Banff: Consolation Lakes Trail, Moraine Lake with wildlife!

Banff: Consolation Lakes Trail and Moraine Lake with lots of wildlife spottings

On our August 2013 trip we revisited a trail that I wrote about previously, the Consolation Lakes Trail at Moraine Lake. You may wonder why I am writing about this trail again, had that much really changed? Not really, however, the weather, the company and some of the sights were very different on this most recent hike.

The morning started off with our packing up from our camping site near Glacier National Park and driving a few hours east to the Lake Louise campground. Along the way we saw the traditional mountain sheep along the highway near Golden. They love to hang out here and we see them almost every time we drive through the area.

Mountain Sheep in Golden, British Columbia

Once we arrived in Lake Louise we set up the trailer and our camp site and all made our way to the showers. It had been a few days without a shower and we were all feeling the need for one desperately. I highly recommend the Lake Louise campground if you plan on tent camping or using a trailer. It is in a fantastic location, offers warm showers and clean bathrooms and has some great Parks Canada programming in the evening. It is a great place to stay and see this beautiful area for a very decent price.

All washed up it was time to go meet some of my dad's hiking club friends at Moraine Lake as the club had arranged to do the Consolation Lakes Trail. My brothers opted to stay behind at the campground as the weather wasn't looking all that great and they had done this easy trail in the past.

When we arrived at Moraine Lake and met up with the group it was starting to rain so we all pulled on our rain gear. This group doesn't mind the rain and the trail  is fairly flat and safe.

I didn't take too many pictures along the way as  most of the trail is through the woods and I had hiked this trail in the past. It starts off at the rockpile at Moraine Lake and you have to cross some scrambly rocks at the beginning but after that it is a wide and fairly flat dirt path to the lakes. It is about 3 km to the lakes, a very easy hike.

It rained off and on for most of the hike but none of us were too bothered by it. In fact, I liked the effect that the clouds had on the scenery, very beautiful.

When you get to the end of the trail you have to clamber over some rocks to get a good view of the lake. Due to the rain the rocks were fairly slippery and none of us were willing to risk injury. I did not take any pictures of Consolation Lake itself but I did take some in the general area. You can read my previous report about this trail to see more pictures of the area and the lake: http://cdnwanderlust.blogspot.ca/2013/05/moraine-lake-and-consolation-lakes.html

Once we got back to the trailhead I had to go up the rockpile to get a view of Moraine Lake, one of the best views in the Rockies! I saw some cute wildelife in the area as well.

Golden Mantled Ground Squirrel

Pika

Pika

 My previous visits to Moraine Lake had been on relatively sunny days and the lake was spectacular as the sunlight causes the water to reflect the most amazing colour. However, the lake is still magnificent even in overcast and rainy weather.

There were very few people at the lake as it was around dinner time but the few who were there were fixated on the mountainside nearby. I looked over to see what the fuss was and there was a Grizzly Bear! We were all very excited at the sighting and I had to laugh because this was now the second time that we had spotted a Grizzly and my brothers had missed out yet again. The first time had been on our trip last year when we spotted a mother grizzly with her cubs.

My dinky camera did not get very good photos. My dad got some that were slightly better. I was happy just to see this magnificent creature in the wild and at a safe distance!

Grizzly Bear at Moraine Lake

 Here are two shots from my dad's camera. I am sure that the people who were there with professional cameras got some amazing shots and footage. The Parks Canada guides who were there were encouraging people to put their cameras down and just enjoy seeing this bear in its natural habitat.

Grizzly Bear at Moraine Lake

Grizzly Bear at Moraine Lake

 My group was starting to get restless and hungry for dinner so I got a few last shots of the lake in as some cloud cover came in. Sunny or cloudy, Moraine Lake is worth a visit!

Back at the campsite I bragged to my brothers about my good luck with bear sightings - I have seen many bears in the parks now and they have only had a very brief glimpse of a cub scampering across the road in the distance.

