Three tiny lakes

Sat. 21 August: Memorial Lakes

Three tiny lakes – but in a grand mountain setting.

Considering this magical world lies so close to the hugely popular and well-traveled Ribbon Creek, it is surprising that it is as little-used as it appears to be.

After four kilometers fast walking along the wide Ribbon Creek Trail, one might easily miss the little pile of stones which marks the entrance to this secret world. There was no signpost, and this trail is not shown on the Kananaskis map boards prominent at major trail junctions in the area. It is as if it doesn’t exist.

This narrow trail climbs up into what is officially called the North Fork of Ribbon Creek. At the far end of the creek are three lakes, each one much higher and harder to get to than the previous one. This is where J and I were heading today.

The forecast had predicted rain until Environment Canada decided at the very last moment to change this to sun. The vast forest fires across BC had blanketed Alberta and Saskatchewan with a very unusual smoky haze, creating very poor visibility. As we walked up the trail, I could smell the smoke. As I mentioned to J, if I closed my eyes, I might have been strolling along the platform at Sheffield Midland station in the late 1950’s waiting to board the steam train to Bristol! This platform, however, was anything but flat. The trail, consistently narrow, had a few quite steep sections as we climbed up the valley. Some tall, vertical cliffs to our left rose up into the mist.

Eventually we approached a canyon, and a series of impressive waterfalls crashed down between the narrow canyon walls. Crossing a side stream, we contoured left through the trees above the first headwall, and came to the first of the three Memorial Lakes. This lake had a pretty green/blue colour. In the still air, it reflected the mountains which ringed it.

The lake lay in the trees below a colossal and very dangerous-looking mountainside consisting of a series of cliff bands, down which were streaming a series of waterfalls. Our final destination, the third lake, lay at the top of that huge mountainside, but luckily the trail did not attempt any foolhardy frontal assault. To the right of the cliff rose Bogart Tower, and our route would pass below and around that peak.

Crossing the western end of the lake, over a small stream, we now started a long, energetic climb up to the second lake. We first climbed a steep slope, beside a tumbling river and small waterfall. The ground consisted mostly of loose rocks, but luckily a path up these slopes had been formed by the many feet which had passed this way over the years. Otherwise it might have been a tricky ascent. Looking back, we could see down the valley, where the smoky mist still clung to the mountainsides and in the valley floor.

Climbing up more steep scree slope on a diagonal path, we finally reached the second lake. Surrounded by trees, with a backdrop of towering mountain walls, this lake had a bright duck-egg blue colour. It too reflected the mountainsides in its still waters. This was a spectacular setting, with lone larch trees standing above the valley, and a backdrop of bare mountain cliffs, spattered with patches of snow. This was a wild, beautiful corner of the Rocky Mountains.

But now our test began. To reach the third and final lake, we had to clamber up a steep rocky mountainside, through a gully made of loose and broken rocks. Luckily the route was still obvious, although we both agreed this was not the way described in the guide book. One short scramble over a rock ledge brought us to slightly easier but still steep and slippery terrain. Soon we found ourselves in a tiny hanging valley, directly below the Bogart Tower. Ahead of us a steep grassy slope led up to the final col.

Finally reaching the top, we looked down onto a scene of remote and stunning beauty. We had climbed up behind that huge cliff we had seen from the first lake. Here lay a picturesque little lake, under the grand Bogart Tower, and with a backdrop of wild, bare mountainsides, rising to the high ridgelines of 10,315 ft. Mt. Bogart. Its namesake Tower was simply a lone outlier.


Photo courtesy of J:

This lake sat on the edge of the cliff, and could have been designed by an artist. A spit of land jutted out into the lake, with some spruce trees on it, reflecting in the still water.


The lake reflected the sky like a mirror. Although the water level was dropping, it was far from being a “puddle” as the guide book had warned. The light was at its best, with the sun shining brightly, despite the slight haze in the sky.

Standing above the lake on a small hill was a stone memorial, erected to mark the tragic loss of thirteen lives in three separate plane crashes in 1986. One could hardly imagine a more remote and beautiful location for a memorial. One could imagine family members making pilgrimages up here – although it is a challenging place to reach for anyone not used to hiking in the high Rockies.

We snapped quite a few pictures. Before starting back down, we stood on the edge of the huge cliff to admire the first lake far below, now bathed in sunshine. The cloud in the valley bottom had quickly dissipated.

On our way back down the mountainsides, the rock step needed great care to avoid a nasty slip. But we made it safely down to the second lake, now bathed in sunshine. Carefully watching every step, we negotiated the steep, slippery scree slopes all the way back down to the lower lake. As we crossed the side creek beyond the lower lake, we saw our first people of the day, a couple of backpackers heading up the trail. Just a little further down the trail, we met a young couple, who were the last people we saw until we were almost back on the main Ribbon Creek trail.

But first of all, before dropping back down the trail, we detoured to admire one of the waterfalls in the narrow canyon. By stepping off the main trail just a few yards, you can stand in a perfect vantage point to admire a raging waterfall, crashing down into a small pool. I walked right up to the base of the falls, so that J could get the ideal photo to demonstrate its scale. Luckily he was a quick shot so I didn’t get too wet!

This trail had a lot of steep downhill sections which we seemed to have no difficulty marching up earlier in the day. It was almost trickier getting back down without having a nasty slip. By now it had warmed up, and it had turned into a very pleasant summer’s afternoon in the mountains. Eventually we heard voices, and passed a couple frolicking about near the head of the trail. A few minutes later we were back on the wide Ribbon Creek Trail.

It was a fast four kilometer hike back to the car. We passed several groups of day trippers, but it really wasn’t too busy for a perfect sunny weekend afternoon. And so we returned to the car park, with J snapping a picture of me by the “Bear in the Area” sign. It would be a brave bear who would venture out along the busy Ribbon Creek trail.

Statistics
Memorial Lakes
Sat. 21 August

Total Dist. 16.8 km (hike)
Height Gain 2264 ft.
Max. Elev. 7260 ft.
Time on trail 7 hrs. 26 mins.