Dist: 7.8km Elev: 320m Time: 2.5h Difficulty: 2/5
With the arrival of spring weather in the Rockies, Melinda agreed to join me for our first excursion of 2019. We wanted a relatively easy half-day trip, but also something with a decent visual payoff. Neither of us had been to Rawson Lake despite its popularity and positive reviews, and the stats seemed to match our needs for the day, so we decided to check it out.
After an early bedtime the night prior we were able to get an early start, arriving at the Upper Kananaskis Lake parking lot around 9:30. We donned our microspikes and began clockwise on the lakeshore trail, enjoying views of the frozen lake and surrounding snow-capped peaks. After 1.2km, the trail forked south and we started the gradual forested ascent towards our final objective. Views were entirely absent from this fork to Rawson, making the modest climb feel a bit more physically challenging than expected.
Just over an hour from the parking lot we emerged from the trees, greeted by massive Mt. Sarrail bathed in sunshine and towering above the snow-covered Rawson Lake. This view was beautiful, and the tedious forest climb became instantly worth it. Also, due to our early start, we were able to enjoy the lake all to ourselves for a few minutes before the next group of hikers arrived. After a few photos and some time to soak up the scenery, we returned the way we came with refreshed morale and anticipation of an afternoon in Canmore. Another great trip with my favorite co-adventurer!
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| Views of frozen Upper Kananaskis Lake from the lakeshore trail. Mt. Indefatigable in the distance. |
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| Arriving at Rawson Lake! Mt Sarrail towers above. |
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| Enjoying the sunshine and solitude in this beautiful place. |
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| Back at the Upper Kananaskis Lake parking lot. Rawson Lake sits in the bowl below Mt. Sarrail (far left). |
Nice!
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