(pictures below)
Spring seemed to arrive early in Alberta this year after a relatively mild winter and we were already enjoying clear blue skies and hot sunny days in early April. So it wasn't surprising to hear that our keen-outdoor loving friends wanted to go back to the mountains to hike immediately after putting away their skis for the season and they invited us to go along with them.
We're much less of an outdoor family (but trying to get out more often) and normally the prospect of going on a hike with much younger, fitter and more experienced hikers would be a little intimidating. We would just be slowing them down, right? Normally, yes ... but factoring in that they now had a 6 month old addition to their family to go with their 2.5 year old toddler and maybe, just maybe, they would be slowed down close to our level. And they promised that the hike would only be short, less than 2km, so we agreed.
It turned out that the day use area for the hike they were originally planning to go on wasn't open yet so they ended up picking Grassi Lakes, just to the south of Canmore town and we agreed to meetup at 11:00 on Saturday morning. With the skiing season mostly finished and the summer tourist season still yet to begin the drive to Canmore was quiet and we got there early despite stopping in Bragg Creek to buy breakfast and a Subway sandwich for lunch later. Yes, we're not outdoor people - that's how we prepare a picnic.
The car park was already quite full but we got one of the last couple of spots. There were people already leaving though - some must have got there for early-morning hikes and there was also overflow parking back at the top of the hill. With perfect timing our friends arrived just as the car group next to us were leaving so we ended up parked together which made things easier. We had brought our little dog with us and they have a much bigger dog who goes crazy squealing when we meet him - definitely attracting some puzzled looks from onlookers. But he calmed down and we looked after them while they got their kids ready.
I'm sure every parent imagines they are not as organized as others seem to be. Seeing them juggling kids and backpacks and sudden potty-time and hats and everything else brought back memories of when ours were little and how much you have to get sorted out before you even set off. It wasn't long before everyone was ready though and we headed to the map display to pick which trail we were going to follow.
The Grassi Lakes Trail has two paths that you can follow. An easy route which is a gentle ascent on a wide path and a hard route which is a narrow path through the forest and then a steep climb next to a waterfall. Of course with a baby and a toddler it was a no-brainer to me that we would be going on the easy path ...
... of course not.
So off we started, baby looking very happy and content in his backpack-harness on dad's back and toddler determined to follow in her dad's footsteps exactly in between stopping to check every branch, pine-cone or interesting piece of dirt along the way. The rest of us had dogs (both determined to be at the front), backpacks or worked on encouraging forward progress. Although some swings helped boost progress and get her moving, they wanted to have her walk herself as much of the way as possible and she soon got the idea, only wanting help when there were some rocks to walk along on the way.
We were quite possibly the slowest people on the trail, overtaking no-one and stepping aside to let people past (everyone is friendly and the mood relaxed) but before long the forrest was thinning out and we got more of a view of the valley below and surrounding mountains. The trail became more rocky and less dirt and tree-roots (which hadn't been the toddler-tripping hazzard I'd imagined they would be). More rocks to climb on but some steeper parts as well so definitely not a place to let a toddler walk unattended.
You start to hear the water before you see it. There are a few small streams that flow across the trail (which explained some of the warnings along the way - if it was colder and the water was ice instead I could see it being quite treacherous). As it happened it was great for the dogs to get a quick drink and some muddy feet. Finally we came to the actual waterfall and the path then because much steeper, zig-zagging up the mountain with rough steps and some wooden guard rails to assist.
I was quite nervous both for myself (because I don't like heights and right next to me there was a steep, steep drop) but especially because we had small children and a small dog with us. The toddler was a little trooper though climbing every bit herself and her parents (who are also keen climbers) were much more comfortable with the climb. Our older small dog also did great getting up the steps. I felt pretty good that I made it to the top but along the way I'd been overtaken by someone else with a baby, more toddlers and small children and a grandmother. I guess it wasn't such a steep and dangerous climb but it's definitely the part on the trail where you need to take some special care and keep an eye on smaller kids. I'm glad that we went up the hard trail and down the easy trail - it is much easier going up a climb (facing the mountain) than it would have been going down as some people were doing (with your heels to the hill).
Past the steep part of the climb you get a better view of the waterfall and a glorious view of the valley before you start to cross the small river / stream feeding it over some narrow wooden bridges. Before we knew it, we were at the top and the lakes.
It was fairly busy at the top but there was still plenty of space to sit next to the water to have lunch. Their dog made a splash straight away enjoying a nice cool-down in the water, our dog is a bit more timid and limited herself to paddling her paws to get a drink. We unpacked and enjoyed our lunch and the sit down. I forgot how much energy toddlers have because even after the climb, she still wanted to play and explore and be helped up onto rocks to climb.
The lake itself is typical of many bodies of water in the Rockies with rich turquoise blues that are great to photograph. It's well worth walking round and seeing the different colors produced with the sun at different angles and I can imagine very-early-morning pictures with tranquil water and mist would be very picturesque (but need a much earlier start than we could manage). At the far end the valley is framed by steep cliffs with more than one climber perched on them. Again, I don't like heights and just seeing other people doing it made me nervous, our friends were talking about climbing harness options for children ... yikes!
So everyone rested and fed and sights all seen, it was time then to head back. We went down the easy path and definitely felt the different muscles being worked from walking downhill. By now the kids were getting tired, baby had a snooze for a bit on the way down and toddler needed carrying for some of the way. The easy trail is a nice walk but you definitely miss out on some of the views plus I think it would be harder seeing the path stretching out upwards for so long - the more winding path through the forest and past the waterfall never gave you a long view ahead to sap your will-power.
I can't remember what time we got back to the car-park - one of the nice things about going for a hike is you can forget about work, schedules and checking your phone and instead disconnect for a while which is very underrated. Both children were super-happy and smiling and had enjoyed their day out hiking and we'd loved every minute of their company. We were already talking about other hikes we could do next as we were getting packed up as well as maybe some camping trips.
Overall it was a good first hike for beginners like us or people with kids or small dogs - not too challenging or strenuous at just under 4Km and you can of course take things at your own pace. The scenery was beautiful and it's conveniently located close to Canmore so very easy to get to. It was really getting busy when we left with people walking down from a pretty full overflow parking as we drove past so planning a morning departure will definitely make your life a little easier.
For opening times and directions, see:
http://www.tourismcanmore.com/profiles/things-to-do/grassi-lakes-trail
