Last year a couple of rangers came back from a hike raving about this amazing trail to Crypt Lake, which is in Waterton National Park in Canada. Waterton shares its southern border with Glacier National Park's northern border. Together the two parks form the world's first International Peace Park. The rangers I talked with told me it was the best trail that they've been on. In Waterton? Not Glacier? Well, being a home grown, all-around American boy from the south, I had my doubts that Canada had a trail that could rival some of my favorite trails in Glacier, but the more they talked, the more intrigued I became. So, this year, the hike to Crypt Lake was on my must-do list and honestly I wish I had waited until nearer the end of the season.
Your journey to Crypt Lake starts out at the Waterton marina where you purchase a boat ticket. Yep, that's right, a boat ticket. You can't drive to the trailhead. You have to ride the boat across Waterton Lake where it drops you off at the start of the trail.
The boat had at least fifty people on it and everyone is there to hike the same trail as you are. When I realized this, I started to worry. All these people will be starting the trail at the same time. With me. I don't want to hike in line for 5.4 miles behind the guy with the leg brace that has decided to "get back on the horse" or the guy that stops every ten feet to take another picture of an interesting rock or Tom and Sally and their two whining kids! Turns out I didn't have much to worry about. After the first mile or so, the slow hikers started lagging behind and the hiking machines zoomed ahead.
If I could only use one word to describe this trail it would be AMAZING. From the lakeshore you climb into a valley which you follow to its head. Then you switchback up to a hanging valley in which sits Crypt Lake. This is the short description. I don't have enough time or vocabulary to fully describe this trail in all its glory. Suffice it to say, that along the way you pass four waterfalls, a beautiful canyon with the coolest name (Hellroaring), sheer cliffs that would make a mountain goat reconsider his abilities, and the most picture perfect hanging valley complete with a waterfall that drops 492 feet to the valley below. But the best part of this trail lies in the last half mile.
Burnt Rock Falls
Crypt Falls flowing out of the hanging valley
After you climb 2,000 feet in elevation, you cross a creek and the trail suddenly forgets it's a trail and becomes a ledge, a ledge that is about two and a half feet at its widest with a rock wall on your left and a drop of about 400 feet to your right. This ledge hugs around the cliff for about thirty yards then decides it doesn't want to be a ledge anymore. It wants to be a tunnel. Yep, you read it right, a tunnel. The short tunnel is no more than four feet high so you have to "walk" with your rear end practically bumping your ankles, but before you can do this you have to ascend a nine foot iron ladder that is bolted to the cliff to get to the tunnel. Oh, it gets better! After a short walk/crawl the tunnel decides (you guessed it) it's time for a change. It becomes a harrowing scramble up the cliff with only a steel cable to hold on to. You climb about fifty feet and the scramble, that was once a tunnel, that was once a ledge, that was once a trail, gets over its bout with multiple personality disorder and becomes a trail again. Now you are in the hanging valley and another ten minutes of walking brings you to the picturesque Crypt Lake.
A few people couldn't do this and turned around.
The tunnel
Entering the tunnel
Crystal ascending the cable
The view looking back down the cable
Crypt Lake
This is the life!
Hopefully you signed up for the last return boat at 5:30pm so you can spend some time relaxing at the lake because you've got to hike the 5.4 miles back in time to catch it before it leaves you stranded, all alone, in the dark, within the clutches of...Crypt Lake.
Love the pic of your feet relaxing at the lake. Of course, mine would have been naked and
ReplyDeleteskinny-dipping IN the lake because they would have been tired and burning!!!!!
No they wouldn't. I tried it. That lake was FREEZING!
ReplyDeleteAmazing. Can't wait to check this out in July 2011. We're coming from California, tent camping, planning to reserve something at Fish Creek. Can you recommend a good site there - single car, 1 or 2 tents, not near bathrooms, secluded? I think C115 looks good according to the map, but you never know...Thanks!
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