 2014, K Country was administered by two different government departments who didn’t always agree on issues, which made things tricky for us guidebook writers. We have also been introduced to seasonal closures, permits, user fees and substantial fines for non-compliance.

As in the previous edition, Volume 5 includes the Great Divide Trail where it travels through K Country between the Oldman River and Fording River Pass. For experienced backpackers who want to keep as close to the Divide as possible, it is possible to join up trails of one kind or the other along the east side of the mountains all the way up to Peter Lougheed Provincial Park. The route is not described, only hinted at.

POST-FLOOD NOTE 2015

The great flood of 2013 did a lot of damage in the Highwood. Rivers changed course, banks eroded, hillsides slumped and flood debris demolished trails. At the time of publication, the highways are mostly repaired and open, although some camping and day-use areas are still closed and may be decommissioned. Highwood House, the hub of the area, should be open by the summer of 2015.

I have done my best to check out trails likely to have flood damage and report on them in the text. But I couldn’t get round to everything in the short time allowed. To get the latest information, see the database of trails on kananaskistrails.com.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

For this edition the following people have been extremely helpful in the search for information: Alf Skrastins, Bob Spirko, the late Don King, Dewy Matthews, Colleen Fraser, Dave Higgins, David Hockey, Dan LaFleur, Chris Joly, Gord Hurlburt, Rienk Lakeman and Scott Kjarsgaard.

Most photos are by the author unless from the albums of Alf Skrastins, Bob Spirko and Jack Tannett, who gave me all of his Highwood pics before leaving for pastures new. The following people have also helped make this a better book: Kim Andersen, Robert Armstrong, Jason Block, Sonny Bou, Matthew Clay, Clayton Ditzler, Jenny Feick, David Finch, Dave Higgins, Dinah Kruse, Allan and Angélique Mandel, Roy Millar, So Nagakawa, Andrew Nugara, Mark Townsend and Cole Warawa. Thank you, everybody.

Kananaskis Country and adjoining areas covered by the Kananaskis Country Trail Guides

KANANASKIS COUNTRY

It’s kind of fun listening to Japanese tourists pronounce the name Kananaskis. The strange name dates back to 1858 when explorer John Palliser named the pass he was about to cross Kananaskis Pass, after the name of an Indian, of whom there is a legend, giving an account of his most wonderful recovery from the blow of an axe, which had stunned but had failed to kill him, and the river, which flows through this gorge also bears his name. Possibly the Indian in question was the great Cree Koominakoos, who lost an eye and part of his scalp in a battle with the Blackfoot in the Willow Creek area, but made a miraculous recovery and showed up at Fort Edmonton some weeks later ready to take to the warpath again.

THE CONCEPT

Today the Kananaskis passes, Kananaskis Lakes and the Kananaskis River form the heart of Kananaskis Country (or K Country as it is more commonly called), a provincial recreation area established October 7, 1977, to alleviate congestion in National Parks, and to provide greater recreation opportunities for Albertans.

Although former Alberta premier Peter Lougheed certainly deserves credit, it was actually Clarence Copithorne, rancher and MLA for Banff-Cochrane and Minister of Highways, who got the ball rolling with the reconstruction of Highway 40 — the future Kananaskis Trail. Copithorne’s vision for the Kananaskis Valley was one of strenuous physical outdoor activity accessible from a good road but with minimal services. As we all know, that simple idea turned into the grand plan called Kananaskis Country, encompassing a lot more country (over 4000 hectares) and a lot more development, namely interpretive centres, picnic areas, campgrounds, one alpine village, two Olympic venues, riverbeds refashioned for competition, and trails built for every conceivable sport.

LOCATION

K Country is located on the eastern slopes of the Canadian Rockies, west and south of the Olympic city of Calgary, Alberta. From the city outskirts the eastern boundary is only a 20-minute drive away.

The west boundary adjoins Banff National Park, then runs down the Continental Divide. The northern boundary is delineated by the Trans-Canada Highway and the fringe communities of Exshaw, Dead Man Flat and Canmore. The eastern boundary coincides neatly with the Bow-Crow Forest reserve boundary, while the southern boundary is marked by Highway 532 (Johnson Creek Trail).

GETTING THERE

Calgary is served by major airlines and several bus companies. That’s it as far as public transportation goes. Excepting Hwy. 1, you need a car to travel the highways described in the five volumes.

GETTING TO THE AREA IN VOL. 5

The area described in Volume 5 is enclosed by the Great Divide ranges to the west, Highwood Pass to the north, the village of Longview to the east, the towns of Nanton and High River to the southeast and the Oldman River to the south.

