Category: Blog

by Kelly McDonald

The Great Divide Trail (GDT) is very much a “choose your own adventure” kind of trail. While there is only a single route to follow in many areas, there are also a multitude of alternatives to choose from along the way. Some take you to entry and exit points, others to resupply points off trail, yet others offer more challenging options, scenery, or less exposed places when weather is bad. It’s important to understand the route and the pros and cons of the various options as you plan your itinerary. Due to complexity of the permitting process, remoteness and lack of resupply options, planning is an important part of the character of the GDT. Unlike the Pacific Crest Trail or Appalachian Trail it’s much harder to “wing” it or “learn as you go” on GDT.

In this article, we’ll detail the trail itself and the various routes and alternates as it winds its way from Waterton to Kakwa. The first thing you’ll need to know is that trail is divided into seven sections, labelled A to G running from south to north. We’ll start with section A and work our way up the trail. For more details on any of these sections, check out Dustin Lynx’s guidebook Hiking Canada’s Great Divide Trail.

Section A starts on the US-Canadian border and runs north to Highway 3 and the hamlet of Coleman. While Section E is often referred to as part of the trail with wild extremes, Section A is similar in that it starts with maintained and popular trails in a national park but also included what many consider the single hardest day on the GDT.

SECTION A: WATERTON TO CROWSNEST PASS – STARTING THE GREAT DIVIDE TRAIL

Starting at Boundary Bay on the US-Canadian border where the GDT connects with the Continental Divide Trail in the USA, the GDT heads north through Waterton Lakes National Park in Alberta. In 2017, the Kenow wildfire burned much of the park (thankfully sparing most campgrounds and facilities), but a lot of work has gone into repairing damage and improving things. This does mean you will encounter large burnt sections where there is little shade, and summer days can get hot.

To get to the international border monument marking the start of the trail, most folks will hike from Waterton townsite (and back). It’s only 6 km to the border and can easily be done in a single day. Historically, there has been a boat that takes you to Goat Haunt on the US side where you can hike to the start of the trail. This is an international border crossing and it has been closed for the past few years due to COVID. If/when it re-opens, you will require a passport or suitable ID to cross and will need to check-in with both US and Canadian customs. If you are an international traveller, ensure you can enter the US if you choose this option.

THE GDT THROUGH WATERTON LAKES NATIONAL PARK

Within Waterton Lakes National Park, trails are well maintained and easy to follow. Some portions can be very popular in the summer with day hikers, equestrians, and folks doing a quick overnight. From Boundary Bay, the trail heads north to the Waterton townsite over a few easy mountain spurs. You’re never far from Upper Waterton Lake and water is plentiful.  Backcountry campgrounds are available at Bertha Bay and Boundary Bay. The townsite also has full services for lodging, frontcountry camping and resupply.

From there it’s up the valley to Carthew Creek, Alderson Lake, and the beautiful Carthew Lakes. The route over Carthew Summit is well marked with wayfinders above treeline. Once over the top, you’ll peer into remote reaches of Glacier National Park in the US and make your way back down to Cameron Lake. Cameron Lake is a busy tourist destination with a small store for refreshments and canoe rentals (last flush toilets for a while). Once you reach Cameron Lake, you’ll have two options. The main route remains in Waterton Lakes NP and follows the popular Tamarack Trail, while the Mount Rowe alternate follows an unmaintained cross-country route on the British Columbia side of the divide. Normally this alternate route is used by folks who are unable to secure permits for the Tamarack Trail or who prefer the option of random camping. Regardless, many will take the option of camping at Akamina Creek on the BC side of the divide as it’s the only place you can camp in this area.

For those following the main route, there is a short section of road walk to the Rowe Lakes trailhead. Through forest, you’ll make your way up to Rowe Meadows (grab water here) and the climb to the second highest point on the GDT, Lineham Ridge. More wayfinders mark the route. Several saddles through the burned Blakiston valley take you past campgrounds at Lone and Twin Lakes and up to Sage Pass where you leave Waterton Lakes National Park.

The Mount Rowe alternate takes you steeply up to the divide on an unmaintained route for 18 km. While shorter, the alternative isn’t a time saver and you’ll be walking a thin line of open terrain between steep cliffs and thick brush. Scenery is spectacular, but not an alternate for bad weather days, or if you’re still earning your trail legs. Load up with water before taking the Mount Rowe alternate as the only water available on route is from melted snow.

