In the year of the pandemic, there was a window of time where the infection rate was low, and the second wave had not yet started. With US and international travel off the table, we thought we would travel across B.C. to Alberta and Saskatchewan, just to see what we could see.
We travelled with our rooftop tent and small motorbikes on a utility trailer. We would camp when it was possible, but stay in accommodations otherwise. We headed out in early September, and stayed in Calgary with a good friend in central Calgary. We were curious about the Trans Canada Adventure Trail, (TCAT) and we did some exploring, on a few rides, including the Foothills, Canmore, Wildcat Hills, Water Valley, Bragg Creek and the Powderface Trail.
From Calgary we headed on the Trans Canada, next stop was Maple Creek Saskatchewan. We wanted to check out Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park; and the TCAT trails in this area. The riding here was great also. There’s so much farmland there, and it’s all connected with dirt roads, so while it might not sound so great to many, it’s what we really enjoy. Open prairie lands, dirt road and very little traffic. We visited the Cypress Hills area a few times, the Gap road that joins the two parks was awesome. More rolling landscape, open skies, with warm weather. We really loved the one ride we did from Maple Creek to Cypress Hills, Fort Walsh and Conglomerate Hills, and back.
We stayed at an air bnb that was in town, not perfect, situated on a back alley, just off the main road of Maple Creek. No mention of the very frequent trains that rumble, so much so that we could feel the vibrations beneath us. After a few days, we hardly noticed them. Funny how that works.
There were some pretty rainy days while we were there, so we did a bit of exploring on foot; there’s an old school house/museum which is well worth the time. A new brewery on the main street had beer and wine flights for tasting, and that was a nice way to spend an afternoon too.
Next stop, we headed to Grasslands National Park. It’s a huge park covering a lot of geography. The nearest accommodations to the West block is Val Marie; and the East Block has next to nothing nearby so we stayed 100kms away at Lafleche. There is camping in both blocks, but by late September, the water was turned off, so the camping wasn’t really an option. (Whew, is all I can say). It’s the prairies too, and the winds are a constant companion and a little crazy making. Staying in our rooftop tent in high winds is a nightmare reminder of our experience in Carrizozo New Mexico. No thank you!
We really wanted to spend some time at the Grasslands while the weather was favourable. Accommodations are not abundant, so it was a matter of filling in gaps, awaiting our reservations at The Crossings at Grasslands. A snapped clutch cable precipitated a road trip to Saskatoon for replacement, and we used that time to try camping, and see the city.
Grasslands National Park is stunning, truly, breathtaking. We visited the West Block first, they have reintroduced bison to the park, so they roam freely. It was a real treat to see them, blocking the road, on the hikes – from a distance, thankfully! So many prairie dogs, a few coyote. With our dirt bikes, we rode through the park, and also the back country loop. It was bliss, wonderfully diverse dirt roads, with ups and down, curves and turns, which were so much fun to ride. The Parks Canada Red Chairs are aptly placed, and there is one on the backcountry loop. So remote, quiet, contemplative.
We did some hiking too, the Broken Hills hike in the middle of the park. It was so windy! Probably up to 50km gusts… Along we went, Lars had the map and was able to track our progress. At some point in the hike, we rounded a bend, and finally got out of the wind. We hiked up a little hill to get a vantage point and voila, three bison, not 100 metres from us! WoW! So, we walked off the path, kind of away from them, and they wandered away from us too. Whew, a very interesting wildlife encounter!
We continued, on our trek, through the grasslands, rolling up, over and down the hills. We came to what I thought was the top of the hike, and took a video. After that, we took a break on the hillside, for coffee and snacks for short time. Then continued into the winds! Bonus, up the hill, to see 360 degrees, and a red chair! But the winds were wicked, and we beat a path down. We saw a larger herd of bison, but the path skirted them by a fair distance and we passed by unnoticed. It was a lovely walk, a lot of extra work with the wind. Back to the truck at 3:45, finishing a 12km hike.
The height of the Broken Hills Hike, Grasslands West block:
We spent two days on the East Block too, and that was equally amazing. We did the 1000 Devils Hike, it was pinch-worthy. It was a fairly easy hike, minimal elevation gain, and a path you can’t really get lost on. The turning point is a “pride rock” akin to the Lion King movie.
Here’s Lars out on the point:
It was early October, and the weather in Saskatchewan had been stunning up until this point. I was sitting out on the deck of our place in The Crossings, and it was 27 degrees. So awesome. All good things come to an end, and the weather was set to turn in the next few days. It was time to head west, and the planning for the next and last leg, was on.
As things worked out, we headed to Cochrane for one night, and then to Lake Louise for a few. It was a longer travel day, but uneventful. A stop at Timmies for lunch; and also at the Costco Liquor store in Medicine Hat for an obscene stock up of beverages for future consumption.
We stayed in Lake Louise for three nights, and were able to travel the beautiful Columbia Icefields parkway. There was very little traffic, and the skies were favourable and we could see the mountains, covered in snow, poking through the clouds. While there, we did a couple of hikes, in that thinner than sea level air. gasp. The Parks Canada warden probably tells people to do the same thing, so the first day was a short hike to a waterfall in Yoho which was very dramatic, if not a little bit busy. The second was a really lovely hike to Parker Ridge and a view of the Saskatchewan Glacier. While we were up there, we met other Parks Canada workers, who suggested Wilcox Pass hike. We took their advice, and it was so worth the effort.
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