The northern area is usually accessed via Hwy. 40 over Highwood Pass. Trails on Hwy. 541, around Highwood Junction and in the northern half of Hwy. 940 are reached from the village of Longview on Hwy. 22. Trails in the southern half of Hwy. 940 and around Hwy. 532 (which managing director Ed Marshall once likened to Darkest Africa) can be accessed most easily from Hwy. 22 south of Longview near Chain Lakes Provincial Park, or via Hwy. 940 from the south.

See page 13 for winter road closures.

WHAT TO EXPECT

Volume 5 takes in the Highwood River and all its tributaries, including Flat Creek and Cataract Creek. Farther south you’re hiking in the upper reaches of Livingstone Creek, Willow Creek and the Oldman River.

The area collectively known as The Highwood is bordered on the west by the Elk and High Rock ranges of the Great Divide, which, though lower in altitude than elsewhere, harbour extensive larch forests and the three most beautiful mountain tarns in all of K Country. Running north to south down the middle are the Highwood and Livingstone ranges, which feature grassy ridges offering magnificent ridge walks such as Mist Ridge and a surfeit of easy peaks like Mount Burke and Mist Mountain. The foothills to the east of the Front Ranges, particularly those farthest south, are noted for their flowery meadows with limber pines and conglomerate outcrops. Unique to this area is a natural hot spring and the high-altitude Plateau Mountain Ecological Reserve with its caves and rare plants. One can see why The Highwood is a favourite with K Country hikers despite being heavily used by the resource industries.

Most of the valleys to the west of Hwys. 40 and 940 have been logged at one time or another going back to the 1940s. Old logging roads, reverted to trails, offer ways into the back country. Many are bikeable. Presently, the lower southwest corner in the upper Cataract, Lost Creek and Oldman River area is being logged. In the south, resource roads to sour gas wells are also used as access.

It’s a true explorer’s paradise with only two official trails: Cat Creek interpretive trail and Mist Creek, though other popular trails are presently being considered. There are a good many trails, but none have red markers or trail signs. Occasionally you’ll find cairns or flagging. Temporary bridges are found only on logging roads still in use. In a nutshell, to enjoy this area you have to be self-sufficient at route finding and river crossings.

WEATHER TRENDS

Hiking season can start as early as March on the ridges above Hwy. 541 and in the eastern foothills off Hwy. 532. Often you can continue until the end of November. Winter walking is popular in both of these areas. However, snow can fall in any month of the year. Just as likely, temperatures can rise to the mid-30s Celsius, leaving me and others who suffer from heat as limp as a dishrag. Rain most often falls in June or is associated with late afternoon thunderstorms that have accounted for a number of fatalities in K Country. Should it occur, the Indian summer can be glorious through October. Warm days, cold nights, no thunderstorms, no flies, no mosquitoes and last flowers. It should be noted that the Livingstone Range attracts strong winds (note the lenticular clouds) that can easily derail a trip.

NATURAL HISTORY IN A NUTSHELL

I urge you to buy the appropriate field guides or Ben Gadd’s all-in-one Handbook of the Canadian Rockies.

Mammals Most commonly seen in this area: elk, mule and whitetail deer, moose, bighorn sheep, goat, wolves, coyotes, cougars, black bears and particularly grizzlies to the west of Hwys. 40 and 940 and in Flat Creek, though they are wide ranging.

Then there’s the usual bevy of beavers and muskrats in every foothills valley, plus tree squirrels. Chipmunks, picas, marmots and porcupines are found more to the west. Off Hwy. 532 look for albino ground squirrels.

The valley bottoms are summer grazing areas for cattle.

Birds Most common: whisky jacks (the ones that gather around when you stop to eat), Clark’s nutcracker, hummingbirds at Highwood Junction, common ravens, golden eagles, ptarmigan, crossbills, chickadees, flycatchers, various sparrows, warblers, wild turkeys in the southeast, Lazuli bunting in June off Hwy. 541 and particularly birds of prey like the red-tailed hawk and northern goshawk that inhabit the grasslands in areas like Grass Pass. In rivers and on beaver ponds look for harlequin ducks, American dippers and mergansers.

Fish Trout (cutthroat, rainbow, brown, bull) in stocked lakes and beaver ponds. Grayling are found in Bear Pond and Big Iron Lake.

