Mountain Footsteps: Hikes in the East Kootenay of Southwestern British Columbia

by Janice Strong

Overview

With nearly 10,000 copies of previous editions sold, Mountain Footsteps is another extremely popular Rocky Mountain Books hiking guide. As with previous editions, readers will continue to appreciate the author’s detailed descriptions and personal anecdotes, which entice hikers of all abilities to experience the beauty of Southwestern British Columbia.

The trails and routes described in this book are between the Rocky Mountains in the east and the Purcell Range in the west, including trips in Cranbrook, Kimberley, Creston, Invermere, Radium and Fernie. Also featured are the BC Provincial Parks Akamina-Kishinena, Top of the World, Height of the Rockies, Elk Lakes, St. Mary’s Alpine and Bugaboo Glacier.

New to this edition is the inclusion of basic information on established bike trails for those users interested in recreational cycling. As well, there is an entirely new selection of day hikes in the northern Purcells and a number of short hikes and walks in the lower elevations of the East Kootenay.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781771602464
Publisher:	Heritage Group Distribution
Publication date:	06/13/2018
Edition description:	Fourth Edition
Pages:	392
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x (d)

About the Author

Janice Strong is an avid hiker, snowshoer and skier and also an established outdoor photographer whose images appear in numerous publications and collections all over the world. For a decade she led hikes for the City of Cranbrook’s Parks & Recreation department. She and her husband, Jamie Levine, enjoy their garden and their rural property near Cranbrook, BC.

Table of Contents

Preface 13

Hiking Region Map 15

Acknowledgements 16

Introduction 18

Map Legend 19

How to use this guidebook 20

1 Northern Purcells 31

Northern Purcell Mountains Road Map 31

Spillimacheen 32

#1 Silent Past ***** 33

#2 McMurdo Cabin 36

Bugaboos 39

Bugaboo Provincial Park 45

#3 Cobalt Lake in Bugaboo Provincial Park **** 47

Bugaboo Hikes Map 48

#4 Conrad Kain Hut ***** 50

#5 Silver Basin **** 53

#6 Bugaboo Pass 57

#7 Chalice Creek ***** 60

Chalice Creek Map 61

#8 Lower Bugaboo Fails 64

Lead Queen FSR and Frances Creek 66

Azure-Buster and McLean Lakes Map 68

#9 Azure Lake and Buster Lake ***** 68

#9A Frances Creek Falls 72

#10 Tiger Pass to view of Shangri-la 73

Tiger Pass Map 75

Forster, Horsethief, Jumbo and Brewer creeks 76

Welsh Lakes Map 78

#11 Welsh Lakes 79

Thunderwater Map 81

#12 Thunderwater Lake-Whirlpool Lake 82

#13 Lake of the Hanging Glacier 86

Lake of the Hanging Glacier Map 87

#14 Jumbo Pass ***** 90

Jumbo Pass Map 92

#15 Brewer Creek Tarns and Pass ***** 93

Brewer Tarns Map 96

2 Southern Purcells 98

Southern Purcell Mountains Road Map 98

Meachen Creek, Perry Creek and Moyie River Map 99

St. Mary River 101

Aiki and Pyramid Creek Trails Map 102

#16 Alki Creek to Murphy Pass Loop 104

#17 Pyramid Creek Loop 108

Purcell Wilderness Conservancy 111

#18 Dewar Creek Hot Springs 113

St. Mary's Alpine Provincial Park 116

St. Mary's Alpine Park Map 117

#19 Hikes in St. Mary's Alpine Provincial Park 118

Meachen Creek FS Road 121

#20 Meachen Creek Falls 123

#21 Evans Basin and Mount Evans Summit 125

Mount Evans Map 125

#22 White Boar Lake 130

#23 Hourglass Lake **** 131

Haystack Hourglass Map 132

Perry Creek FS Road 135

#24 Perry Creek Falls 137

#25 Richmond Lake 139

Richmond-Gold Run Map 140

#26 Gold Run Lake 141

#27 Richmond Lake to Gold Run Traverse 142

Moyie River and Creston 144

#28 Cooper Lake - Moyie River 145

#29 Mount Thompson Rim Trail 148

Mount Thompson Map 149

Creston Valley Wildlife Management Area 150

Creston Valley Map 150

#30A Duck Lake Wetland - Creston Valley Wildlife Management Area (CVWMA) 153

#30B Balancing Rock - Creston Valley Wildlife Management Area (CVWMA) 154

3 Kootenay Valley 156

Cranbrook and Kimberley 157

Cranbrook Community Forest 160

#31A Windy Bluff and Kettle Lake in Cranbrook Community Forest: Northern hiking and biking access 161

#31B Sylvan Lake, grassland and biking trails in Cranbrook Community Forest: Southern hiking and biking access 163

#31C Eager Hills in Cranbrook Community Forest: Across Highway 3/95 hiking/biking access 164

#32 South Star Recreation Trails (also hiking, biking trails in other seasons) 165

