Jord's Hiking Blog: Panorama Ridge

Dist: 12.4km Elev: 1070m Summit: 9265' Time: 5h Difficulty: 4/5

I was shocked to see Moraine Lake Road wide open and unguarded by the usual neon-vested Parks Canada goons when Byron and I arrived after 8am on a beautiful Saturday morning. This was our "Plan A" destination but I was fully expecting to turn around here and continue down the highway to our fallback. We soon learned just how perfect our timing was as we narrowly secured one of only two remaining parking stalls in the lakeside lot and they closed the road just behind us.

The Moraine shoreline was brimming with the usual Instragrammers and casual hikers and we decided to forego the experience altogether. While I am not one for crowds on the best of days, I have also come to appreciate the way these natural tourist attractions tend to siphon off the majority of visitors and leave the slightly less accessible surrounding areas relatively untouched. In today's case, we saw only a few dozen on the trail to and from Consolation Lakes and not another soul once we deviated from the maintained trail.

The unofficial Panorama Ridge route is probably one of the least popular in the region, likely due to a number of natural inconveniences. First, a knee-deep crossing of glacier-fed Babel Creek. Byron and I both brought sandals for this but ended up just going barefoot as the rocks were pleasantly smooth (at least to our naturally anesthetized feet). Second, some moderately dense bushwhacking was required between the creek and base of the ridge. Again, we did not find this overly problematic but had either of us been wearing shorts we may have been singing a different tune. Third, the route to reach the ridge is directly up an avalanche chute which means can't-miss-it obvious (uncommon for unofficial trails) but also inevitably rough and unstable terrain. The climb was consistently steep and unstable, starting on loose scree and concluding on large boulders requiring Byron and I to take staggered routes to avoid potential rockfall issues. In hindsight, the lack of popularity is understandable.

Achieving the ridge, we were generously rewarded for our efforts with sweeping views in every direction and the "Panorama Ridge" moniker began to make sense. The highlight for me was looking west at Babel, Fay, and Quadra mountains towering above the deep blue Consolation Lakes. Byron appreciated the unique perspective of the colossal Mt. Temple to the north. We followed the ridge south for a while and eventually decided to descend a different gully paralleling the one we came up in, this one still harboring a couple feet of snow which made for an expedient (and very fun) descent. For perspective, it took us about 3 hours to reach the ridge summit and 40 minutes to return to the valley floor. We were a little wet, but both smiling ear to ear. The final leg of our journey was a leisurely jaunt beside the two Consolation Lakes (stunning and definitely destination-worthy on their own) before rejoining the official trail and making the short forested push to the parking lot.

It is difficult to put a finger on exactly why some trips stand out as personal favorites, but today's trek up Panorama Ridge has definitely been added to the list. Excellent and uncommon views, sense of wild and exploration, and great company and stimulating conversation are all contributing factors. Getting out a little less since adding a new member to our family may also help make these childless outings feel extra special. Summer has finally arrived and I am eagerly anticipating this year's adventures!