The Sheep Valley

Fri. 4 May:  The Sheep Valley Road

How do you write something new about a place you know so well?  Such a place is the Sheep Valley, and in particular the road beyond the winter gate.  At this time of year the gate is still closed, yet it is snow-free all the way to the end of the road, a distance of about eighteen kilometres from the gate.

My usual early start was delayed today owing to the little matter of picking up my new Jeep Liberty – which I promptly parked in the garage in favor of my old Hyundai!  I guess I didn’t want to start a new relationship with the Jeep by throwing a bike in the back of the car.

There was only one other vehicle at the winter gate, despite this being a sunny Friday.  There was nothing new about my route, but no less enjoyable for that. The scenery is spectacular, the undulating road makes for a good bike ride, and there is no traffic.  Well, that was not strictly true today.  There were two or three vehicles parked along the road, with special access permits in their windows allowing various university students to study the ground squirrels.  This has been going on for several years, and so by now there must be a wealth of accumulated knowledge of these little critters.

Along the road there was also a large herd of bighorn sheep.  They were content to remain where they were as I biked past.

At the far western end of the road, a trail leads westwards up through the trees.  This is the Sheep River trail, which connects hikers to the Elbow Valley, but which requires several river crossings along the way.  This first section of the trail, beyond the access gate, was still snow covered, and I suspect that it would still be too early in the year to make much progress along that road.  It runs beneath the northern face of Gibraltar Mountain, a grand sight.

An old trailer was parked at the end of the road.  It had a permit in the window as well, allowing two trappers to live up there during the winter.  It would be a lonely place in the cold and the snow.  Nobody was resident today.

The return journey, although not all downhill, does have some enjoyable speedy sections.  I stopped at Indian Oils picnic area and biked down the fire road to Tiger Jaw Falls, where the Sheep River makes a sharp turn under the bridge.  Further along the road, I passed a young couple with their kids, one in a stroller.  The dad was photographing the bighorn sheep.  I think they must have been staying at the University of Calgary cabin, hidden behind the trees at Gorge Creek.  Just up the road from there was the Bighorn picnic area – an appropriate name!

All too quickly I was back at the car.  I drove round the Sandy McNabb campsite, just opened for the season, and there were already a handful of campers in residence.  In just over a week, the peaceful Sheep Valley will be a noisy place again, just as soon as the winter gate is swung open.

 

Statistics
The Sheep Valley Road
Fri. 4 May
Total Dist.	35.0 km (bike) +   1.0 km (hike) = 36.0 km
Height Gain	660 ft.
Max. Elev.	5,330 ft.
Time	3 hrs. 38 mins.

Other Stats.
Start bike:    12.43 pm Gorge Ck Rd: 1.30 pm End of road:   2.27 pm Tiger Jaw:      3.10 pm Ret. to car:     4.21 pm	Start Temp:   + 12 C Finish Temp: + 15 C Scattered cloud, increasing sunshine, light W breeze