Bourgeau Lake

-




Bourgeau Lake/ Harvey Pass is one of my favourite hikes from my Banff days. I did it once in 2016 to the lake only, and once in 2017, to the pass, and with a partial attempt to the summit of Mt. Bourgeau, aborted due to very windy conditions. Also, for someone who loves hiking as much as I do, summits aren't really my thing. I love mountain passes, glacial lakes, forests of all kinds, shorelines, waterfalls, and all sorts of ecosystems, but summit pushes haven't always worked the best for me, so it depends on the hike for how much I push for that. Instead of trying to change the type of hiker I seem to be, I am trying to embrace it.



Anyway, about this hike.
        Length: 7.5 km one way from trailhead to Bourgeau Lake
        Elevation gain: 725 m
        Hiking time: 6 hour round trip

        Length: 9.7 km one way from trailhead to Harvey Pass
        Elevation gain: 1020 m
        Hiking time: 6 to 7 hour round trip



The parking lot is off the Trans Canada, between Banff and Lake Louise. It's a pretty small parking area, which gave me no issues starting reasonably early back in 2016/2017, but is apparently filling up early this year. Either way, I always recommend starting early for best conditions. 

The trail starts out pretty straightforward, relatively gentle elevation gain through forest terrain. There are a couple of stream crossings, and a waterfall.




After the waterfall, the trail starts gaining elevation more quickly. This is one of those steep, more challenging sections of a hike that I immediately forgot about afterwards when telling people how great the trail is. I made sure to commit it to memory. I would honestly struggle with this section a little more currently than I did at my fittest, but the memories provide motivation to get myself back in better shape.





The steepest part doesn't last too long, and eventually you get to a more meadow-y area (one of my favourite type of places to hike). Beautiful scenery, great photo spot. 



After this, you reach Bourgeau Lake itself. It is beautiful, yet one of those elusive scenes that I don't feel I properly captured in my pictures. More incentive to do the hike again with a tripod in tow to see if I can do it justice.





If you are pushing on past the lake, the trail is pretty clear to follow. This is where things get really interesting and the struggle between pushing forward and stopping to take hundreds of pictures really comes into play.




It also gets much steeper. Harvey Pass itself is about 2.2km past the lake, but on my big adventure, we pushed up to the ridge of Mt Bourgeau itself, so I remember the hike as longer and steeper than it actually is. 






Definitely make sure you are feeling fit before tackling this one, and bring plenty of water. Also, sturdy and comfortable footwear is key. It is quite rocky the higher up you get. The views are unbelievably gorgeous. I hiked this when I was nearing the end of my time in Banff, and was still blown away by the scenery. I did my best to capture the feeling (which meant lots of panoramic shots) but it still doesn't quite do it justice. 





Bring lots of snacks. If you go to this pass or beyond, snacks are key. Although to be honest, I always think snacks are key. Also, layers are always critical. It was super windy above the treeline, but quite hot below it on the day I was there. 

I definitely remember sporting some jelly legs on the way down, so as usual, I highly recommend trekking poles, even if you are younger and fitter than me. Save your knees, help your balance, and set yourself up for a lifetime of incredible hiking experiences.




Today marks 3 years since this amazing hiking experience. While I doubt my physical ability to repeat it at this time, reliving these memories is great motivation to work on cardio and strength, and get myself back out into these kinds of experiences again someday relatively soon. 






Comments

  1. Annie BAugust 18, 2020 at 9:02 AM

    I definitely agree on the snacks!The scenery is breathtaking!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Muskeg Falls

-
Image
Late making plans for the August long weekend meant that my usual go-to spots were off the table. I don't usually go away for holiday weekends since my comfort zones in the National Parks are usually too busy. But this time, a couple of friends and I headed to Grande Cache (about an hour's drive north of Hinton) for a wonderful weekend of camping and a bit of hiking. When we got to town, it was extremely hot. So we started with a short hike to a waterfall. Muskeg Falls is 16km south of town, on the east side of the highway. The trailhead is in a small rest stop parking area, easy to miss. The hike itself is short, starting in the trees. If you are a forest lover like me, it is a perfect start to the weekend. Beautiful, but don't forget your fly dope. The mosquitoes here are vicious. I got devoured over the weekend. All worth it.  The trail starts pretty easy, although lots of roots to provide tripping hazards. Lots of green, lots of mossy trees, wild berries. Pretty much a ...
Read more

Mt. Louie - Grande Cache, AB

-
Image
Mt. Louie is an 11km round trip with 714m of elevation gain. The trailhead is 4km south of town, parking in the Cowlick Creek staging area. The trail is estimated to take 4-6 hours. As someone who prefers starting hikes early, a 7am start time to beat the heat was great. As a bonus, even on a long weekend, there were very few other cars in the parking area, and we didn't see anyone else on the trail on our way up, only on the descent. The trail is quite steep, with much of it travelling up a northwest facing ridge with exposed, erosion-resistant conglomerate rock (no switchbacks). There are also less steep sections through forests that give a change of scenery and take you through some diverse ecosystems.  The trail starts on what appears to be an old access road (which can be pretty muddy), which  quickly brings you to a manmade canal linking  Grande Cache and Victor Lakes. This was extremely beautiful in the early morning. It was also pretty wet from the dew. There is a...
Read more

Johnston Canyon/ Ink Pots

-
Image
I can't possibly talk about hiking without talking about Banff. I spent a year and a half there, and hiked almost every week in the summer/ fall (and some during winter and spring.) I gained the best hiking fitness, experiences, and skills of my life there. I learned how altitude gain impacts me, how to get a sense of which clouds mean trouble, and what type of hiking makes me happiest. I learned the balance between solo and shared hiking experience that works for me. I tried new things, I struggled to keep up, I uncovered an underlying dream of being a nature photographer, and wrestled with the question of how to balance tourism and conservation. I also can't talk about hiking in Banff without talking about one of its most iconic (and popular) hikes: Johnston Canyon. I first went there in March of 2016, and returned 3 more times. On two of these occasions, I hiked to the Inkpots.  So a few quick trail stats: Lower Falls Length:  1.2 km one way to the Lower Falls from trailhea...
Read more