Backpacking - Glacier Lake (note - beginner-intermediate trip) (9/16/2017)

If you are interested in attending, please place your name on the waiting list, and then contact Ryan for further information.

In June 1807, David Thompson and a party of fur traders camped for several days above the Howse River. From the beautiful spot where they camped (which is located 1.2 km down the Glacier Lake trail in Banff National Park), it is possible to view Howse Pass, Mount Murchison, Mount Outram, the Sir James Glacier and the beautifully colored Howse River.

Venturing futher to the west, David Thompson and his party encountered a large lake in the Rocky Mountains where, in the words of David Thompson, "all the Mountains in sight from the end of the lake are seemingly of Ice." Glacier Lake was later named by James Hector of the Palliser Expedition, and it is one of the largest lakes in Banff National Park.

We will hike to Glacier Lake, where we will spend the night at a campsite located on the eastern shore of the lake. The hike in is relatively short (8.9 km), with minor elevation changes along the way (approximately 210 m elevation gain over the first 7 km, followed by a 220 m descent over the final 2 km). Due to the modest distance and elevation gain, beginners with more limited backpacking experience are welcome to participate. (However, if you have never been on a backpacking trip before, please advise me so that I can ensure that you are bringing the needed gear for this trip).

After arriving and setting up camp, we should have an opportunity for day hiking in the area. A 3.5 km (one-way) trail from the campsite continues alongside Glacier Lake, to the far western shore of the lake. A rougher trail beyond the lake's western shore follows alongside a creek, ultimately leading towards Lyell Lake and the toe of the Lyell Glacier. It is quite unlikely that we'll be able to get all the way to the glacier (the distance between the Glacier Lake campsite and the toe of the Lyell Glacier is 22 km return) - although if we start our hike at an early enough hour, then stronger hikers in the group may be able to complete a hike of this distance. Having completed this hike previously, at the very least I do expect that everyone will be able to reach the far end of Glacier Lake - this will be a very nice hike!

We will meet at the Glacier Lake trailhead at noon on Saturday to begin our hike. The Glacier Lake trailhead is located along the Icefields Parkway (Hwy 93) approximately 1 km past its intersection with Hwy 11 (the David Thompson Highway) at Saskatchewan Crossing. There are several potential car-camping options near the Glacier Lake trailhead. The Rampart Creek and Waterfowl Lakes campgrounds in Banff National Park are located along Hwy 93 15-20 minutes by car north and south, respectively, of the trailhead. The Thompson Creek campground is also nearby, 10 minutes drive from the trailhead, alongside Hwy 11 just outside of the Banff Park Boundary. All of the campgrounds listed above operate on a first-come basis.

I have booked 4 tent pads at the Glacier Lake campground. The group size is likely to be 4-8 people. If you are interested, please contact me by e-mail to provide information about gear that you would be willing to bring to share with others in the group (i.e. tents, water filtration equipment, camping stoves).