Back to Canada: Paradise Valley, Lake Annette, and Beyond

On the morning of July 27th, Joan and I drove down the access road from Moraine Lake to the Paradise Valley trailhead.

We aimed to see how far we could go up the valley, to and beyond Lake Annette, which we reached in 2018 ... in the snow. This was the valley's appearance then.

Several destinations can be reached from the trailhead.

After a few twists and turns, some split off.

Mount Temple was lord of the valley's western slopes.

At our feet, elephants-head flowers caught our eye. They're named for the "trunk" that emerges from the bloom -- click on the image to enlarge.

To the east, another striking mountain, likely Haddo Peak.

We crossed the stream several times.

This was the view looking up the valley.

Inspecting the ground as we walked, Joan and I met a butterfly atop a flower.

A critter or multiple critters had scoured this tree.

Then we reached the trail split,

crossed the stream yet again,

and after a series of ascending switchbacks, Joan and I stood on the shores of Lake Annette.

In 2018 we attempted to go further than Annette, but the steep ascent and snow soon forced us to turn around. Today we kept on, and gained in altitude. This view looks back the way we'd come.

We were now high enough that occasional remnants of snowbanks greeted us.

Up and up we went, and then, boom! Joan and I emerged into the open.

We walked into the middle of this stony zone,

and decided it was time for lunch. Our view across Paradise Valley left us in awe.

Behind us loomed a rock wall.

We could see in the distance, near the head of the valley, a waterfall formation known as the Giant Steps.

The steps are a popular destination, but Joan and I decided to forego the extra descent and re-ascent that would incur. We basked in the sun and finished lunch. Even here in the rubble field, flowers bloomed, such as this fireweed.

I convinced Joan to pose, emphasizing the scale of this mountain setting.

The final descent back to Lake Annette.

We weren't the only ones to pause there.

The water, the rocks, and the sun's angle cooked up a perfect combination.

On the long walk down the valley, a sign of winter storms.

And of spring's regrowth.

We had a perfect day for this extended hike.

On the 10th Day of Hiking (Paradise Valley/Lake Annette)

By the morning of September 15th it had snowed another two or three inches. Joan and I decided over breakfast to go ahead with plan A, to hike up Paradise Valley to Lake Annette, which required a drive to the trailhead (click on the image to enlarge).

Again, we had to sweep snow off the Corolla by hand. When we arrived at the trailhead there were only a couple of other cars, plus a camper, which was odd because camping is forbidden there. Much later we met the owner of the camper, Matt, and his dog; he was working for Parks Canada one week on and one week off. He had a permit.

From the parking area, everything lies ahead. Some destinations are further than others.

Comparing old and new maps, Joan and I could see that the Paradise Valley trail had been rerouted in places, and perhaps this explained why various sources listed the distance to Lake Annette between 5.7km and 7km. The trailhead sign listed 6.3km. Whatever. We were going to the lake.

We crunched uphill through crusty snow and past two very early trail intersections. Ours were the only footprints. Then Joan and I met two young men headed down carrying skis; they had almost certainly made an early start from the Paradise Valley campground, and would be the only people we'd see while outbound, although our hike's total would be fifteen plus one dog.

We paused where the Paradise Valley trail departed from the Lake Louise to Moraine Lake trail. The wide road towards Lake Louise is nominally a horse trail.

No bicycles!

Up Paradise Valley, a footpath.

There was a bear warning.

Joan and I had put off visiting Moraine Lake for several years, because bears (a mom and two cubs) had taken up residence, and traveling in groups was mandatory. This year the ursine inhabitants hadn't been in evidence, and now groups were merely advisable. Plus winter was early this year. Still, we called out as we hiked on, alerting any bears that humans were coming.

The mountains played peek-a-boo with fog, drizzle, light snow, and times of no precipitation.

Crossing Paradise Creek

We followed the footprints of the outbound skiers as we gradually ascended the valley. On reaching the intersection for the Lake Annette loop we discovered that the part of the loop in the valley floor was closed for rehabilitation -- visiting Lake Annette was the only way forward, as shown on the map above. Up we went through multiple switchbacks and spots where the trail, now narrow, made us glad for a hiking pole in each hand. The footing became sketchier with a continuing light rain and snow mix.

Joan and I emerged onto the diminutive beach at Lake Annette.

Under these conditions there was no good place to sit for lunch, so we marched on, climbing westbound and higher on the ridge. The next destinations were some distance away.

The map indicated that eventually we would break out of the woods, which might, depending on the weather, offer us a viewpoint. That time seemed a long time coming. We did spot a woodpecker, an avian point of interest.

We decided to turn around, still in the woods, and finally encountered other hikers coming up the trail. After a brief repeat stop at Lake Annette

Scenic, but it didn't beckon us to linger.

we descended into the valley, and managed a standing lunch stop under a tree, which was a mixed blessing. The trees were dripping water and occasionally letting loose clumps of snow that might smack you on the head. Standing in the trail was not safe from bombardment, either, so we picked our lunch patch through trial and error.

Joan and I encountered a snowman on one of the bridges crossing Paradise Creek.

Standing guard on the railing!

We continued tromping down the valley. A break in the clouds and fog gave us a sighting of Fairview and Saddleback; the trail to those heights had no footprints.

On our return to Moraine Lake our first stop, and the first stop for many visitors, was the Rockpile, at the foot of the lake.

You can see why Moraine Lake has such a reputation for beauty.

The best view of the lodge and cabins is from the top of the Rockpile.

We also found this plaque honoring Don Gardner, whom we met last year on the Lake McArthur trail.

Visitors can rent a canoe as well as stroll along the lakeshore.

Later, it snowed some more during dinner.

After the evening meal we attended a talk by Joel of Great Divide Nature Interpretation. Great Divide does three talks per week at Moraine Lake; this was the only one we could catch. Tonight's topic was "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Ungulates," and it was very engaging. They also guide hikes, but again, their schedule and ours didn't align.

Then it was off to bed, wondering how much more snow the morning would reveal.