After dinner my family decided to take a drive down the Bow Valley Parkway. It was on a rainy evening just like this one the previous year in which we saw  the mother grizzly and her cubs so we thought we would try our luck again.

Well, no grizzly sightings for the boys but we did see this fellow loping through the fields and down the highway. My brothers thought it was a stray dog but my dad told them it was definitely a wolf. Another animal to check off our wildlife sighting list.

The drive back to the campground turned out to be rather frightening as a torrential downpour started and it was now dark out and there were no lights. We had to pull over to the side of the road because we literally could not see anything as it was raining so hard. Luckily we arrived back at the campground alive and satisfied with our day and thankful for our lives!

Balu Pass: Glacier National Park

Balu Pass: Glacier National Park

We had been trying to hike the magnificent Balu Pass trail for several years. In 2011 we hiked about halfway up the trail but had to turn around due to poor conditions - it was raining and foggy and we would not have been able to see the fantastic views at the top of the pass.

In 2012 my dad tried to take me on the trail with his hiking club but sadly I am unable to hike at the speed of his club (composed of mostly retired people), how embarrassing! So I did not manage the hike that year either.

However, third time is the charm and in August 2013 we managed to hike Balu Pass. The weather was perfect and I was with my family that was accommodating of my slowness.

The Balu Pass trailhead is located in the parking lot at the Rogers Pass Parks Canada information centre. This is a nice stop even if you are not planning on hiking the trail as there are some lovely displays inside and the Parks Canada staff also host lectures on the wildlife of the area. I learned all about caribou and Grizzly Bears during the hours I whiled away at this visitor centre in 2012. Keep in mind though that in order to partake of the offerings at the facility you must have a Parks Canada pass.

The trail starts off with a tough (for me) slog up some switchbacks through the forest. This, to me, was honestly the hardest part of the hike. While there is still a significant amount of elevation gain later on in the trail it is a more gradual climb. So if you get past the initial switchback you should be good to go for the rest of the hike!

Once you finish with the switchbacks you soon leave the forest and enter out into the more open valley. Scattered along the trail are bushes full of berries, no wonder bears like to hang out here, hence the name of the pass. Lots of food to eat!

Bear Food!

The trails winds through the valley crossing over babbling brooks and offering up beautiful views.

Looking back down the valley from about 1/4 way up the trail.

Another view looking back down the valley, about 1/2 way up the trail

Almost to the top of the pass!

Looking back down the valley from the top of the pass.

 The scenery from the top of the pass was beautiful. In one direction was the valley down below and all around us were magnificent mountains.

 We wandered down to the end of the trail to the lunch spot where there were a few other hikers out enjoying the day and the views.

Hurray! After three years we finally made it!

 Our dad had hiked this trail several times in the past with his hiking club and he just had to show us the toilet with the "best view in the world". Don't worry, the toilet is not right on the trail, you have to wander off the path a bit to find it. Allows a little bit more "privacy".

Here are two videos of the view from the top of Balu Pass. The first is from the lunch spot which is at the end of the trail and the second is from the area near the toilet.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UUzQYDxVVGs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zCwO5aZIE8M

During our lunch break one of the other groups told us that once of the Parks Canada staffers had told them that a week previous a family with two children was separated on the trail by a bear and that another group of 6 also in the recent past had been charged by a Grizzly Bear. I was told by my Dad after we got back to the car that he had actually been warned against going on the trail that day by Parks Canada staff due to the recent bear activity. My dad decided that we should go anyways and withheld that information from me until after the hike because he knew I would have chickened out. I was a wee bit mad about that!

In regards to bears, it is called Balu Pass for a reason, and Parks Canada does state that you must hike in a tight group of 4 or more if you plan to tackle the trail. So, if you want to do this hike, which I definitely recommend, make sure that you are carrying bear spray, that you are in at least a group of 4 and that you check with the staff at the information centre before beginning your hike. The hike is well worth the effort!