This gravel road is used for the “backdoor” access to Spray Lakes. Watridge Lake Trail also connects with trails that lead to Mount Assiniboine Provincial Park in British Columbia. Today on my way up I witnessed 2 bears from afar and one that scared me on the path up. The Spray Lakes were a string of lakes formed along the Spray River, a tributary of the Bow River. Length 6.9 miElevation gain 2,086 ftRoute type Out & back You can start the loop either from the Golf Course Road at the end of the 15th hole (please stay on the trail and avoid crossing the fairway -- the trail leads through a wooded area behind the green); or from the Spray … We ended up hiking 5 hours, and around 10.5 miles round trip. We followed another trail up the east side of the mountain and had to traverse the mountain. I took our SUV and had no problems I nitially, the trail runs along the east side of Spray Lakes Reservoir to Driftwood day-use with some good views down the reservoir. As you can see, the road … Caution: Rocks may fall from higher up on the trail as people are scrambling, be cautious and courteous to other hikers. Looong gravel road with a stunning view of ranier on the way up. There are sites suitable for both RVs and tents, many of which are very close to the lake. There is bear activity reported in this area causing intermittent closures for certain areas in the park. There’s a place at the top for tent camping, and a few trails to choose from, and I stuck with the spray falls trail. Follow the Wonderland Trail 0.25 miles to a junction with the Spray Park Trail. A true gem in Kananaskis Country! The trailhead is located on the southeast side of Mowich Lake walk-in campground at the end of the Mowich Lake Road. The trail is primarily used for hiking and walking and is best used from May until October. Once you get to Spray Park there are several places you can go to. After dark, stop and listen… wolves have returned to Kananaskis Country! It is reasonable to assume that much of the data e.g. Quarry Lake Park is located in a natural area just off of Spray Lakes Road in the Town of Canmore. Turn left onto Mt. Once you visit this peaceful campground on the shores of the Spray Lakes Reservoir, you may never want to leave! Climbing up the side of the mountain was awesome. Skeeters got pretty vicious up there, and as one previous review says... bug spray does nothing, I actually think they liked it. Open. Rome2rio makes travelling from Canmore to Spray Lakes Reservoir easy. The trail starts above the town of Canmore at the top of the Smith Dorrien Road- Spray Lakes Road and finishes at the Spray River West trailhead, located approximately 150 metres beyond the Banff Springs Hotel at the northern end of Spray Avenue in Banff. Rainier! The last leg of this trail has loose rocks and has more of an incline. Enjoy the scenery on highway 40 and turn off on the Smith Dorrien Spray Trail (#742). The trail starts on the east side of the Spray Lakes road at the Engadine Lodge/Mount Shark road turnoff. Where is the Spray Lakes Road? You can also cross the river to get a great view of the water fall, a small scramble up the river gets you an amazing view of the waterfall. In the winter, it becomes a favourite cross-country ski trail, regularly track-set, and convenient enough for locals to do a quick loop on their lunch break. Spray Lakes Reservoir The contents of this online version has not been altered or modified from the original 1990 publication. Goat Creek to Spray Lakes West A rather pleasant forest section with good views on an old road used for commercial dog sled touring in winter. We found a trail goin towards the snow line and decided to try it, you get great views, and get amazing opportunities fo pictures. The drive was relatively easy and we did it in a Ford Fusion. Also, previous reviews said there were a lot of potholes. High Rockies (Winter) The trail is closed through the Buller Slide Path Between Nov. 1 and May 1 due to Highway Avalanche Control. The trail leads to a wildflower blanketed alpine meadow with breathtaking views of ranier. From/To: Canmore to Highway 40 near Lower Kananaskis Lake Road Condition: Gravel road – very rough in sections and a narrow, steep winding grade near Canmore. The Goat Creek and Watridge Lake Trails provide winter and summer