Campgrounds in this area:

• Boundary Bay – Waterton Lakes National Park (reservation and permit required)
• Bertha Bay – Waterton Lakes National Park (reservation and permit required)
• Waterton Townsite (Front country) – Waterton Lakes National Park (reservation and permit required)
• Alderson Lake – Waterton Lakes National Park (reservation and permit required)
• Akamina Creek – Akamina-Kishinena Provincial Park (first come first served)
• Lone Lake – Waterton Lakes National Park (reservation and permit required)
• Twin Lakes – Waterton Lakes National Park (reservation and permit required)

Entry / Exit Points

• South – Waterton Townsite
• North – Red Rock Parkway via Twin Lakes / Snowshoe Trail

Resupply

• Waterton Townsite

TOWARD THE CASTLE MOUNTAIN SKI RESORT

At Sage Pass, the Mount Rowe alternate and main route converge, leaving Waterton behind and straddling the divide between Castle Wildland Provincial Park in Alberta and forestry land in BC. Random camping is allowed throughout, but there are several rustic campgrounds you can use. The trail here is here is primitive and spectacular, covering several peaks and ridge walks. Quality ranges from “easy to follow” to “route finding”. You’ll encounter what many consider the most difficult day on the entire GDT on La Coulotte Ridge. You’ll want to load up on water at Scarpe Pass (particularly if you’re taking the Barnaby Ridge Alternate) and wait out any inclement weather. Do not underestimate this day.     

At La Coulotte Peak, the trail splits between the main route and the Barnaby Ridge Alternate. After one more steep climb, the main route drops down into the West Castle River valley along some ATV trails and Highway 774. Barnaby Ridge remains up high and has spectacular scenery, however there is some exposure, and water is limited. It should not be attempted in poor weather. Work has been done to route the trail around the hairiest terrain and flagging has been added. Many will climb down to Grizzly Lake for water and to stay the night. This alternate does bypass the Castle Mountain Ski Resort which can be reached along the main route. Some use the ski resort as a place to mail resupply boxes (call ahead to ensure they are accepting them) and there is a restaurant (check hours), but no store to buy supplies.

Campgrounds in this area:

• Sage Pass – BC Forestry (random camping)
• Font Creek – Castle Wildland Provincial Park (random camping)
• Jutland Creek – Castle Wildland Provincial Park (random camping)
• Scarpe Pass – Castle Wildland Provincial Park (random camping)
• Grizzly Lake (Barnaby Ridge Alternate) – Castle Wildland Provincial Park (random camping)
• Barnaby Lake (Barnaby Ridge Alternate) – Castle Wildland Provincial Park (random camping)
• West Castle Road – Castle Wildland Provincial Park (random camping)
• Castle Mountain – Castle Mountain Ski Resort – campground and hostel (reservation required)

Entry / Exit Points

• South – Red Rock Parkway via Twin Lakes / Snowshoe Trail
• North – Alberta Highway 774

Resupply

• Castle Mountain Ski Resort (limited)

ON TO COLEMAN

After some initial road walking, the trail moves through an area crisscrossed with old forestry roads, OHV tracks, and seismic lines. The trail can be confusing in parts, and it’s generally not well signed. The terrain itself is not particularly challenging, but you’ll want your maps and GPS to help navigate. At kilometer 129.7, the trail branches with the main route heading to the small hamlet of Coleman on Highway 3. Coleman was a mining boomtown in the first half of the 20^th century but doesn’t have a lot of services today. There is a post office to send resupply boxes, motels and Safe Haven BnB is a popular spot for GDT hikers.

The alternate route takes you down a road to the larger town of Blairmore. Here you can find a grocery store, outdoor store, campground, motels and other services for resupply. From Blairmore it’s a 4 km walk to Coleman and the start of Section B.

Campgrounds in this area:

• Lynx Creek – Castle Provincial Park (permit required)
• Willoughby Ridge – Castle Provincial Park (random camping)

Entry / Exit Points

• South – Alberta Highway 774
• North – Alberta Highway 3

Resupply

• Coleman
• Blairmore (off trail)

SECTION B: COLEMAN TO KANANASKIS

Section B of the GDT runs North from the town of Coleman on Crowsnest Highway 3 to Peter Lougheed Provincial Park in Kananaskis, Alberta. This part of the trail runs almost entirely through public land and has little in the way of developed campgrounds or facilities. Except for a small portion in the north, random camping is allowed throughout this section. You may encounter OHV users and, in some cases, active forestry operations along the trail. If you do encounter active logging, keep an eye out and respect any signage.

In some ways, Section B is the birthplace of the GDT. In the 1970s the first portions of dedicated trail were constructed here and work continues to this day with the new High Rock Trail completed in 2021.

