Canadian Rockies 2025: Rainy Day, Then Wiwaxy!

July 22nd was a rainy day; never heavy, sometimes quite light. Not trusting to luck, Joan and I wore rain pants, a jacket, and even a waterproof backpack, despite its limitations. We walked around Lake O'Hara clockwise, the long way to start a climb towards Opabin, and took the west trail up. From the prospect, views of Mary Lake and O'Hara were on offer. (Click on any image to enlarge.)

From here we wandered up the Opabin Plateau's middle path, hoping to see pikas or marmots, and keeping an eye out for a dry place to lunch. Finally, snug under our "traditional lunch tree" near Lake Hungabee, we dined in chilly weather. At the end of our meal, a woman with two young folks from the UK came up. Joan and I chatted with them, and then volunteered the location. We descended on the east trail and, on reaching Lake O'Hara, the intermittent drizzle began to let up. The ducks were out.

Better weather continued to move in. After dinner, Joan and I spent time admiring the lake and mountain views from the O'Hara lakeshore.

Zooming in on the Seven Falls in the photo above.

Mountain ranges and misty peaks caught our eye.

Tomorrow, we resolved, we'd head up there -- to Wiwaxy Gap, of notorious steepness. The trail gains just under 1700 feet with an average grade of ~14%, with some gentler and some even steeper stretches. The steepness is so notorious that very, very few come directly down, but traverse to Lake Oesa instead.

 

July 23rd was a cheerful day. Off we went to the Wiwaxy Gap trailhead, and began climbing. Here's a first look back towards O'Hara as we zig-zag up the side of an avalanche gully. (There are views all the way up!)

Twelve minutes later, some hard-won progress.

More huffing and puffing -- although we felt stronger than expected, many of the young and strong passed us; we passed a few.

Then switchback after switchback. Getting near the top, we could see the chain of lakes heading up to Oesa.

At the gap!

A view towards other lakes ... our next leg of this hike, the Huber Ledges.

From here you can also see the Sleeping Poets pool, a reclusive pond hidden above the Yukness Ledges.

I asked Joan to pose in front of one of the Wiwaxy peaks.

Up here it was chilly, and we donned our rain jackets to stay warm. It was time to grab a snack, a fraction of our lunch fixings.

One group of hikers headed out on the ledges ahead of us.

Click on any image to enlarge. 

The Huber Ledges require attention. There's one spot where we lost the trail, the same spot as the last time we did the Huber Ledges. A dad with two boys came along and said he'd seen a video recommending that if you lose the trail, head up. We briefly backtracked and found the route. It really needs a blaze or two at that point. In this photo, the easily navigated last third is visible.

A look back to the gap.

This panorama goes from Oesa to O'Hara, with the Yukness Ledges in the center.

We passed a hiker who had overtaken us at Wiwaxy by proceeding nonstop through the gap. He had stopped to fix lunch along the trail, an instant pasta meal heated over a cookstove! We continued our descent.

 

Soon, a curious marmot appeared.

It was the least concerned about us -- probably spoiled by other hikers' handouts.

Oesa, at last! The smooth rocks near the lake beckon us to come and sit awhile.

We continued our descent, pausing at the extraordinarily clear waters of Lake Victoria.

Not long after, we spotted a lazing marmot.

Twenty minutes later, another marmot dashed across our path,

then turned to stare at us from the rocks. Peek-a-boo!

Fatigue was creeping into our cadence and balance, but we managed to carry on. A light shower began partway along the O'Hara lakeshore, not far from our cabin, and we picked up our pace. Mission accomplished!

Canadian Rockies 2025: Lake O'Hara, Part One

On July 20, 2025, Joan and I began our stay at Lake O'Hara. We boarded the lodge bus for the 11 km drive up the fire road to the lodge -- no private vehicles or bicycles allowed. After checking in, we started hiking towards Lake Oesa. This was the view from the south shore of O'Hara, with some cabins and the Opabin plateau centered in the frame. (Click on any image to enlarge.)

