Western Canada - Part 6 - Peyto Lake
So after visiting the Athabasca Glacier, we got back on the Icefields Parkway and headed south for the hotel. I told Jessica that it was only 10:30am and I had another adventure on my mind. I told her the place we were going to was a very short hike and from the pictures on the interwebs, it would be definitely worth it. She agreed, so we were on our way to Peyto Lake!!
Not only does the parkway offer you amazing views of mountains, rivers and glaciers but it also gives you many opportunities for catching glimpses at wildlife!!
This massive grizzly bear was just chilling in the field minding its own business. There were several cars pulled over along side of the road taking pictures of it. We simply drove by and I snapped some pictures with my good camera. We didn't have to pull over and make the bear feel uncomfortable in its own backyard like everyone else did.
When we arrived at the parking lot, it was jam packed. It was in the middle of the day and it was beautiful outside, so I wasn't surprised. If we had gotten here earlier, it probably would of been fine. Oh well, at least we were here! The hike to the viewpoint was a simple walk of maybe a quarter of a mile. That's why it was so popular. I decided to take the less popular way and hike up the steep road to the viewpoint. We carried our packs with us just in case we decided to go off trail and explore more. Along the way, you get peaks at the mountains that surround you!
And once again, the wildlife was everywhere, especially chipmunks!!
After the road walk, we started descending and saw this amazing blue color through the trees. It was truly unreal of how stunning the color was. All I kept saying was "Wow" and "Oh my god." This wasn't even the viewpoint yet. It was simply just a peak through the trees.
When we reached the viewpoint, we were simply blown away by everything...in every direction. The amazing beauty of this little area was mind blowing. There's a simple term that I can use to describe this view: speechless. Never before had I seen this much beauty.
We stood there in awe. Taking everything in. This landscape was the most perfect I had ever seen. A beautiful turquoise lake, tall pines, blue skies with puffy clouds flowing and to top it all off, massive mountains on the sides of the valley. The weather was perfect. Almost 60 degrees with the sun showing itself quite often. No breeze. Even though there was a good amount of tourists enjoying the view, the view was that good that they didn't bother us. Some people think that it's fake. But nothing about the photo above is fake. It is 100% real and straight out of the camera. No enhancements.
Selfie time!
Some people are probably wondering, what makes the lake that color? I'll tell you! There is a certain material called rock flour. When the glacier is moving, it's rubbing against the rock and dirt below it. The glacier, as it moves, crushes the rock and makes it into this fine powder. After the power is made, is is carried by the clear, melting glacier water and flows into creeks and riverbeds. With all of this mixing together, it finally comes to rest in these lakes and creates this beautiful turquoise color.
Some good drifts of snow were still lingering in between the trees in the shade.
After checking out the busy viewpoint, we ventured around to find another spot to get away from the crowd and enjoy the beauty. I knew of an unmarked trail that leads us away from the viewpoint and we decided to check it out. We ran into this small family, a husband, wife and there infant child and they asked if they could go with us. I said sure! On our way down, we asked where they were from. They said they were from western New York!! What a small world!! They looked very equipped, with backpacks and hiking poles, so I had no doubt that they knew what they were doing. I told them I didn't know exactly where this trail goes, but the way it was going, it looked like it lead all the way down to the base of the lake.
As we kept descending down the mountain, we came to this opening in the forest. This looked like an avalanche area. And it was. I told the group to stop so I could check up the mountain and see if there was any snow above and a possible risk of an avalanche occurring. There was no snow above us, so there was no threat. This opening did give us fantastic views of the lake, valley and mountains. We could also see the base of the lake, which is where we could be going to next.
The view looking down to the lake was amazing. You could also see the switchbacks on the picture above that was leading down this steep area.
The view looking up the avalanche area.
The color of the lake was just phenomenal. To this day, it still stuns me of how beautiful this was.
The family and us hiking down the mountain. I'm sorry, but we don't remember any of the names of the family members! The glacier that is feeding the water into this lake is called the Peyto Glacier. It's a good distance away from the base of the lake. Also remember, that around 100 years ago, this is where you could see the glacier meeting with the lake. The Peyto Glacier has receded over 2.5 miles since then and you can't see it till you hike a good distance up the mountain. The Peyto Glacier is one of the fastest melting glaciers in the Canadian Rockies.
So when we got to the end of the switchbacks, the trail turned left and into the forest. But there was a problem. There was this huge wall of snow and ice that sort of blocked the way. It didn't totally block the trail, but it was very icy, and traveling over it was a big risk. I'm guessing that this snow and ice was from a previous avalanche and since it was buried in the trees, it has been melting very slowly. So we decided it was good to stop here and start going back up the trail. I was very disappointed that we didn't get to the base of the lake. It would of been an incredible perspective of the mountains and the lake from that area. Oh well, maybe be next time!!
This is the group heading back up the trail. As you can see, some snow lingered in spots. If you look to the right of the picture, you can see how steep it was. Even if the mountain has trees, avalanches can still occur at the right times when the snow is unstable.
A peak through the tall pines. Every view that we got was amazing. I was so far behind the group because at every opportunity, I would stand and stare at the beauty mother nature had before me.
The blue skies were a treat as well!
Climbing the less steeper part of the mountain and getting close to the viewing platform. It was a good gain from where we were at from the bottom of the mountain to the viewing platform. Around 800 feet in a little over a mile.
This is one of the views that is located below the viewing platform. This is almost the same exact view, just with no other humans around!!
The color of the lake was memorizing. It still blows me away of how perfect everything was. I'd have to say that the little bit of snow hanging onto the mountains added some extra beauty to everything. Once again, none of these photos have been enhanced. This is all straight out of the camera.
This photo is one from the viewing platform. You can see the wood of the platform to the lower right. This place was jam packed full of people. I'm glad we explored somewhere else and got to have the view all to ourselves. After that, we said goodbye to the family and both went on our ways back to the parking lot.
How about one last picture? This is a photo that Jessica took when they were heading back up the mountain. Take a look to the lower left of the photo. That's me!!
Well, that's all for this blog. Next on the list, from this adventure? The drive back to the hotel on the stunning Icefields Parkway!!