ROADS AND OFF HIGHWAY VEHICLE TRAILS

The first part of the trail is largely made up of gravel roads and OHV trails. During the summer (particularly on weekends) you’ll encounter folks camping in their RVs along the Allison Creek and Atlas roads. Parts of this trail can be confusing as there are many junctions connecting a nest of old forestry roads.

Crowsnest Mountain figures prominently to the east as you may your way up the valley. Until recently the trail continued over Deadman Pass into BC, but with parts of the trail crossing private land, the High Rock Trail was built to avoid conflict with industrial users and the Fording River Mine.   

Campgrounds in this area:

• McGillivray Creek – ATV staging area (Alberta Public Lands Camping Pass required)
• Chinook Lake – Alberta Parks (Reservation recommended and permit required)
• Atlas Staging Area – ATV staging area (Alberta Public Lands Camping Pass required)

   Entry / Exit Points

• South – Highway 3
• North – Atlas Forestry Road

Resupply

• Coleman
• Blairmore (off trail)

HIGH ROCK TRAIL

2022 marks the grand opening of the High Rock Trail and the new official route of the GDT. Many will stay at the beautiful Window Mountain Lake for the first night as bear lockers have been recently installed. This section mainly sticks to the Livingstone Public Land Use Zone which allows a wide variety of users. You’ll gain and lose elevation as you move from one drainage to another, first North Racehorse Creek then Dutch Creek. At the headwaters you’ll encounter the old route from the BC side as you climb up to Tornado Pass, through Tornado Saddle and steeply down the other side.

Campgrounds in this area:

• Window Mountain Lake – Random cCamping (Alberta Public Lands Camping Pass required)
• North Racehorse Creek – Random camping (Alberta Public Lands Camping Pass required)
• Dutch Creek (HRT) – Random camping (Alberta Public Lands Camping Pass required)
• Dutch Creek – Random camping (Alberta Public Lands Camping Pass required)
• South Hidden Creek – Random camping (Alberta Public Lands Camping Pass required)

   Entry / Exit Points

• South – Atlas Forestry Road
• North – Alberta Highway 940 (Via Oldman River Road and Hidden Creek Trail)

Resupply

• None

BIRTHPLACE OF THE GREAT DIVIDE TRAIL

At North Fork Pass, you’ll join the original GDT and a junction with Dutch Creek Road. This road serves as the first of many access/exit point to Highway 940 on the Alberta side. While this road can be busy in on weekends, it can be fairly quiet on weekdays, so if you have to bail it could be quite a while before you get a hitch. Following the orange blazes, the trail closely parallels the divide with additional access points at Hidden Creek, Cache Creek, Soda Creek, Oldman River, Lost Creek, Cataract Creek, Etherington Creek, and Baril Creek. While you don’t see as many of the epic mountain spires as Section C, the scenery is still spectacular, particularly in and around the Beehive Natural Area. You’ll experience a lot of ups and down in this part with some nice ridge walks. Rustic camping areas are located near many of the creek junctions just mentioned. While the idea of camping on the top of a ridge can be appealing, a sleepless night as your fly flutters in the wind isn’t nearly as much fun as you might think.

At Baril Creek the trail heads to the west and climbs up to Fording River Pass, crossing the Great Divide for the first time since La Coulotte Peak over 130 km to the south.  

Campgrounds in this area:

• Hidden Creek – Random camping (Alberta Public Lands Camping Pass required)
• Cache Creek – Random camping (no permit required)
• Soda Creek – Random camping (no permit required)
• Lyall Creek – Random camping (no permit required)
• Memory Lake – Random camping (no permit required)
• High Rock – Random camping (no permit required)
• Lost Creek – Random camping (no permit required)
• Cataract Creek – Random camping (no permit required)
• Etherington Creek – Random camping (no permit required)
• James Lake– Random camping (no permit required)
• Upper Baril Creek– Random camping (no permit required)
• Fording River Pass – Random camping (no permit required)

Entry / Exit Points

• South – Alberta Highway 940 (Via Oldman River Road and Hidden Creek Trail)
• North – Elk River Road

Resupply

• Highwood House (13 km off trail at Baril Creek, limited options)

ELK VALLEY TO PETER LOUGHEED PROVINCIAL PARK

Coming down Aldridge Creek you’ll meet up with the Kananaskis Power Line Road which connects to Elk Lakes Road in about 8 km. This is the longest road walk on the GDT, but it is a lightly trafficked and well-maintained gravel/dirt road. There is a washout on the Aldridge Creek trail and the easiest way past it is to get your feet wet. Elevation gains on this section are minimal, so if you’re looking for a high mileage day, this is it. There are a few user maintained forestry campgrounds along the Elk River Road that offer outhouses and picnic tables.