South Star Recreation Trails and Cranbrook Mountain Map 166

#33 Mother's Day Hill 169

Mother's Day Hill Map 170

#34 Wycliffe Buttes **** 172

#35 Wycliffe Walk, near Airport 174

#36 North Star Rails to Trails 175

North Star Rails to Trails Road Map 176

#37 Chief Isadore Trail (Cranbrook to Wardner) 180

Chief Isadore Trail (Cranbrook to Wardner) Map 181

#38 Moe's Canyon in Kimberley Cross-Country Ski Trails 186

Kimberley Nature Park 188

#39A Sunflower Hill 189

#39B Horse Barn Valley 191

#39C "Round the Mountain" around North Star Mountain 193

#40 Lois Creek Trails 195

#41 Marysville Falls 196

#42 Mark Creek Fitness Trail (Lions Trail) 197

Wasa Lake Provincial Park and Pickering Hills 198

#43A Wasa Lake Provincial Park - Wasa Lions Way 199

#43B Wasa Lake Provincial Park - Forest of the Rain Shadow 200

#44 Pickering Hills 201

#45 Premier Ridge from Wasa Lake 204

Premier Lake Provincial Park 207

Premier Lake Area Map 207

#46 Yankee, Canuck and Turtle Lakes Loop 209

#47 Saddleback Ridge 212

4 Columbia Valley 213

Invermere, Radium, Fairmont and Canal Flats 214

#48 Columbia Lake east side, by Canal Flats 215

Columbia Lake East Side Map 215

Columbia Valley Wetlands 218

North Purcells Columbia Wetlands Area Map 219

#49A Wilmer Marsh National Wildlife Reserve 220

#49B Columbia Wetlands Viewpoint Trail 221

#49C Spirit Trail 224

#50 Old Coach Trail: Dry Gulch to Radium Hot Springs 226

#51 Hoodoos (Fairmont - Dutch Creek) 228

#52 Along the Johnson - Bike Trails at Lillian Lake 230

5 Southern Rockies 232

Southern Rockies Road Map 233

Wardner - Fort Steele Road Map 234

Mause and Sunken creeks, Tanglefoot Lake 235

#53 Mount Fisher (a.k.a. Fisher Peak) 240

Mount Fisher Map 242

#54 Mause Creek Tarns 244

Mause Creek Map 247

#55 Tanglefoot Lake via Mause Creek Tarns ***** 248

#56 Sunken Creek 251

#57 Five Passes Trail 254

Wild Horse River 257

#58 Lakit Lookout 259

Lakit Mountain Map 259

#59 Bear Lake **** 262

Bear Lake Map 264

#60 Fay's Lake 265

Wild Horse River Headwaters Map 268

#61 Nine Basins - Wild Horse River Headwaters 269

Teepee, Top of the World Provincial Park and Summer Lake 271

#62 Teepee Mountain and Mount Stevens Pass 272

Top of the World Provincial Park 275

Top of the World Area Map 276

#63A Fish Lake 278

#63B Coyote Creek Campsite from Fish Lake 279

#63C Crazy Creek and Crazy River 280

#63D Karst limestone high plateau 282

#63E Sugarloaf Mountain 283

#63F Sparkle Lake 283

#63G Alpine Viewpoint - Top or the World Provincial Park 283

#63H Wild Horse Ridge 284

#64 Summer Lake Trails 285

Elko 287

Elko Trails Map 288

#65 Sliver Spring Lakes **** 289

#66 Silver Spring Rim Overlook on the cliff rim above Silver Spring Lakes 292

#67 Wigwam Flats-Mount Broadwood Heritage Conservation Area 294

#68 Sheep Mountain - Elko 297

#69 Baldy Lake 299

Baldy Lake Map 302

Fernie 303

Fernie and Island Lake Lodge Road Map 304

#70 Fernie Bike and Hike Trails 305

#71 Elk River walk or bike ride 307

Fernie Area Trail Map 308

#72 Ancient Cottonwood Interpretive Trail 310

#73 Fernie Alpine Resort - Polar Peak 311

#74 Mount Fernie Ridge 315

#75 Fairy Creek Fails 318

Hartley Lake and Dicken Road 320

#76 Ghost Rider on Mount Hosmer 322

#77 Three Sisters Mountain ***** 325

Island Lake Lodge Trails Map 328

#78 Heiko's Trail, a.k.a. Mountain Lakes Trail - Traverse from Three Sisters Pass to Island Lake Lodge 330

#79A Tamarack Trail - Island Lake Lodge 332

#79B Spineback Trail - Island Lake Lodge 334

79C Baldy Loop - Island Lake Lodge 337

#79D Old Growth Trail - Island Lake Lodge 339

Akamina-Kishinena Provincial Park 341

Akamina Map 342

#80A Wall and Forum Lakes 343

#80B Akamina Ridge via Wall Lake 345

6 Northern Rockies 347

Northern Rockies Road Map 348

Northern Rockies - West Side 349

#81 Bumpy Meadows (a.k.a. Pedley Pass) **** 350

Bumpy Meadows-Pedley Pass Map 352

#82 Swansea Lookout Trail 353

Swansea Mountain Map 355

#83 Diana Lake 356

Diana Lake Trail Map 357

Diana Lake Road Map 358

#84 Nipika Mountain Resort - Natural Bridge Trails 359

#85 Josephine Falls forest, falls and lakes loop 361

Height of the Rockies Provincial Park 363

Height of the Rockies and Elk Lakes Provincial Parks Map 369

#86A Ralph Lake - Height of the Rockies Provincial Park 370

Ralph Lake Map 372

#86B Sylvan Pass to Limestone Lakes 373

Elk Lakes Provincial Park 377

Elk Lakes Map 378

#87A Lower Elk Lake 381

#87B Upper Elk Lake and Pétain Falls 383

#87C Upper Pétain Basin 384

#87D Fox Lake (via Lower Elk Lake) to Frozen Lake Loop 386

Contact information 387

References 392

Index 393

About the author 400