Tag: Southern Alberta

Tag: Southern Alberta

Lower Rowe Lake, Waterton Park

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.

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Allison Creek Falls

We love exploring our own back yard and spending a warm Saturday afternoon in September discovering a new waterfall was perfect. We’d heard of the Allison Creek Falls and had seen photos of friends who had been. It sounded like a great time. After a very busy summer, we finally had the opportunity to go and had a fun afternoon checking it out for ourselves.

Allison Creek Falls are in the Crowsnest Pass, specifically the Chinook Provincial Recreation Area. There was construction at the Chinook Lake Recreation Area and the road to that part was closed. We parked at the lower parking lot and at the fork after the parking area, we turned to the right. This takes you up a gravel road. The trailhead to Allison Creek Falls starts before you get to Chinook Lake and is marked and not hard to find. The trail itself is fairly new, but well laid out. It is a delightful and pretty walk through the woods and along the creek. Beautiful, newly constructed bridges take you across the creek in four different places. The gorgeous tiered waterfall at the end was a great reward for not that much effort. The hike is fairly easy and good for all skill levels.

Prairie Rose CottageExploring Southern Alberta

Waterton Lakes National Park Canada Day 2022

We are so blessed to live close to so much natural beauty! We chose Canada Day to re-visit Waterton Lakes Park. The weather could not have been better! Although the fire that raged through the park a few years ago has definitely changed the landscape, the beauty is still always breathtaking.

We decided to take a picnic lunch, and spent some time kayaking on Cameron Lake. We also stopped for some iconic ice cream in town, and shopped the fun shops down main street. We visited Red Rock Canyon, and walked to Blakiston Falls. We then finished the day with a delicious supper at Zum’s. Driving out of the park we were incredibly fortunate to view a mama bear and her two cubs grazing beside the highway. What an end to a perfect day!

Prairie Rose CottageExploring Southern Alberta

North Drywood Falls Hike

For our anniversary this year, we decided to spend a few quiet days away and do some exploring locally. We were delighted to hear of a nice little hike not to far away. Just south of Pincher Creek is the North Drywood Falls hike.

Most of the trail is a road walk up until the falls, lightly trafficked and with a slight upward elevation gain of about 200 m, so it is good for all skill levels.. It is about 8.5 km in total length to the falls and back. The hike is scenic with gorgeous mountain views all the way and the falls at the end are stunning.

We saw several other groups of hikers on the way in and on the way out, but it was not at all busy. It was a delightful afternoon spent together with absolutely perfect weather. The entire hike took about 2.5 hours and we can totally recommended it! “To walk in nature is to witness a thousand miracles” ~ Mary Davis

Prairie Rose CottageExploring Southern Alberta

A Welcome Outdoor Adventure

Enjoying nature responsibly amid an epidemic

At the end of another week of staying home during the Covid-19 crisis, we enjoyed a beautiful day outdoors together. Some fresh air, sunshine, wind, a picnic lunch, prairies and mountains, and a nature walk all made for a perfect day. It wasn’t hard to maintain social distance as we hardly saw anyone in the areas we visited.

We started with a picnic lunch at the bottom of the Old Man Dam near Pincher Creek. The gate to Boulder Run Day Use Area was closed, but we took our cooler bag and walked in to the picnic area and chose to eat lunch in the picnic shelter. There we could eat sheltered from the wind yet warmed by the sun – amazing for the end of March! There were some fishermen near the river, but no one else around.

After lunch we paused at the dam view point. It was incredibly windy but had an awesome view of the whole dam and spillway.

We then drove by the impressively large wind turbines on the way back to Pincher Creek.

Next, we decided to check out the Miner’s Path trail at the end of Coleman for a nature walk. The path was snow and ice covered but with boots on, very doable. We crossed the creek and climbed the steep wooden stairs to the old mine site. It was a perfect day for a walk, not hot, not cold and the fresh mountain air was good for all.

Prairie Rose CottageExploring Southern Alberta

Winter Adventure in Southern Alberta – Star Creek Falls

Winter is a also special time to explore in Southern Alberta!

A few weeks ago we spent the afternoon hiking the Star Creek Falls in Coleman Alberta. Though not well marked, it is such a stunningly beautiful area. It was a pleasant drive towards the mountains (about an hour west of us) and we had a wonderful afternoon exploring the canyon and hiking right up to the frozen falls.

“Memories made in the mountains stay in our hearts forever”.

Prairie Rose CottageExploring Southern Alberta