If you’re a confident route-finder, you can avoid some of this road walk by taking the Coral Pass alternate. There is an initial fording of the Elk River, which can be challenging in high water conditions. The pass is incredible and earns its name with plentiful fossilized coral, however, descending the north side involves some exposure, slippery rocks, and can be extremely overgrown. If weather is poor, the recommendation is to stick to the road.

Either way, you’ll soon come to Elk Lakes Provincial Park. From here on in, apart from a small part of Section D, you’ll be on protected lands, leaving OHVs behind for the rest of the trail.

Near the Elk Lakes trailhead, there is a cabin currently operated by the Alpine Club of Canada and a nearby campground. From here there are a few options. First is the Hydroline Trail (popular with mountain bikers), which is a straight shot up to Elk Pass along a set of power lines. There is also Elkan Creek, which takes you through forest to West Elk Pass; it’s shorter, but obscures most of the views. Lastly, there is the official Upper Elk Lake Trail, which offers nice views of the Elk Valley. At Elk Pass you will cross back into Alberta and follow Fox Creek to the trailhead at the end of Section B. There has been talk of installing lockers at the Elk Pass trailhead to allow resupply boxes to be deposited and stored – stay tuned!

Coming into Peter Lougheed Provincial Park, random camping is no longer permitted, but there are plenty of options. A full-service campground including showers, store, and ice cream(!!!) are available a few minutes away at Boulton Creek, there is a tent-only campground at Mt. Sarrail, and a third nearby campground at Interlakes. Boulton is popular with thru-hikers as you can book sites with electricity to charge all your devices. It is often booked solid on weekends, but weekdays usually have availability.

The end of Section B is a good place to build a zero day or two into your itinerary. With Section C very dependent on permits and keeping to your schedule, this will give you the flexibility to catch up if you’re running behind, or some time to enjoy the area otherwise.

Campgrounds in this area:

• Aldridge Creek – BC Forestry (first come first served)
• Weary Creek – BC Forestry (first come first served)
• Riverside – BC Forestry (first come first served)
• Tobermory Creek – BC Forestry (first come first served)
• Lower Elk Lake – Elk Lakes Provincial Park (permit required)
• Elk Lakes ACC Hut – Elk Lakes Provincial Park (book through Alpine Club of Canada)
• Boulton Creek – Peter Lougheed Provincial Park (reservation recommended and permit required)
• Mt. Sarrail – Peter Lougheed Provincial Park (permit required)
• Interlakes – Peter Lougheed Provincial Park (permit required)

Entry / Exit Points

• South – Elk River Road
• North – Alberta Highway 40 – Kananaskis Lake Road  

Resupply

• Boulton Creek Trading Post (small store with limited supplies)

SECTION C: KANANASKIS TO FIELD

Section C offers some of the most scenic parts of the GDT. Starting at Peter Lougheed Provincial Park in Kananaskis it passes through several national and provincial parks, including the iconic Banff National Park, on its way to the town of Field. Most of this section is well-maintained and signed along official trails. At the same time, you will leave behind some of the seclusion you experienced on earlier sections as you hit several popular backpacking trails.

With the exception of a small portion of trail in Height of the Rockies Provincial Park, camping is only allowed in designated campgrounds and permits are required. As of this posting, national park permits (Banff, Kootenay, Yoho, and Jasper) are available for the 2022 season. If you are considering the GDT for 2022, you’ll want to look into permits as soon as possible as many campgrounds may already be fully booked. For those wanting to section hike the GDT, Section C is a great place to start if you get campground permits.

PETER LOUGHEED AND HEIGHT OF THE ROCKIES

Starting at the Elk Pass trailhead in Peter Lougheed Provincial Park, hike along the shore of Upper Kananaskis Lake to the Upper Lakes trailhead. An alternate route starting from here is Northover Ridge. Rather than hiking counterclockwise toward Interlakes, you’ll hike clockwise along the Upper Lake Trail, splitting off at Hidden Lake and up the headwall to Aster Lake. Here you’ll see the imposing peak of Mount Joffre (also known as The Tooth). This beautiful high alpine valley is well worth it if you have the time. There is a small and popular campground at Aster Lake although random camping is allowed once you cross into BC. Continuing the climb to Northover Ridge, you’ll straddle the divide for 4 km with some mild scrambling and exposure. Off the ridge you’ll descend to Three Isle Lake. There is a popular campground here with lots of peak bagging options. Heading over South Kananaskis Pass, you’ll pass Beatty Lake campground and head steeply down into the Palliser Valley where the route rejoins the main GDT.

