The last Saturday in September was an absolutely perfect day for another hike. Our daughters had plans of their own, and so we decided to go on another hiking date! We chose to head to the mountains again, this time to visit Lower Rowe Lake in Waterton Park.
While in town, we grabbed some Subway sandwiches to take along. We stopped to enjoy our lunch at the McNeely’s picnic area beside the stream on the way up the Cameron Lake Road.
After lunch we drove up the Akamina Parkway to the parking lot of Rowe Lakes. Initially the trail takes you along the creek and through the burned area of forest. Pretty quickly you leave the burned trees behind, and end up walking through pretty meadows and eventually the lush forest that wasn’t affected by the forest fires at all.
After several kilometers of delightful hiking, you reach an intersection on the trail. Make a left here to head to Lower Rowe Lake. This incredibly clear, reflective little lake is a gorgeous place to rest for a bit and enjoy some refreshing snacks. This trail length was 8 kilometers (return) with mostly a steady incline up to the lake. From Lower Rowe Lake you can make your way up to the Upper Lake, but this was beyond what we wanted to do for this day. After sitting at the lake for awhile, we turned back and three hours later, we were back at our vehicle.
We ended the day with a delicious dinner at Zum’s in Waterton. We feel incredibly blessed to live just an hour away from one of the most special parks in Alberta, and love that we can visit at all different times of the year.
