The Passionate Hiker: The Forks

Fri. 23 August: The Forks

There was widespread damage higher up the trail

A new sign at the trailhead warned of flood damage ahead. The damage was spectacular in places, but the repairs already made were even more impressive.

I strongly recommend today’s route to any hiker. By making use of the decommissioned Lyautey Trail, my trusty hiking colleague J and I created a really interesting circuit which climbed effortlessly all the way to The Forks, west of Upper Kananaskis Lake, and back along the higher northern route to Interlakes trailhead.

I think I understand why Lyautey was decommissioned. The valley floor looks like prime habitat for wildlife, and in winter it crosses an avalanche path. Nevertheless, I vote to have it reinstated.

Our journey started at Interlakes parking area between the Lower and Upper Kananaskis Lakes. Although we might have been first on the trail today, there were plenty of folks camping at the various backcountry sites, judging by the number of cars parked. It was a dull cloudy day, but perfectly still, giving good reflections on the Upper Lake as we strode west along the dam. The silence was broken only by the roaring sound of distant Fossil Falls, clearly visible far across the lake and up the valley beyond Hidden Lake.

We stayed on the lower trail, then across the massive rock slide below Mt. Indefatigable, to the Point campsite junction. Reflections at this western end of the lake were even more perfect. We could now hear the sound of the Lower Kananaskis Falls as we strode along the path. Here were the first signs of flood damage, with Bernie Kathol’s bench lying upended in the swirling waters, and the riverbank eroded below the bridge. The bridge itself had been lucky to survive, with the northern support largely undermined. The bridge sagged at one end, and will need its foundation to be repaired.

Directly after crossing the bridge, we turned right onto the decommissioned Lyautey Trail. I had been looking forward to exploring this route for some time, and was not disappointed. There is only one short section requiring three directly connected crossings of a lazy creek, which proved to be no obstacle to the various creek crossing methods on display today! After that, the improving trail made a pleasant route beside the river, through high bushes, then climbing the lower slopes of Lyautey Mountain to the unsigned junction with the main trail to Three Isle Lake. Along the valley there were signs of flooding, and dried mud on the trail, but no route finding problems.

It was after joining the main trail that the signs of major flood damage started to appear. The trail continued west to The Forks, beside the Kananaskis River. Here we could see rows of fallen trees in the river, and eroded banks. We crossed a couple of bridges which had just survived the flood, before coming to a wide area of destruction, and a flattened bridge buried by fallen trees. The Alberta Parks people had already created a bypass through the destruction, allowing travel to The Forks. Here the campsite looked undamaged, but the river itself seemed to have realigned itself, leaving piles of fallen trees in the middle of its course, and eroded meadows.

The Forks is a grand place to linger, with views to the slender waterfall which drops from the glacier high on the sides of Lyautey Mountain. Any fit hiker would easily have continued up to Three Isle Lake and back. We had come a little short of ten kilometres to this point, and decided that this was a fine place to stop and enjoy a leisurely lunch beside the river, before returning down the trail. There were a few folks making themselves lunch in the cooking area, but the campsite was largely empty. On our return we passed several groups heading up the trail, and no doubt the place filled up later that day.

Soon after leaving The Forks, we followed a side creek to discover a tiny lake surrounded by the brightest of green grass. This would make a perfect swimming hole. The steep slopes of Lyautey rose from the lake. We were looking for a route to the waterfall, but there was none. Our return journey followed the main Three Isle Lake trail, crossing the Kananaskis River at the Upper Falls. The bridge had been carried away in the floods, but a fine new bridge was already in place. It was so new that we met a couple of young guys who were busy tidying up the area and removing construction debris.

Further down the trail we passed through another area of wholesale destruction, at Indefatigable Creek. Again, repair work was well in hand, with a new route, and new bridge under construction. The creek must have been quite a sight at full flood, judging by the fallen trees and piles of gravel carried by the wall of water. From here the trail kept a high contour back across the rock slide and above the Upper Lake. Here we had a fine view down to the lake and west to the valley where we had travelled.

Back at Interlakes a large family group of all ages was setting out for a backcountry adventure. What better place to spend a night in the mountains? I should know, as I had camped out in the snow at Point last winter, and experienced the magic of K Country. And we can continue to travel into The Forks thanks to those skillful folks who rebuilt this trail so quickly.

Statistics:

Total Distance: 19.1 km (hike)

Height Gain: 1,320 ft.

Max. Elev.: 5,856 ft.

Time on Trail: 6 hrs. 06 mins.

Dep. car: 7.58 am

The Point: 9.02 am

Arr. Forks: 10.59 am

Dep. Forks: 11.36 am

Uper K Falls: 12.21 pm

Ret. to car: 2.04 pm

Temp: +6 to +16 deg.C