If you’re sticking to the official GDT route, the trail heads up the upper Kananaskis Valley toward a backcountry campground at Forks. Continuing up the valley you’ll pass Lawson Lake, and a campground at Turbine Canyon, an incredible narrow canyon.

Crossing North Kananaskis Pass, the trail passes back into BC and Height of the Rockies Provincial Park. It descends into the Palliser Valley (random camping is permitted here) where some river fording is required. This part of the trail is infrequently maintained and unsigned. An alternate access point is available by heading south down the Palliser River valley; however, the trailhead is only accessible along a 80 km drive on forestry roads on the BC side.

Campgrounds in this area:

• Point (Off trail) – Peter Lougheed Provincial Park (permit and reservation required)    
• Forks – Peter Lougheed Provincial Park (permit and reservation required)
• Turbine Canyon – Peter Lougheed Provincial Park (permit and reservation required)
• Aster Lake (Northover Alternate) – Peter Lougheed Provincial Park (permit and reservation required)
• Three Isle Lake (Northover and South Kananaskis Pass Alternate) – Peter Lougheed Provincial Park (permit and reservation required)
• Beatty Lake (Northover and South Kananaskis Pass Alternate) – Height of the Rockies Provincial Park (first come first served)
• Palliser River – Height of the Rockies Provincial Park (no permit required)
• Palliser Pass – Height of the Rockies Provincial Park (no permit required)

Entry / Exit Points

• South – Alberta Highway 40 – Kananaskis Lake Road  
• North – Albert River Forestry Road     

Resupply

• None 

ENTER BANFF

On a less-maintained trail, you’ll climb to Palliser Pass and enter the world-famous Banff National Park. This part of Banff is rarely travelled, but there are access/entry points at Burstall Pass and Mount Shark. There are campgrounds in this section at Burstall and Birdwood. Once in Banff NP, random camping is no longer permitted.

After the junction with the Mount Shark Trail, you’ll head up the more popular Bryant Creek Trail. There are backcountry campgrounds at Big Springs, Marvel Lake, and McBride’s Camp. Parks Canada also operates a shelter at Bryant Creek. Its a fairly basic cabin with a stove, common eating area, and shared sleeping platforms. The cabin is currently closed for reconstruction. Permits are required to stay at any of these locations.

The main GDT heads down Marvel Lake and over the high Wonder Pass where the scenery is incredible. The Allenby alternate provides a less exposed route into Mount Assiniboine Provincial Park.

Campgrounds in this area:

• Burstall – Banff National Park (permit and reservation required)
• Birdwood – Banff National Park (permit and reservation required)
• Big Springs – Banff National Park (permit and reservation required)
• Marvel Lake – Banff National Park (permit and reservation required)
• Bryant Creek Cabin (Closed) – Banff National Park (permit and reservation required)
• McBrides Camp (Allenby Alternate) – Banff National Park (permit and reservation required)
• Allenby Junction (Allenby Alternate) – Banff National Park (permit and reservation required)

Entry / Exit Points

• South – Albert River Forestry Road
• Mid – Highway 742 – Mt Shark Trailhead via Bryant Creek Trail  
• North – Allenby Pass Trail

Resupply

• None 

MOUNT ASSINIBOINE AND SUNSHINE MEADOWS

At Wonder Pass you enter Mount Assiniboine Provincial Park, often called the Matterhorn of North America. Assiniboine has been a popular backcountry destination since the Canadian Pacific Railway was built. Several campgrounds and huts are available, and for those with deep pockets, the Assiniboine Mountain Lodge. Tea is available to the public between 4 and 5 pm (this may be affected by COVID). This portion of the trail can be extremely busy and resupply is available via helicopter. From the campgrounds at Lake Magog and Lake Og the trail heads through the Valley of the Rocks, up to Citadel Pass, and back into Banff National Park. Since it can be hard to reserve spots at Magog and Og, some will stay at the Porcupine campground (700m off trail). It’s a pleasant hike through alpine and subalpine meadows past Howard Douglas lake and Quartz Hill, to the Sunshine Ski Resort. During the summer there is a restaurant and hiker gondola that will take you down to the main parking lot (this may be affected by COVID). Shuttle buses or taxis are available here to the Banff townsite and Lake Louise, both of which are extremely busy in the summer. Some will use this as an opportunity to exit the trail to experience the town of Banff.

