It's another day for getting up early, but we're in for a real adventure. We're off to Yoho Park in British Columbia, about an hour and 15 minutes away, for one of the most beautiful hikes of our trip: the Iceline Trail.
Iceline trail
The Iceline Trail is a day hike in Yoho National Park. There are several variations, the two most popular being the 20 km loop or the 14 km out-and-back. We opted for the loop, preferring to avoid round-trips whenever possible.
Departure is from the Takakkaw Falls parking lot. The waterfall itself is well worth the detour, and you can come just to see it if you're not into hiking.
We set off on the Iceline Trail via Little Yoho Valley. It's not the most common way to do the trail, but it's the one a friend recommended. If you'd like more tips on how to do this hike, an article will be coming soon.
We began by walking through the forest, along several rivers. The scenery was magnificent. The clouds of smoke still spoiled visibility, but at the same time gave a very soft and beautiful light, so we might as well look on the positive side.
We come across a campsite that contains the famous hanging poles used to hang food out of reach of bears. The campground is located near a beautiful waterfall, laughing falls, about 4km from the parking lot.
We continue to progress and find ourselves in more alpine vegetation. The forest is less dense, we can see various rocky peaks around us and we continue to cross various streams.
We finish the first part of our ascent by arriving on an extensive plateau where we find a small meadow and the Canadian Alpine Club refuge. The hut is not in use, and the only guardian is a small rodent, Columbian Ground Squirrel, who watches us from afar.
The path continues through an area where the number of trees becomes very, very small and they are replaced by huge piles of rocks. The transition from one environment to another is quite abrupt, and you really do go from a green area to one that's much more gray and yellow.
We wind our way along paths amidst pebbles. The streams we cross come straight from the melting glaciers. Some of the streams are far from small, and there are no bridges to cross them. So you have to find the right rocks to cross. One or two socks will get soaked in the process.
It's lunchtime and we take the opportunity to regain our strength and admire the scenery. A mix of rock, lakes, streams, snow and forest, it's truly beautiful.
We still have about 7 km to go, but we're beginning to see Takakkaw Falls in the distance. The scenery changes again as we begin the descent. We're back in the denser forest we started out in.
Once again, the scenery is breathtaking. My favorite is probably the little purple flower meadow with Takakkaw Falls in the background. The hike comes to an end for us. The closer we get to the parking lot, the more people we meet.
In the end, it took us just under 8 hours to complete the 20 km loop. And it was well worth the detour. If you don't like walking as much, or are less fit, or simply don't have a full day to devote to it, much of the most beautiful scenery is achievable by doing just the return trip. That's still a 14 km walk (about 5h-6h in my opinion).
It was time to head back to Canmore for a well-deserved meal.
Burger and beer at Grizzly Claw
In the car, we could feel the fatigue. The hike had been beautiful, but it had still taken a lot of effort. The lunchtime sandwich was getting far away. So we decided to treat ourselves and fill our bellies at the Grizzly Claw in Canmore.
The Grizzly Claw is a microbrewery in Canmore that offers hearty and rather tasty meals in addition to serving good local beer. The icing on the cake is their poutine! A little corner of Quebec in the middle of the Rockies, a dream come true.
If you're looking for a great place to eat and drink in Canmore, we recommend it!
I don't know if it was the hiking or the beer, but once we'd finished eating, all we wanted to do was get some sleep. So that's what we did, and tomorrow it'll be a bit of rest and a bit of hiking.
See you tomorrow!
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