Vegetation Trees range through fire-succession lodgepole pine and aspen in the east to spruce and fir on north and east-facing slopes in the west. Unique to this area are extensive larch forests at treeline on the eastern slopes of the Elk and High Rock ranges and the shapely limber pine gracing the western slopes of the Highwood and Livingstone ranges, the most famous being the 429-year-old Boundary Pine in the Bull Creek Hills.

Flower meadows in this area seem to have more flowers per square inch than elsewhere. Prevalent on hillsides is the blue, pink and white lupine. Only found on Pasque Mountain and area is sky pilot, a beautiful flower at the north end of its range. Even rarer is the pygmy bitterroot located on Plateau Mountain, along with some other rarities. If you don’t mind not having flower drawings in colour, read the knowledgeable Plants of Kananaskis Country by Beryl Hallworth and C.C. Chinnappa.

#67 Rock ridge on Mt. Burke.

POSSIBLE HAZARDS

River crossings Large rivers like the Highwood and Oldman are impassable during spring runoff and after prolonged rain. Schedule river crossing trips for midsummer on. Be aware that after the 2013 flood the usual fording places will have changed. Other problematic rivers in spate include Storm Creek, Flat Creek, Cataract Creek and Willow Creek.

Caribbean water it is not: the water is often numbing even if it’s only knee deep. Consider carrying neoprene booties.

Bears and other beasts The Highwood has a large population of grizzlies. And it doesn’t help to know that misbehaving bears from all other areas of K Country are shipped into Cataract Creek valley! So at all times be aware of bears, both grizzly and black, but particularly in early spring, during berry season in August/September and during hunting season when the sound of a shot is like a clarion call for dinner. Often K Country will close a trail until a bear has moved out of the area, so be sure to read their trail report on the web before setting out. Carry bear repellent and bear bangers where you can reach them in a hurry. And don’t travel alone.

In the paranoia over predators like bears and cougars, we often forget that elk and moose should be given a wide berth, especially in spring when with young and in fall during mating season, when males get very ornery.

Hunters Hunting is allowed everywhere except in provincial parks and provincial recreation areas. September to December is the time to dress in psychedelic shades of orange and pink. In November, hunting is allowed on Sundays. Before and after that month, Sunday is a safe day, but I wouldn’t bet on it. Luckily, the Highwood seems to attract bone fide hunters on horseback guided by outfitters who are much more responsible.

Ticks etc. Between about March and mid-June ticks are abroad and are found mainly in areas where there are lots of sheep. While mosquitoes and horse flies can be a darn nuisance, they don’t give you quite the same horrors.

Cattle In valleys east of the Great Divide and east of the Front Ranges, including Flat Creek, you’ll run into herds of cattle. I would like to reassure visitors from Europe that bulls are quite placid; you can walk right past them without them budging an inch. Sometimes cows get panicky and run, often in the direction you are going. It requires strategy on your part to outmanoeuvre them.

Loose rock This refers mainly to the sedimentary limestone of the main ranges. Of course there is firm limestone but it’s safer to expect the worse. On scrambling pitches, develop the technique of pushing back handholds. Be extra careful of rockfall in gullies. On some routes you’ll run into scree — lots of it. Use game trails where the scree is more stabilized.

Logging trucks During logging be alert for trucks on both logging roads and public roads. Usually signs go up. This pertains mainly to the SW corner around the upper Cataract, Lost Creek and Oldman areas.

Other users Most often you’ll be sharing the trails with equestrians. In McPhail, Fitzsimmons and Carnarvon creeks be alert for horses and wagons run by outfitters. Occasionally you’ll meet OHVers on land south of Hwy. 532. Luckily the snowmobile trails in the south don’t translate to summer OHV trails.

FACILITIES

Hwy. 541

Longview on the eastern fringe provides most amenities: gas, groceries, eateries, a bar, motels and a campground. Eateries vary from Heidi’s Food Saloon, which opens at 6 am for breakfast seven days a week, to gourmet food at the acclaimed Longview Steakhouse to western fare at the historic Twin Cities Hotel restaurant.

Hwy. 940

Highwood House, a former motel at Highwood Junction, should reopen in the summer of 2015. It sells camping supplies, a few groceries including fresh milk and eggs, Starbucks coffee, snacks and gas. It is open May 1–Oct 31, Sun to Thu 9 am–5 pm, Fri and Sat 9 am–9 pm.

The Visitor Information Centre, open May 15–Labour Day, adjoins the store but is not often staffed.

CAMPING

HIGHWAY-ACCESSIBLE CAMPING

Campgrounds fill up quickly in the summer. It’s galling to find every campsite full of campers whose idea of exercise is the walk to the biffy, so book ahead if you can. After Labour Day the situation eases.

