HIking Canada 2023: Hawk Creek / Ball Pass

For July 26th, 2023, Joan and I chose the Hawk Creek / Ball Pass hike. We tackled this route back in 2009 (a very brief account is here) and had observed fresh growth after the catastrophic fire of 2003. Now, it was time to see how it looked after another fourteen years. The trail starts in the lower left corner of this map -- the first hundred yards or so are along the berm of Highway 93. (Click on any image to enlarge.)

We had to arrive early, because the parking area is crowded these days with hikers tackling the popular Rockwall route on the other side of the valley. The drive was a bit longer than in 2009 because we were leaving from Storm Mountain Lodge rather than Kootenay Park Lodge, which has apparently turned into a dismal dump -- and refused to return a $500 deposit we couldn't use because of COVID, even after Consumer Protection BC tried to intervene. They even refused delivery of a FedEx package! (There had been two changes of ownership.) The difference was only 15 minutes, but these delays add up.

 

Starting out, we saw both new growth and bones of the old forest.

Twenty minutes up the trail, more of the same.

Dead trees that had fallen across the path slowed us down. Many were heavily charred, and brushing against them meant smearing our garb or packs. Almost always, tangled new growth prevented us from going off-trail to circumvent the obstacles. Each one needed to be studied to decide: can it be lifted, if I find a decent spot to grab? Is it high enough for us to go under it? Is it low enough for us to go over it? Joan and I were often on our hands and knees. The Parks staff had cleared earlier casualties with chainsaws,

but the corpses had continued to fall since their last visit. We learned how to  manage, but it slowed us down. This photo doesn't do justice to the variety of obstacle positions, condition, and sizes.

Over or under?

Taking in the view.

Occasionally there was a bloom, such as this lanceleaf blanketflower.

Ascending the valley, looking ahead. Hawk Creek is in view.

We began to encounter other hikers, including those catching up to and passing us. A young couple was descending from Ball Pass, having been around a month so far on the Great Divide trail. (Click on the image to enlarge.) I marveled at how modest their equipment load appeared to be for such a trek.

As Joan and I climbed, the terrain became rockier and the wind picked up. Here, Joan is crossing a side stream.

Looking back, we can see we've gained some altitude.

Ahead is a steady climb and a narrowing valley.

Here, we can see a sharp transition from burnt to untouched forest across the way.

Old, bleached roots are the same color as the rocks.

The walls drew closer.

More hikers passed us when we stopped for a snack. Joan and I forged on, hoping to reach Ball Pass despite the many obstacles we'd encountered. Another fifteen minutes ... another ten minutes ... we finally decided that we had to turn around if we were to show up on time for dinner at Storm Mountain. On our descent, I snapped this photo, which included aging fireweed.

Later on our return, a Rocky Mountain Maple. This species is known to favor fire-disturbed sites: that fits!

And then, Solomon's Plume, with berries.

As we grabbed another snack, a young fellow came up the trail. He had ambition -- first reach Ball Pass, and then scramble up Isabella Peak (summit at 9639' or 2938 m). As many Canadian hikers seem to do, he'd gotten a late start, and even forgot his sandwiches. Yikes! We hope it turned out OK.

 

Back at the start, Joan and I found the Floe Lake parking area saturated, with several cars parked on the berm of Highway 93. Although we hadn't reached Ball Pass, it had been a grand adventure. But if you go, plan for burnt timber strewn across the trail.

Hawk Creek/Ball Pass & Kootenay Park Lodge

After our Stanley Glacier hike we checked in at the Kootenay Park Lodge. It's in a perfect central location for the long, narrow Kootenay Park; to drive to hikes in the middle of the park from either the north end (Castle Junction) or south (Radium Hot Springs) would be tedious and time-consuming. The complex has an information center/general store, a restaurant, and individual cabins that, although they are kept up, predate WWII. (I could not stand entirely upright in the shower, being 6' 3".) The owner is in the process of obtaining permits for and building modern cabins, but the bureaucracy of Parks Canada can be slow, and financing is difficult. At the information center you can read about the 2003 forest fires that came within 100 yards of the lodge.

The next day we tackled the 12½ mile round-trip to Ball Pass via Hawk Creek. Our guidebook warned that the trail might be less than interesting because of the 2003 fires, but we found it intriguing. New pines were already up as tall as 6' or 7', and with the abundance of sunshine, wildflowers were everywhere. At dinner that night we hauled out the flower book and counted at least 72 varieties of wildflowers, including orchids, that we saw on the trail.

 

We stopped a lot for botanical inspection.

Roughly halfway up the evidence of the 2003 fire petered out. There were a few steep stretches in the second half, but our anticipation (having read the description) was worse than the reality. We were accustomed to finding a pass to be short; that is, as soon as you stop going up you take two steps and then you're going down. Ball Pass has a lovely meadow with peaks on either side. Here's the meadow looking back:

Here's a zoom-in on a glacier hanging on one peak. We saw two small avalanches off this glacier while we ate lunch. 

Here is the vista from our lunch spot, looking east towards Shadow Lake and beyond.