The past couple of weeks have been a bit too cold (understatement) and mostly too busy (also an understatement) to head out to the mountains and strap on the snowshoes – but here’s a look back at a trip my hubby and I took in January. We’d never been out to Hogarth Lakes before, so the scenery was a real treat for us, even if the skies were grey and snow fell the whole time. It’s a sheltered spot and there was very little wind (yay!), except for a massive gust at one point when we rounded a corner and the trees blasted powdery flakes down on top of us.
Hogarth Lakes is a hiking/snowshoeing loop in Peter Lougheed Provincial Park, in Kananaskis, Alberta. We got there by driving south on the Smith-Dorrien Road from Canmore until we reached the Burstall Pass trailhead – the road was in surprisingly good condition that day, considering the snowfall. Even so, we were reassured by the sight of a snowplough as we headed up towards the parking lot. Mountain roads…not to be trifled with!
This short (4.4 km) loop is relatively flat and great for beginners – it would be one families could take their younger children out on, especially if the trail is packed down. We found a bunch of side trails that looked like fun, but we stuck to the main loop, especially after we were warned by a group who had stopped for refreshments that they had noticed some open water on one of the side trails they took. Better not to risk it, especially as we aren’t familiar with the landscape.
Here are a couple of shots of the Spray Lakes Reservoir near Canmore. I took these photos on our trip back into town after snowshoeing. You can see the sun had briefly emerged – of course! 🙂
I would love to see the Lakes in other seasons as well – I’m looking forward to heading out there again. We’ll definitely be back with the snowshoes!
You can find a link to a map of the Hogarth Lakes Loop here.
Another account of an excursion to Hogarth Lakes can be found by clicking the link in Hiking With Barry’s post 5 Great Snowshoe Trips – Kananaskis.
Flowery Prose. 