We began by taking a school bus shuttle from the Sunshine Village Ski Area parking lot to the top of the gondola where the trails begin. Here is what followed.
The shuttle bus was almost full with the first, 9 a.m., run up the 4 mile road to the top.
Magnificent views stretch across the vast Sunshine Meadows to the distant peaks of British Columbia's Mount Assiniboine Provincial Park.
Viewpoint overlooking Rock Isle Lake with the water reflecting its rocky island and shoreline. It is one of the most photographed lakes in British Columbia.
Continuing beyond Rock Isle Lake, the trail drops into alpine larch and fir and incredibly lush wildflower meadows.
The trail loops around two more lakes, the first is Grizzly Lake.
We climbed uphill to a viewpoint of the Simpson River Valley and on to...
Larix Lake. Larix is the botanical name for larch.
As we were circling the lake we saw and hear a loon.
After the Grizzly-Larix Lakes Loop, instead of retracing our steps to the shuttle-bus, we took the lofty trail that loops through the Twin Cairns-Meadow Park area back to the bus. There is a short, steep spur that leads to a viewing platform near the top of Standish Ridge where there is an outstanding panorama of the Sunshine Meadows region. Above is Rock Isle Lake on the left and Larix Lake on the right.
It is also where we ate our lunch and then took more pictures of the surrounding peaks.
On the ridge is a marker for the Continental Divide which is also the dividing line between Alberta and British Columbia. Frederick is standing with one foot in each province.
Trail through the open meadow to the top of Wawa Ridge from where the descent to...
Sunshine Village leads through forested areas.
Here are some lovely wildflowers from today's hike. The real show in Sunshine Meadows isn't until late July and August.
Blue forget-me-nots
Indian Paintbrush
Different hues of Indian Paintbrush
These cheerful hikers are Dave and Carol from Naperville, Illinois. It was great talking with them!
3 hikes in one day - I'm tired reading about your adventure. The scenery obviously made the hikes worthwhile. Judy S.
ReplyDeleteHello Frederick & Dale,
ReplyDeleteIt was so great to meet you up and around Grizzly & Larix Lakes. Your pictures are great! I think the loon you heard may have called out because of a bald eagle. When we were walking along the eastern edge of Larix Lake, the eagle flew across the trail right in front of us and then across the lake to the top of a tree. It's then that we heard the loon too! I was able to get a so-so picture of the eagle as it crossed the lake.
Best regards and happy trails,
David Rivers
Naperville, Illinois