From Sunshine, the trail passes over Simpson and Healy passes (George Simpson was a colonial governor for the Hudson’s Bay Company who circumnavigated the world by land in 1841). The Healy Creek alternate also provides access to the Sunshine parking lot. Descending into the popular Egypt Lakes area, there are several trails, campgrounds, and shelters operated by Parks Canada. Expect this section of the trail to be busy. Leaving the crowds behind, the GDT passes over the rarely used Ball Pass into British Columbia and Kootenay National Park, down the Hawk Creek Trail to reach Highway 93. This is the single largest descent on the trail at just over 1000m (SOBOs beware)

Campgrounds in this area:

• Lake Magog – Mount Assiniboine Provincial Park (permit and reservation required)
• Naiset Huts – Mount Assiniboine Provincial Park (reservation required, booked via Assiniboine Lodge)
• Assiniboine Lodge – Mount Assiniboine Provincial Park (reservation required)
• Og Lake – Mount Assiniboine Provincial Park (permit and reservation required)
• Porcupine – Mount Assiniboine Provincial Park (first come first served)
• Howard Douglas Lake – Banff National Park (permit and reservation required)
• Healy Creek (off trail) – Banff National Park (permit and reservation required)
• Egypt Lake – Banff National Park (permit and reservation required)
• Egypt Lake Cabin (Closed) – Banff National Park (permit and reservation required)
• Ball Pass Junction – Banff National Park (permit and reservation required)

Entry / Exit Points

• South – Highway 742 – Mt Shark Trailhead via Bryant Creek Trail   
• Mid – Sunshine Ski Resort
• North – Highway 93S – Hawk Creek Trailhead   

Resupply

• Assiniboine Lodge (pre-arranged via helicopter)
• Sunshine Ski Resort (might not be available in 2022 due to Covid) 

THE ROCKWALL

Next up is the popular Rockwall Trail. Climbing up to Floe Lake, you’ll find the single most popular campground on the GDT, getting a spot here is like trying to get tickets to the Rolling Stones. Each year the campground is fully booked within minutes of it opening for reservations. The trail crosses several watersheds at Numa Creek, Tumbling Creek, and Helmet Creek. Each of these has both a campground (permit required) and acts as an entry/exit point. There are several good views of Helmet Falls, the second-highest waterfall in the Canadian Rockies. Leaving behind the Kootenays, the trail heads through Goodsir Pass, into Yoho National Park, and after a short walk along the TransCanada highway, reaches the town of Field.

Campgrounds in this area:

• Floe Lake – Kootenay National Park (permit and reservation required)
• Numa Creek – Kootenay National Park (permit and reservation required)
• Wolverine Pass – BC Forestry random camping (no permit required)
• Tumbling Creek – Kootenay National Park (permit and reservation required)
• Helmet Falls – Kootenay National Park (permit and reservation required)
• McArthur Creek – Yoho National Park (permit and reservation required)

Entry / Exit Points

• South – Highway 93S – Floe Lake Trailhead
• Mid – Highway 93S – Paint Pots Trailhead (via Tumbling or Helmet Creek)
• North – Trans-Canada Highway 1 – Field   

Resupply

• Field

SECTION D: FIELD TO SASKATCHEWAN CROSSING 

While Section D is the shortest, it has been called the most difficult part of the GDT. For the most part you’ll be on unofficial and unmaintained trails where blowdowns, overgrown trail and washouts can be common. Creek crossings are largely unbridged, so be prepared to ford rivers and streams. Some hikers have mentioned not encountering another person while hiking this part of the trail and this wilderness solitude is part of the charm of Section D. Starting at the hamlet of Field in Yoho National Park, Section D finishes up at a major highway junction and resort at Saskatchewan Crossing on the Icefields Parkway (Highway 93).

LEAVING FIELD  

Field started out as a major switching point for the Canadian Pacific Railway. Prior to the construction of the spiral tunnels in 1909, the descent from Kicking Horse Pass was the location of the “Big Hill”. This extremely steep section of track required large steam locomotives to be added to trains to help them up the grade. Field was the center of these operations, but today, with a population of less than 200, it’s mainly a place for tourists, hikers, and campers. There are several B&B options to stay at within Field as well as two nearby frontcountry campgrounds at Kicking Horse and Monarch.

