Sunday brought another opportunity to get out to the mountains to enjoy a fantastic spring day. The destination for today was Grassi Lakes, just outside of Canmore. Grassi Lakes is another one of those popular hiking trails, so this is a great time to get out there for a bit of extra solitude. There are two routes to hike Grassi Lakes, an easy route that follows a fire road, or a more difficult route with better opportunities for views.
Which way to go?
As the trail along the more difficult route looked to be fairly well worn in the snow we headed off that way. The route continued through the trees, but then all of a sudden they broke and the views were amazing.
There were tiny rivers that were starting to flow down the mountain side.
The water started to roar louder and louder, and soon we saw why. A waterfall!
Unfortunately at this point the trail wasn’t quite so easy to see. The slope increased and there was quite a bit more ice out there. At that point we decided we’d be better off returning to the split in the trail to tackle the easy route to get to the falls. You can see in the picture below, the hard route is on the right side. We were pretty close to the lakes (on the bottom left of the picture)…who knew?!
The easy route was a good uphill walk in the snow, made easy with some Yak Trax. It wasn’t too long…and then we were at the lakes! The water was an amazing colour. Unfortunately my pictures didn’t turn out as well as I’d hoped given the somewhat overcast sky on the snow, but you get the idea.
On the way back down we saw several people hiking up in Converse All Star sneakers…dress shoes…you name it! It isn’t nearly as icy out at Grassi Lakes as it was at the Ink Pots, but it still baffles me that people head out to hike the Rocky Mountains in March without proper footwear!
There were tiny rivers that were starting to flow down the mountain side. The water started to roar louder and louder, and soon we saw why. A waterfall!Unfortunately at this point the trail wasn’t quite so easy to see. The slope increased and there was quite a bit more ice out there. At that point we decided we’d be better off returning to the split in the trail to tackle the easy route to get to the falls. You can see in the picture below, the hard route is on the right side. We were pretty close to the lakes (on the bottom left of the picture)…who knew?!The easy route was a good uphill walk in the snow, made easy with some Yak Trax. It wasn’t too long…and then we were at the lakes! The water was an amazing colour. Unfortunately my pictures didn’t turn out as well as I’d hoped given the somewhat overcast sky on the snow, but you get the idea.On the way back down we saw several people hiking up in Converse All Star sneakers…dress shoes…you name it! It isn’t nearly as icy out at Grassi Lakes as it was at the Ink Pots, but it still baffles me that people head out to hike the Rocky Mountains in March without proper footwear!Total Distance: 4.19 mi (to hike almost all the difficult route and all the easy route)
Time: ~2 hours
Elevation Gain: 1650 feet
Time: ~2 hours
Elevation Gain: 1650 feet
Awesome hike!! And beautiful pictures too. 🙂
I have a funny story about inappropriate footwear — for my Mom’s 50th birthday I hiked Crowsnest Mountain with her…9100 feet of steep scree, and a section that had a rope anchored to the almost vertical slab called “the chimney.”
I was after her all year to get proper hiking boots, and you know what she showed up in? Those flimsy “L.A. Gear” shoes. Basically cheap canvas shoes!! And the maddening thing was she climbed that sucker wearing those things!!! Hahahahahaha!!
That looks amazing. Great hike!
Such a pretty place! I would like to go back in the summer but the thought of how busy it gets turns me off!
The pictures are so very beautiful! I am so jealous. Looks like a great day.
Sounds like a great hike, Leana! Love all the beautiful pics!
Oh wow, that looks incredible. I love that you’re taking advantage of living so close to such amazing trails/hikes.
Yea, if I saw that sign, I would be like…. pfffft… Goin hard no questions asked! Looks awful purty up there too…
I love the signage – too funny! Great hike and your pictures are awesome!
GORGEOUS hike, Leana!!! I’m envious!
Jealous! Looks so gorgeous!
at first i thought – ew, snow, i don’t need to see more of that 🙂 but wow! looks like a gorgeous hike.
Beautiful hike!!
My hubby and I once did an impromptu hike after a river rafting trip in slippers. Not the brightest of ideas …