Prices vary depending on amenities offered and the number of vehicles in your party. An RV and a tent counts as one vehicle. Generally, Alberta seniors receive a discount.

Hwy. 541 (Highwood Trail)

Green Ford (May 15–Sep 1). Located 9.9 km east of the K Country boundary.

Highwood River group (May 2–Sep 15). Call Kananaskis Country Campgrounds at 403-591-7226. Can be reserved online at reserve.albertaparks.ca.

Hwy. 40 (Kananaskis Trail)

Strawberry equestrian (Jul 1–Oct 14). Call Kananaskis Country Campgrounds at 403-591-7226. Can be reserved online at reserve.albertaparks.ca.

Hwy. 940 (Forestry Trunk Road)

Etherington Creek group and regular (May 15–Oct 13), equestrian (May 2–Sep 1). Call Kananaskis Country Campgrounds at 403-591-7226. Can be reserved online at reserve.albertaparks.ca.

Cataract Creek (May 15–Sep 1). No reservations.

Livingstone Falls (May 1–mid-Oct). No reservations. Located 9.9 km south of Hwy. 532.

Oldman River Road

Oldman River North (May 1–mid-Oct). No reservations.

Oldman Group Camp (May 1–mid-Oct). Call Rocky Mountain Camping 1-877-537-2757. Can be reserved online at reserve.albertaparks.ca.

Hwy. 532 (Johnson Creek Trail)

Indian Graves regular and equestrian (May 1–mid-Oct). Cookhouse. No power or hookups. Concession open at weekends up to September long weekend. Playground. Call Crystal Adventures Inc. 403-995-5554, [e-mail].

Willow Creek East designated random camping area on the south side of the highway 100 m from the K Country boundary. Open all year.

Willow Creek West designated random camping area on the south side of highway 2.4 km from the K Country boundary. Open all year.

Johnson Creek designated random camping area on the south side of highway near the north fork of Johnson Creek west of Willow Creek bridge. Open all year, but note the highway is closed Dec 1–Apr 30.

BACKCOUNTRY CAMPING

There are no designated backcountry campgrounds in this area. Random camping is allowed anywhere except in provincial recreation areas and Plateau Mountain Ecological Reserve.

INFO

SEASONAL ROAD CLOSURES

Hwy. 40 (Kananaskis Trail) is closed Dec 1–Jun 14 between Highwood Junction and Kananaskis Lakes Trail.

Hwy. 940 (Forestry Trunk Road) is closed Dec 1–Apr 30 south of Cataract Creek day-use area to Wilkinson Summit.

Hwy. 532 (Johnson Creek Trail) is closed Dec 1–Apr 30 west of Indian Graves Campground.

A FEW RULES

Respect seasonal trail closures.

No registration is necessary for overnight trips. However, registration books are available at information centres and at some trailheads.

Respect open-fire bans. Should you wish to report a fire, telephone numbers are listed on trailhead kiosks.

Dogs must be on a leash.

Anglers require an Alberta or B.C. fishing licence.

There are some restrictions on backcountry camping. See Backcountry Camping.

There are some restrictions for mountain bikers. Read the trail description or contact an information centre.

FRIENDS OF KANANASKIS COUNTRY

This is a not-for-profit registered charity that works in partnership with Alberta Parks for the benefit of Kananaskis Country and its visitors. They are involved with environmental education and with trail restoration, particularly after the 2013 flood. If Parks calls us, we come is their motto. They are always looking for more volunteers to become involved with their trail care program that runs through the summer on weekdays and weekends. See www.kananaskis.org.

CHECK THE K COUNTRY WEBSITE

Check the K Country trail report for conditions. Especially useful are the Advisories, which lists bear warnings, temporary trail closures and post flood trail reconstructions. See AlbertaParks.ca.

PICK UP EXPLORE

The Park Guide to Kananaskis Country is published once a year, and consists of a map plus all the latest info on campgrounds and day-use areas. Copies are available at all information centres and gas stations in K Country and Alberta.

CHECK OUR BLOG

KananaskisTrails.com is a blog site maintained by Gillean and Tony Daffern. It covers all things Kananaskis, including notification of new trails, trail changes and trail issues.

CHECK RIVER LEVELS

Go to ESRD’s Alberta’s River Basin site at www.environment.alberta.ca/apps/basins. Data and advisories are also available through the Alberta Rivers app for iOS and Android.

