Buller Pass / Ribbon Lake

Dist: 26km   Elev: 1110m   Time: 9h   Difficulty: 3/5

Day 1: 13km, 680m, 5h       Day 2: 13km, 430m, 4h

For the second annual "Bair Bait" men's camping trip, I found myself searching for a location that would suit our fitness levels while also providing enough challenge to install a sense of accomplishment. Buller Pass was high on visual rewards, and Ribbon Lake campground proved to be an ideal destination for a night in the wilderness. Thankfully, we all came out in one piece and (for the most part) smiling.  *Most of the photos in this post were taken by Lloyd.  Apparently I was too busy "guiding" to take many pictures ;)

DAY ONE:  Buller Creek - Buller Pass - Ribbon Lake

After breakfast sandwiches and coffee at Lloyd and Marla's house, the girls reluctantly (eagerly?) sent us off. We parked in the Buller day-use area parking lot, 32 km beyond the Canmore Nordic Centre on Smith-Dorrien / Spray Trail (Hwy 742). The trail begins on the opposite (east) side of the highway, crossing a small bridge and then winding through thick forest for the first few kms. Views open up significantly as the trail enters a large basin, revealing surrounding peaks and the upcoming scree climb to Buller Pass in the distance. This final climb is relatively steep, quickly gaining about 160 m on rocky switchbacks. We took our time on this ascent, and the panorama from the pass generously compensated us for our efforts.  After a restful break (and brief nap), we began our descent towards the visible Ribbon Lake below.  Equally steep scree required careful footing on this side also, but eventually leveled out to allow relatively easy walking through predominantly forest and tall grass for the remaining 2 km to the Ribbon Lake backcountry campground.  After setting up our tents, we made a fire and enjoyed a hot meal of jalapeno cheddar smokies and re-hydrated pasta before spending the remainder of the evening playing Rook and swapping stories with other campers. 

Trailhead map. "This is out destination. Easy enough, right?"

Emerging from the initial treed section.

Matt grabs a picture of the humbling peaks surrounding the bowl.

Progressing through the basin. Buller Pass in upper left.

Riley leads the charge up the steep scree slope towards the pass

Looking back from the climb

Views from Buller Pass. Ribbon Lake in the distance, beneath the impressive Mt Kidd.

Bear bait has never looked so good

Mt Assiniboine can be seen in the distant west

Nap time

Descending from the pass

Almost at camp

Meal of champions

A bustling Ribbon Lake campground

DAY TWO:  Ribbon Lake - Buller Pass - Buller Creek

After a breakfast of oatmeal and instant coffee, we packed up camp and headed back towards Buller Pass. The elevation gain on the return trip was approximately 250m less than the previous day, which was a gift to sore feet and tired leg muscles. It took us about 2 hours to reach the top of the pass, including numerous breaks on the steeper and arguably more technical slopes on this side of the saddle. The crew was tired, evidenced by a significantly quieter walk, but morale became increasingly high on the final and entirely downhill leg of the morning. We all felt a sense of accomplishment once back at the trailhead, and the guys assured me they were glad for the experience despite a higher-than-advertised degree of challenge.

Sunrise over Mt Kidd and a calm Ribbon Lake

Fuelling up for the trip home

Minor creek crossing on the way to the pass

Guinn's Pass can be seen to the south

Our route back up to Buller Pass

Atop the saddle. Our return trip follows this valley.

An easily-missed waterfall along Buller Creek, about an hour from the pass