Moraine Lake

Fri. 16 November:  Moraine Lake

There’s been a lot of talk about user fees in Kananaskis Country.  Out here at Lake Louise, I would have gladly paid an extra 50 bucks (on top of the Banff Park pass) for the privilege of being on the Moraine Lake trail today.  Conditions were superb, especially for mid-November. 

Venus was shining brightly as I left the house around a quarter to six in the morning.  By the time I passed Banff, dawn was breaking.  Somewhere between Banff and Lake Louise the temperatures dropped from minus two to minus twelve degrees and I entered into a winter scene of snow-draped trees.  If I had been worrying about snow conditions on the Moraine Lake road (which I hadn’t been), I could now relax.  The track-set road was in excellent shape for so early in the season.

I was first in the parking area beside the winter gate.  In fact, I had the place to myself all the way, until I started my return.  My goal was to try and make it the full twelve kilometres to Moraine Lake, and back again.  I made it, fairly easily.  The road is not completely flat, rising some seven hundred feet over its length.  In fact, the high point is two or three kilometres from the lake, at which point it drops gently down to the lakeside. 

This high point, also a good viewpoint, is the usual turn-around point for most skiers.  Beyond here the road crosses some exposed avalanche slopes below Mt. Temple (11,627 ft.).  So the track setting also stops at this point.  I had checked the avalanche report and it showed “low” (green), so I continued on down to the lake.  

Luckily a skier had been down here perhaps the day before, so I followed the single tracks down the road, towards the most impressive set of mountain peaks in the Canadian Rockies.  These mountains, forming a section of the Great Divide, rise steeply from Moraine Lake.  This spectacular scene was captured on the Canadian $20 bill.

At Moraine Lake there is a lodge and some posh cabins, all boarded up for the winter.  I cleared a handy lakeside bench of about a foot of snow and sat down to admire the view of lake and peaks.  A hungry Clark’s nutcracker flew from branch to branch to check me out.  Already the snow was deep here, and it would get a lot deeper as winter progressed.  At this time of year, the sun does not reach the lake, so even at noon I was in the cool shade.

The return up the hill was easy enough.  Here I met my first people, a family of four who were interested to know how far the lake was.  They were encouraged by my reply.  At the top of the hill I encountered a lone skier who recognized me as a work colleague.  After a friendly chat I started back down the road.  While it is not all downhill, it does make for a very enjoyable eight or nine kilometres of easy skiing, gliding or just whizzing along with very little effort. 

In no time I was back at the car, having met perhaps ten or fifteen people along the way.  An early weekday is the best time for this route.  Tomorrow it would be mobbed by hundreds of people.  I can think of no more enjoyable trip for a novice or intermediate cross-country skier wanting a nice track-set route to work on their skills.  I felt almost like a professional by the time I cruised back to the car.   

Statistics
Moraine Lake Road
Fri. 16 November
Total Dist.	24 km (XC ski)
Height Gain	700 ft.
Max. Elev.	6,400 ft.
Time	4 hrs. 38 mins.

Other Stats.
Dep. car:        8.15 am Arr. Lake:     10.43 am Dep. Lake:    11.09 am Ret. to car:   12.53 pm	Temp: minus 11 C to minus 3C Sunny, no wind, a few clouds over mtns.

Who could resist dropping in at Lake Louise, having got as far as the Moraine Lake road?  Certainly not me.  The snow-laden trees made this wintry scene so perfect today, and there was plenty of sunshine.  Yet there were only a few vehicles in the car park, and no crowds beside the lake. 

I stopped in at the magnificent Chateau Lake Louise for a sandwich and hot chocolate at the friendly German deli. It was a quiet afternoon at the hotel.

Twenty four kilometres of skiing had not yet finished me off, and so, as an added bonus, I stopped at Johnston Canyon for a leisurely walk up to the Lower Falls.  The snow-covered trail was hard packed, so I wore my MICROspikes for good traction. 

Winter is the best time to visit Johnston Canyon.  It’s a magical stroll up the narrow walkway, which clings to the cliffs beside and above the icy creek.  I met a handful of people along the way.  The lower falls were still running, but there was plenty of ice forming and soon it will totally freeze up.  The most spectacular sight was of multiple rows of gigantic icicles draping the sides of the gorge, like banks of pipes from some huge church organ.

I drove very slowly along Route 1A back to the Trans-Canada Highway – partly because the road looked very icy, but mostly so I could enjoy the scenery and keep an eye out for wildlife (none to be seen).

The sun was setting as I left the mountains behind me.  To avoid various rush-hour traffic problems I continued south to Bragg Creek then back along Highway 22X. In the process I enjoyed a colorful sunset, above the clear line of mountain peaks.  My photo editing tool has made it even more spectacular, to better fit the day itself.

Statistics
Johnston Canyon (Lower Falls)
Fri. 16 November
Total Dist.	2.2 km (hike)
Height Gain	150 ft.
Max. Elev.	4,840 ft.
Time	0 hrs. 51 mins.

Other Stats.
Dep. car:        2.29 pm Falls:             2.53 pm Ret. to car:     3.20 pm	Temp: minus 1 C Sun, cloud, snow packed trail