BACKGROUND BOOKS

In this volume I refer often to R.M. Patterson and his family, who took over the Buffalo Head Ranch on Hwy. 541 in the 1930s and ’40s after George Pocaterra had left for Italy. RMP wandered all over the Highwood on horse and on foot, sometimes making first ascents or trying to! He was an excellent writer and I urge you all to read his two books detailing his adventures: The Buffalo Head and Far Pastures, which are still in print as paperback editions.

Also referred to is Don King and his friends, who were adventuring in the Highwood in the 1940s and early ’50s. Don wrote a book of mountain poems, Beyond the Hills, and two adventure books for boys about fur traders and Indians set in the Highwood: Sukanabi and Spitzee Anota.

USING THE BOOK

ARRANGEMENT OF TRAILS

Trails are arranged by highway and are colour coded. Refer to the map on page 16.

TYPES OF TRAILS

Official trails maintained by Alberta Parks (with the help of Friends of Kananaskis Country) and the ESRD are a mix of new and old trails, logging and exploration roads, fire roads and cutlines. At trailheads, expect parking lots, biffies and the occasional picnic table. Junctions are marked with signs 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 flagging, cairns 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/LOSSES

These are given in both metric and imperial units.

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 the same access. Occasionally loop trails can be extended into longer loops. Long-distance 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. Use NAD 83 datum.

MAPS IN BOOK

Sketch maps in the text are not always to scale and serve only to clarify complex areas where you might go astray. Maps at the back of the book are based on today’s topo maps, which come in a mix of imperial and metric. Thus the contour intervals vary. Because of this these maps are intended as a guide only. Nevertheless, 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 described.

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 bona fide 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, creeks, 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 3

Gem Trek

• Highwood and Cataract Creek: scale 1: 50,000 contour interval; 25 m. NOTE The Highwood Pass area, the Oldman River and the Oldman Divide section of the GDT are not shown.

Government topo maps

Scale 1:50,000

82 J/1 Langford Creek

82 J/2 Fording River

82 J/7 Mount Head

82 J/8 Stimson Creek

82 J/10 Mount Rae

ABBREVIATIONS

ESRD Alberta Environment & Sustainable Resource Development

GDT Great Divide Trail

RMP R.M. Patterson

SLS Spray Lakes Sawmills

The region covered by Volume 5, showing trail numbers, the locations of trailheads and the areas covered by the nine maps at the back of the book

TRAIL DESCRIPTIONS

#36 Arethusa Cirque. Photo Alf Skrastins

1 MARSTON COL — maps 1 & 2

An hour to half-day hike

Unofficial trail

Distance 900 m to col, 2 km loop

Height gain 158 m (520 ft.)

High point at col 1600 m (5250 ft.)

Map 82 J/7 Mount Head

Access Hwy. 541 (Highwood Trail). Park near the entrance to Highwood River Group Camp/ day-use area or at the day-use area.

A short uphill walk leads to a low point on a southeast ridge of the Bull Creek Hills. For campers at Highwood River group camp it’s a good alternative to wandering the bank of the Highwood River. For people who love limber pines this is the place to bring your camera. The scientific name flexilis refers to the tree’s supple branches that can bend in the strong winds pummelling through Eyrie Gap.

The col serves as access to Marston Creek and route ##4A, B and C of the Bull Creek Hills.

---

To the col 900 m

The trail climbs the grassy bank opposite the entrance to the group camp/day-use area. It then follows a flowery fold in the hillside, soon climbing more steeply up steps as it winds through meadows and aspen clumps onto a low ridge. Into view ahead comes the easternmost summit of the Bull Creek Hills, to the left the grassy southeast ridge. Behind you, across the Highwood River Valley, the Zephyr Creek Hills are piled up one above the other.

Optional loop 1.1 km

Leave the trail and wander out right through a big meadow to a rocky hilltop topped by a drift fence. Taking advantage of gaps in the fence (NOT the boundary fence), you can descend the ridge above the perpendicular rockband back down to the highway. En route look for Stoney Nakoda prayer flags.

The trail en route to the col.

2 FIR CREEK — map 2

Half day+

Unofficial trail

Distance ~2.7 km

Height gain ~305 m (1000 ft.)

High point ~1768 m (5800 ft.)

Map 82 J/7 Mount Head

Access Hwy. 541 (Highwood Trail). Park off road at Fir Creek at 732857.

An easy walk into the lovely meadows of a valley head boxed in on all sides by the Bull Creek Hills. Off-trail hikers can use this valley in combination with #3A and #4A to make loops, most often using the valley as the descent route.

NAMING NOTE After the Douglas firs that were largely removed during reconstruction of the