Parks Canada Guided Stanley Glacier Fossils Hike: Ideal for Families
July 23, 2015
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This popular Kananaskis snowshoe trail goes to Chester Lake, a beautiful mountain lake nestled at the base of, you guessed it, Mt. Chester. It's an ideal hike for families and snowshoers with previous experience. If you're looking for more of a beginner trail, check out the Hogarth Lakes Snowshoe Loop instead.
During the summer, the Chester Lake Trail seems fairly easy, however, when you are dressed in extra winter layers, possibly trudging through deep snow with snowshoes on your feet, it can quickly tire little ones and parents out. FYI – it happened on a regular basis with my youngest until we switched him to ice grippers for hard-packed trails.
Also, this trail gets firmly packed down and can become icy and slippery on the steeper trail sections.
My snowshoe partner was wearing snowshoes with only toe cleats on them. She had a few slips on the steeper, icy sections. Thankfully, her hiking poles kept her upright several times. Parents, if you are carrying a little one in a front carrier or backpack, you too may want to consider hiking poles for balance.
The trail takes you through a lower Alpine forest of pine and spruce trees covered with the sage green of Old Mans Beard, the longer darker strands of Witches Hair and the bright green of the Wolf Lichen, all of these lichens are abundant along this trail.
The Chester Lake snowshoe trail widens just before the meadow.
and levels off once you reach the mountain meadow.
The trail then takes you through the meadow and to the lake with no noticeable elevation gain, which is a welcomed break for little legs and old (mine) calf muscles.
Be safe, stay on the trail and don't go onto the lake. DO check out Avalanche Canada and consider taking the Avalanche Skills Training Level course, also check out my avalanche awareness blog.
We set up lunch just before the lake. My old dog, Dakota (R.I.P) was mooching a snack from my friend, but he had some competition from Canada's National Bird, the Whiskey Jack, a species of mountain bird that always seems to show up the minute you pull out your lunch. Dakota had a treat; the Whisky Jack, although persistent, wasn't so fortunate.
Chester Lake trail is in Class 1 Avalanche terrain. Stay on the trail. To find out more about avalanche safety, read my blog and definitely check out Avalanche Canada. I have some great tips in my guide to avalanche awareness blog on spotting avalanches and being prepared.
Sections of the Chester Lake trail are shared with cross-country and backcountry skiers. Please follow proper trail and snowshoeing etiquette and don’t walk on the ski tracks.
Well, the one time they did snowshoe the Chester Lake trail with me, my camera battery ran out! So here are a few “throwback pictures” from different years.
Thanksgiving Weekend, 2013
Chester Lake wasn't our destination on this particular day, Hogarth Lakes was, but someone, (me) had to use the outhouse. The boys were ECSTATIC when they saw the amount of snow and couldn't wait to get their snowshoes on.
We never made it across the road to Hogarth Lakes, which is a very easy family-friendly and beginner-level snowshoe. You can read about it here.
FYI- I wouldn't have attempted the Chester Lake snowshoe with them at this age: I firmly advocate for less is best when children are trying out a new activity. After all, you want them to enjoy it!
Check out my blog, Snowshoeing 101: A comprehensive Gear Guide.
As previously mentioned, this is a VERY popular trail and gets hard-packed. A decent pair of ice grippers might be sufficient, particularly if it hasn't snowed for a while. Ice grippers are very easy to put on and come with a carrying case so you can pack them away and not worry about the spikes puncturing your pack. My youngest son prefers these over snowshoes on hard-packed trails but always wants to switch with me when he wants to play in the deep snow.
Snowshoeing at Chester Lake is ideal for families with older children with advanced snowshoe experience. These children are capable of getting up and down the trail on their own.
Adults with some snowshoe experience who want to try a longer distance with some elevation.
Daylight hours - as with all winter sports, it is always advisable to start them early in the day.
From Canmore, take the Smith Dorrien Road (742) to the Chester Lake Parking lot.
From Calgary, take Highway 1 West, exit at 118, and continue on Highway 40 to Peter Lougheed Provincial Park. You will connect to the Smith Dorrien Road, continue along this road to the well-marked Chester Lake Day Use Parking lot.
Take a look at my new series of books, Take a Hike With Your Family, and and begin exploring the Rockies.
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