From Field, the main GDT follows the Amiskwi Valley towards Amiskwi Pass. While the first part of this trail is maintained, if fairly quickly falls into disuse and blowdowns are frequent. You’ll have to ford the Amiskwi River 3 times as you make your way up the valley. Random camping is permitted once you’re 4 km away from the trailhead, however a random camping permit is still required from Parks Canada.

An alternate route takes you steeply up to the Burgess Highline Trail, Yoho Lake campground, and onto the popular Iceline Trail. The views of Takakkaw Falls and Waputik Icefield across the valley are incredible. A campground and Alpine Club of Canada cabin are located in the Little Yoho Valley. From the campground however, you’ll climb steeply up to Kiwetinok Pass where the trail ends and 8 km of cross-country route finding begins.

Campgrounds in this area:

• Kicking Horse (Frontcountry off trail) – Yoho National Park (permit and reservation required)
• Monarch (Frontcountry off trail) – Yoho National Park (permit and reservation required)
• Takakkaw Falls (Frontcountry off trail) – Yoho National Park (First come first served and permit required)
• Yoho Lake (Kiwetinok alternate) – Yoho National Park (permit and reservation required)
• Little Yoho (Kiwetinok alternate) – Yoho National Park (permit and reservation required)
• Stanley Mitchell Hut (Kiwetinok alternate) – Alpine Club of Canada (reservation required)
• Amiskwi River – Yoho National Park random camping (permit required)

Entry / Exit Points

• South – Trans-Canada Highway 1
• North – Blaeberry Forestry Road

Resupply

• Field

WALKING THE EXPLORER’S ROUTE

Over Amiskwi Pass you’ll enter the Blaeberry River valley. Leaving behind Yoho National Park, this will be the first time you’ll have been outside of a park since entering Elk Lakes Provincial Park in Section B. Much of the trail on this side of the pass is on forestry roads until you start on the David Thompson Heritage Trail. Named after the consummate explorer, David Thompson hiked or horsebacked over 90,000 km during the early 19th century, mapping over 4.9 million square km of North America. This historical route was used by the Secwépemc people as a travel and trade route, connecting Secwépemc ancestors to the northern Stoney and to the Rocky Mountain House during the fur trade.

Much of the road walking can be bypassed by taking a new shortcut along Collie Creek, it does however require a potentially dangerous ford so be open to adjusting your route. Early morning crossings are recommended. Much work is being done to improve the Collie Creek Trail with the goal of making it the main route. The GDT can also be exited here down the Blaeberry River road to the Trans-Canada Highway near the town of Golden.

Campgrounds in this area:

• Amiskwi Pass – Random camping (no permit required outside of the national park)
• Cairnes Creek – Random camping (no permit required)
• Lambe Creek – Random camping (no permit required)

Entry / Exit Points

• Blaeberry Forestry Road

Resupply

• None

HOWSE PASS

Back to the Blaeberry, you’ll climb to the seldom used Howse Pass where the trail crosses the Great Divide below the treeline, back into Banff National Park in Alberta. Today the GDT mainly follows the Howse River floodplain as the former trail is choked with hundreds of blowdowns. Prepare for wet feet on this part of the trail as the route fords the many side channels of the floodplain. After the junction with the Glacier Lake Trail (recommended only for equestrians due to the deep ford of the Howse River), you’ll rejoin good trail and head towards Saskatchewan Crossing by following the trail to the Mistaya Canyon trailhead on the Icefields Parkway (Highway 93).

At Saskatchewan Crossing you’ll find a hotel, restaurant, gas station, and well equipped (if expensive) general store. If you plan to stay here, you’ll want to book ahead.

Campgrounds in this area:

• Conway Creek – Banff National Park (random camping permit required)
• Howse Floodplain – Banff National Park (random camping permit required)
• Howse River – Banff National Park (random camping permit required)

Entry / Exit Points

• South – Blaeberry Forestry Road
• North – Highway 93N (Icefields Parkway)

Resupply

• Saskatchewan Crossing Resort

SECTION E: SASKATCHEWAN CROSSING TO JASPER 

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times”. Section E on the Great Divide Trail is a study in contrasts. The stretch between Saskatchewan Crossing and the town of Jasper passes through remote areas of White Goat Wilderness Area and the decommissioned trails of the Maligne Valley. At the same time it also passes through the extremely popular Skyline Trail and Jonas Shoulder sections of Jasper National Park. However, if you love hiking above the treeline, this is the section for you.

OWEN CREEK

Leaving the resort at Saskatchewan Crossing, there is a short section of road walking along the David Thompson Highway. From the Owen Creek trailhead you’ll start your climb. The trail here is unmaintained and can be hard to follow. The creek quickly turns into a canyon as you struggle your way up to Owen Pass and treeline. For the next 18 km you’ll parallel a stunning rock wall through the alpine and pass by Michele Lakes, the prettiest lakes on the GDT, to reach the highest point on the GDT at 2585m.