At this time of year and altitude, the yellow columbine was in bloom. Lakeshore altitude: 2,020 meters (6,630 ft).

We soon began the switchbacks and other climbs towards Oesa. This cascade

was the exit for the smaller Victoria Lake along the way.

We'd encountered three light rain showers already and decided to turn around, find our now-available cabin, and unpack. At Yukness Lake,

Click on any image to enlarge.

we observed a browsing marmot.

The low clouds lingered as we left the marmot to his foraging.

Then it was downhill to Lake O'Hara, our cabin, and unpacking.

 

The next day, July 21, Joan and I set our sights on Lake McArthur. A 60% chance of showers was predicted for today, but the rain never came! Early on, we took a short spur from the main trail to visit Mary Lake.

Then we climbed the "staircase," a series of steps and switchbacks on the edge of a talus slope. In this photo, we're partway up, looking back at the Lake O'Hara basin.

Half an hour further along, hiking laterally for the moment, we encountered this hermit thrush.

Very close to this clump of alpine/rosy paintbrush.

We examined the sign-in kiosk for crossing the McArthur gap to the Odaray Highline, out of curiosity -- already the maximum of four parties had signed in. Joan and I took  the McArthur Highline trail,

and eventually crested with a view of McArthur. We were surprised to see very few people there.

As we walked down towards a good lunch spot, we attracted wildlife, including an inquisitive squirrel.

As we ate, we heard a loon call multiple times, and later spotted it! After rest and replenishment, Joan and I wandered down to the lakeshore.

Here's the signpost by which we measure the lake's level; this year, it's a smidge low.

We began our return on the low-level trail, which merges with the high-level trail at a saddle.

The low-level dives into the trees.

Moss campion was blooming!

Marmots were active here, some not too bashful.

As they foraged.

Joan and I made a side trip on our return since it was still only 2:30. We took an "alpine" route to a viewpoint partway up the All Souls Prospect trail. This path was dodgier than non-alpine routes in terms of footing, steepness, and high steps, but it offers great views. It gave us a great sense of accomplishment, training, and hope that we could tackle other demanding hikes during our visit. Here's a panoramic take. Some haze has built up, but it's still beautiful.

It was a long but rewarding hike.

Canadian Rockies 2025: Castle Mountain Lookout

 On July 19, 2025, Joan and I had a long, jolly breakfast at our hotel with Val & Bob, with whom we'd stayed in Canmore many times until they retired from hosting a B&B. Then we loaded up the car and headed into Banff National Park; our hiking goal today was the Castle Mountain Lookout, known for its fabulous views and steep climbs. The trailhead is just off Highway 1A, the Bow Valley Parkway. (Click on any image to enlarge.)

The trail began wide and gentle, then progressively narrowed and steepened. At one spot early on, spectacular 2013 flood damage crossed the route.

We kept a good pace for the workout, encountering lots of folks coming and going. We also noticed flowers deliberately laid in the trail in several places.

Then we met a woman headed downhill with a large dog. She explained that she had recently lost her husband; we didn't ask, but assumed she was leaving floral tributes on his favorite trails. 

 

Higher up, there were occasional gullies to traverse.

We had come at the right time of year for mountain blooms, it seemed. Sedum lanceolatum is known by the names lanceleaf or spearleaf stonecrop.

After a final flat stretch through the woods, we reached the old fire tower site, of which only a few foundation blocks remain. The panorama looking down into the Bow Valley was tremendous, revealing the Trans-Canada Highway and the Canadian Pacific Railway route to the Pacific.

Zooming in, one can see one of the wildlife overpasses that dot the Trans-Canada through the national parks.

On our way down, Joan and I met a family from India. They asked how much further it was to the viewpoint for the castle; we explained that there was a marvelous viewpoint, but no castle.

 

Joan and I were pleased with our hike; the climb was definitely a workout. We then drove to Cathedral Mountain Lodge, at the foot of Kicking Horse Pass, for dinner and the night.