access to Banff National Park. You better be in an SUV and be ready for a slow and very bumpy ride. 742). Camping is permitted in summer (from May 17 to October 9) at the Lillian Lake, Ribbon Falls, Ribbon Lake, Eau Claire and Spray Lakes West campgrounds, and in winter at the Buller Mountain and Eau Claire campgrounds. Dogs are also able to use this trail but must be kept on leash. It then gets steeper and continues climbing until around 2.6 km in when it levels out for the most part. The Little Lougheed Snowshoe is a winter trail in Kananaskis. Whoo Hoo - the road is not the best / but it is worth the journey for the views. The Smith-Dorrien Spray Trail. Topographical maps: Spray Lakes Reservoir 82N/14 and Mount Assiniboine 82J/13 Trail closures : There are no bikes allowed west of Trail Center. In very short order (about 60 metres) look for a spur trail heading up into the woods. Spray Loop Trail is a 7.6 mile moderately trafficked loop trail located near Banff, Alberta, Canada that features beautiful wild flowers and is rated as moderate. Spray Valley Provincial Park. Grassi Lakes Hiking Trail Difficulty: moderate Elevation gain: 250 meters Distance 3.8km return Time: 2 hours Location: On Spray Lakes Road and continue approximately 1km past the turn off for the Nordic Center to just after Spray Lakes West Campground is found in Spray Valley Provincial Park, 16 km south of Canmore on the Smith Dorrien/Spray Lakes Trail (Hwy. Biking/Cycling,Hiking,CyclingOut-and-Back,Point-to-PointKananaskis CountrySpray Valley-- Spray Valley PP,Bow Valley WPP,Peter Lougheed PP. If visiting the north side of the park, it is It then crosses Highway 742 and traverses the mossy spruce forest uphill of the highway. 742). Trail was lovely. we are all in this together. The Smith-Dorrien Spray Lakes Trail is a gravel road running from Canmore to the K Country. Be careful if you go with small kids going down to the lake. Spray Valley Provincial Park is easily accessible by road (the Bighorn Highway), and provides a setting for low impact activities such as hiking and cross-country skiing. We also decided to summit on the ridges and there great 360 degree views. It re-enters the forest for a little ways and then opens up again before arriving at the lake. Quarry Lake Quarry Lake park is a result of a collaborative project by Rocky Mountain Heritage Foundation and town of Canmore. Micro spikes, crampons and hiking poles highly recommended. Read more. It is essential to read the avalanche report, and follow the trail to avoid potential slide paths. Low elevation gain, but some ups-and-downs. It offers a galore of wildlife on a quiet day,or when the weather is rainy. Vault toilets, walk-in camp site, and a ranger station are at Mowich Lake Campground. Bugs started getting the the closer I got to the opening to the meadow. The trail opens up to an expansive clearing with breathtaking panoramic views of the surrounding mountains! Wish I would’ve known there was as much incline as there was but still enjoyed myself! No fee to the park, which was nice. Throw in an ample serving of glassy tarns, a couple of wispy waterfalls, an optional side trip to Carbon Glacier and a forested stroll up Ipsut Creek, and you have a photographer’s dreamland. You also get a chance to see and feel a real glacier. Spray Lakes West Campground is found in Spray Valley Provincial Park, 16 km south of Canmore on the Smith Dorrien/Spray Lakes Trail (Hwy. Turn south on Highway 165 and drive 14 miles to Carbon River Road junction. Galatea Creek Trail has an annual seasonal closure in place roughly between May 1st - June 29th to allow the trail to dry and prevent damage. There is no cell phone service in Peter Lougheed Provincial Park. Great trail. Book your tickets online for Spray River Trail Loop, Banff: See 26 reviews, articles, and 27 photos of Spray River Trail Loop, ranked No.40 on Tripadvisor among 52 attractions in Banff. Towards the last quarter of the trail I missed my turn to go up the slope. Did just fine. Spray Park and Falls were likely named in 1883 by a trail construction crew who noted how the cascading water of the falls broke "into a mass of spray." Hike were you have views on the trail, so you have to wait for the marked viewpoint to get out of the woods. Hike through dense woods for 5 to 8 