Where Winter Rules

Fri. 30 March:  Kananaskis Day Trip

It might surprise some Calgarians, but as the crow flies, it’s only about 50 miles from our front door to the edge of the Upper Kananaskis Lake, beneath the Great Divide.  A greater contrast in scenery could hardly be imagined.  Especially today.  It might be snow-free and Spring-like in the City, but just over there, Winter Rules.

Wanting to see how much snow there was in the mountains, I set out on a day trip to the bottom end of the Kananaskis Valley.  I found a lot of snow!

The sun was just catching the top of Mt. Kidd (9,702 ft.) as I drove south down the Valley past the ski slopes at Nakiska.  Road conditions quickly deteriorated, but I felt safe on my new winter tires.  My plan today was to explore the snow shoe trails from Chester Lake trailhead, on the Smith-Dorrien Highway.  There had been new snowfall last night, on top of the already deep snow.  It was stacked high along the sides of the road as I drove up the first section of Smith-Dorrien.  It was snowing lightly and the trees were plastered with new snow.

I soon caught up with the massive snow-plough, which was clearing a good foot of snow off my side of the road.  At the turn-off to the Chester Lake parking area he kept going up the highway.  Perhaps rashly I headed up the unploughed side road and into the large car park, immediately realizing this might not be a good place to be.  It was now snowing more heavily.  The deserted parking area was covered by about a foot of new snow, and the morning did not look encouraging for any sort of expedition.  It was not hard to conclude that I would be better off turning around and finding a less hostile environment for my adventures.  The snow report recorded 180 cm of snow depth here at Chester Lake parking area.  That’s over six foot and it was being added to rapidly.

I had to drive back down the highway on the wrong side of the road as my side hadn’t been ploughed yet.  Luckily I only came across one slow moving vehicle coming my way, so I returned safely to the Kananaskis Valley.

The Canyon parking area was also piled high with snow, but luckily another plough had just been in there a minute before I arrived, so I parked below a drift and headed out on my snow shoes to explore the Penstock Trail.

This pretty trail skirts the bottom edge of the Lower Kananaskis Lake, crossing a penstock where the water levels of the lake can be adjusted.  Snow was deep here too, and the skies were overcast with a glimpse of mountains rising up from the lake.  This roughly four and a half kilometre circuit follows the edge of the lake, across Pocaterra Dam then crosses the Smith-Dorrien Highway before following an interesting old roadbed.  Beside this trail I noticed an old snow-covered wooden spillway.  The road ended in Kent Creek where there was a picturesque hillside of blue-ish icicles half hidden under the snow.

The trail then headed into the woods, crossed back over the road, and meandered through deep forests, finally returning to the lake.  This was an ideal snow shoe trip for leisurely travelers such as myself.

Not being totally idle, I decided that I would also like to check up on the cross-country skiing conditions although it was already a few degrees above freezing – ideal for waxless skis.  First, however, I stopped at the Kananaskis visitor centre which was open, and the busy lady was directing a few first-time visitors to the best trails. I always enjoy relaxing on the comfy couches in front of the huge windows looking out to the Opal Range.

At the cosy Pocaterra Hut, there was nobody inside, and only a couple of people returning from a short trip on the trails.  I met a couple of other small parties of two or three and soon found myself breaking trail on what is perhaps the most popular cross-country ski trail in Kananaskis Country.  There had been three or four inches of new snow last night and my waxless skis gripped the snow well.  Soon I was at the Lynx Trail junction and relaxing under a warm sunshine at the handily placed picnic table.  Nobody had been this way today.  It was a peaceful scene, although there was a wind in the trees, and high up in the mountains above me, the snow was swirling around.

On my return journey I took Stroil and Come Along trails for my first time ever, and found the moderate and “most difficult” sections easily manageable.  But the bent “most difficult” sign suggested a few dramas in past times.  I came across no other skiers on the trail.  The thermometer on the outside wall of Pocaterra Hut told me it was plus 8 C and a puddle below it suggested that this might be the beginning of the end of this year’s skiing season here - although it will take months before all this snow melts.

Still curious about the snow depth closer to the Great Divide, I drove along to the end of the road at the Upper Kananaskis Lake.  It was snowing here, and the snow was far too deep to venture out onto any trail.  At the Upper Lake, a narrow corridor had been ploughed out of the snow, but there was no way of getting onto the trails to the lake. There must have been a ten foot drift enveloping the pubic loo – no help to a desperate visitor!  The wind was blowing the snow around, and so I abandoned a half-idea to snow shoe across the dam to the viewpoint beside the lake.

By now my curiosity had been satisfied- there was LOTS of snow here!  On my way back up the Valley, I stopped in at the Kananaskis Village to have a look around.  It was snowing here too.  Things were half-closed up, although the posh Delta Hotel was lively enough.

To make a change I turned west on the Trans-Canada Highway and returned to the city along Highway 1A.  I had not travelled this road for decades and was surprised how narrow and twisting it was. Here there was no snow.  At one stage the road runs alongside the wide Bow River, which was flowing freely between ice-covered banks.  Winter may be over here, but down the bottom of the Kananaskis Valley, it was still supreme ruler.

Statistics
Penstock Snowshoe Trail
Fri. 30 March
Total Dist.	4.8 km (‘shoe)
Height Gain	100ft.
Max. Elev.	5,600 ft.
Time	2 hrs. 1 min.

Statistics
Pocaterra Ski Trail
Fri. 30 March
Total Dist.	7.5 km (XC ski)
Height Gain	260ft.
Max. Elev.	5,545 ft.
Time	1 hr. 50 mins.

Other Stats.
Start ‘shoe:    9.16 am Creek:          10.02 am Ret. to car:   11.17 am Temp: +3 to +5 C Few flurries, o’cast	Start ski:      11.57 am Jn Lynx:      12.48 pm Ret. to hut:    1.47 pm Temp: +7 to +8 C Sunny breaks