minutes to reach Explore the many picnic areas and viewpoints as you drive the Smith-Dorrien/Spray Trail. There are 33 hard trails in Spray Valley Provincial Park ranging from 4.2 to 69.8 km and from 1,491 to 3,125 meters above sea level. All reviews. Grassi Lakes Trail Backpacking Hiking Mountains Trails Canmore, Alberta, Canada 403-762-1550 Share Visit Website This short picturesque trail is great for families and is one of Canmore’s most popular hikes. Well-defined trail through subalpine forest. You don’t even need to auger a hole to test the thickness of the ice; you can see how thick it is by looking through its glass-like depths. On a hot sunny day make sure you take plenty of water. Spray Lakes West Campground is found in Spray Valley Provincial Park, 16 km south of Canmore on the Smith Dorrien/Spray Lakes Trail (Hwy. The trail starts at the popular Goat Creek Parking Lot on the Smith-Dorrien/Spray Lakes Trail and ends on the Alberta/BC border at Elk Pass in Peter Lougheed Provincial Park, paralleling the Spray Lakes Road until you reach the Lower Kananaskis Lake. The drive in can take awhile as it’s 16 miles of gravel. IN WINTER: This has an ATES (Avalanche Terrain Exposure Scale) of class 1. With that being said once you reach the top it's a beautiful view. Spray Lakes West Campground is found in Spray Valley Provincial Park, 16 km south of Canmore on the Smith Dorrien/Spray Lakes Trail (Hwy. There are sites suitable for both RVs and tents, many of which are very close to the lake. This multi-user trail starts from just south of the Banff Springs hotel, and runs along the side of the Spray River, crosses the river and comes back on the other side. To Get Here: From Canmore, take Smith Dorrien / Spray Lakes Trail for 55km to Black Prince Parking on your right.Alternatively, take HWY 40 and exit on Spray Trail to reach the parking lot. You'll find a very steep path, which doesn't look like one. This trail offers beautiful views the entire way up. Ross M wrote a review Oct. 2020. Hiking trails from the Grassi Lakes Day Use Area trailhead to the Lower Grassi Lake … Use caution crossing the road and keep kids close. Spray Valley Provincial Park is located 1.5-2 hours from Calgary. Beautiful waterfall and views of Mt. Once you visit this peaceful campground on the shores of the Spray Lakes Reservoir, you may never want to leave! Spray Valley Provincial Park is part of the Kananaskis Country park system. The snowshoe up to Little Lougheed offers a perfect A very beautiful hike, till you go up to Mount Pleasant. I didn’t do the final scramble to the top since I was solo and feeling a bit reticent. Haha. Such a sunny beautiful day. The Goat Creek trail starts near the crossing point. Alberta’s Goat Creek Trail offers a fun mountain bike ride that traverses the beautiful valley between Mount Rundle and Sulphur Mountain. Nice trail. In the meadow they were thick! Note that the High Rockies Trail does not start at Goat Creek parking lot; it comes up Goat Creek from Banff as part of The Great Trail. We did take the intended trail down, lots of loose rocks so it was a bit of a scrabble. Gearing up for a challenge? Rough roads coming in, take SUV. The High Rockies Trail is a newly completed 80 km long multi-use trail outside of Canmore, Alberta. We decided differently: We challenged ourselves to start in Banff and ski the entire return to Canmore and back. It’s been called the most popular trail in Kananaskis Country – and yet on the summer weekend I hiked it, the parking lot was far less busy than the one that offers access to Black Prince Cirque and Galatea Lakes.That may be a function of the distance from Calgary but I have to say I was pleasantly surprised. A lot easier than it looked! Overall, great trail! The parks website and automated message does not list this area as closed but the area beyond the Ranger Station definitely is closed for the season. Also the road leading up to this area is quite the experience. Pleasant on the way back down. Email Address Sign Up Thank you! The trail ascends through tree cover into rocky alpine conditions, with loose scree and stunning views of the Spray Lakes to match. Great Outdoors is a Los Angeles area gay, lesbian, bi-sexual & transgender group for hiking, camping, fitness and other activities in the outdoors.