Campgrounds in this area:

• Owen Creek – Banff National Park (random camping permit required)
• Michele Lakes – Random camping (Alberta Public Lands Camping Pass required)
• Waterfalls Creek – Random camping (Alberta Public Lands Camping Pass required)
• Pinto Creek – Random camping (Alberta Public Lands Camping Pass required)
• Pinto Lake East – Random camping (Alberta Public Lands Camping Pass required)
• Pinto Lake North – Random camping (Alberta Public Lands Camping Pass required)
• Cataract Creek – White Goat Wilderness Area random camping (no permit required)
• Cataract Pass – White Goat Wilderness Area random camping (no permit required)

Entry / Exit Points

• South – Highway 11 
• North – Highway 11 via Waterfalls trail

Resupply

• None

HEIGHT OF THE CANADIAN ROCKIES

One thing that surprises a lot of people who have seen the towering peaks of the Canadian Rockies, is their height when compared to the Colorado Rockies or Sierra Nevada mountains. There are no 14ers (4267m) in Alberta or eastern BC, with the highest mountain in the range being Mount Robson at 3954m (12,972 ft). What makes the Canadian Rockies different is during the last ice age, glaciers carved out the valleys making the mountains much more prominent. The northern latitude and shorter glowing season also pushes down the treeline, making it 450-750m lower than Colorado. Combined, these makes it seem like the mountains are much higher. On the plus side, this reduces the risk of altitude acclimatization as you’ll never be over 2590m (8,500 ft).

UP TO CATARACT PASS

Heading over 3 mountain passes, the trail drops back into the trees around Pinto Lake. You can exit the trail here by way of Sunset Pass which takes you back to the highway. The thru route takes you into the White Goat Wilderness Area where trail maintenance is not allowed (hence the many fallen trees). The route travels up the long Cataract Creek valley to lofty Cataract Pass on the border of Jasper National Park. Along the way you’ll have a chance to see ancient pictographs. Over Nigel Pass the GDT joins the well maintained (and more crowded) trails of the Brazeau Loop. Back into the alpine, the Jonas Shoulder offers spectacular views of the valley, however as the trail heads north, it becomes less travelled and once you pass the Poboktan Creek junction (another exit to the highway), it is no longer maintained.

Campgrounds in this area:

• Boulder Creek – Jasper National Park (permit and reservation required)
• Four Point – Jasper National Park (permit and reservation required)
• Cline (off route) – Jasper National Park (permit and reservation required)
• Jonas Cutoff – Jasper National Park (permit and reservation required)
• McCready Horse Camp – Jasper National Park (permit and reservation required)
• Waterfalls – Jasper National Park (permit and reservation required)
• Poboktan – Jasper National Park (permit and reservation required)

Entry / Exit Points

• South – Highway 11 via Waterfalls trail
• Mid – Highway 93N via Sunset Pass trail
• Mid – Highway 93N via Nigel Pass trail
• North – Highway 93N via Poboktan Trail   

Resupply

• None

MALIGNE VALLEY

Reaching Maligne Pass, the GDT heads down the valley into forest and several un-bridged creek crossings. Folks have reported that this section of trail has started to deteriorate with GDT hikers being the only ones to really use it. As the Maligne Pass Trail passes through sensitive caribou and grizzly bear habitat, Parks Canada limits access to two parties per day. It’s important to adhere to these restrictions and have the appropriate permits to ensure this section of trail remains open to hikers. Note the popular Six-Passes alternate route is closed in 2022 due to similar concerns of overuse in sensitive habitat areas.

Campgrounds in this area:

• Mary Vaux – Jasper National Park (permit and reservation required)
• Mary Schaffer – Jasper National Park (permit and reservation required)
• Trapper Creek (closed in 2022) – Jasper National Park (permit and reservation required)

Entry / Exit Points

• South – Highway 93N via Poboktan Trail   
• North – Maligne Lake  

Resupply

• None

ENTER THE SKYLINE 

The path brings you to the popular tourist area of Maligne Lake. Shuttles are available here to Jasper, there is a small gift shop, a lake tour and café. Maligne Lake is also the start of the extremely popular Skyline Trail. Spending most of its time in the alpine, people from around the world come to Jasper just to hike Skyline. Permits can be hard to get, so some GDTers will hike the 40+km in a single day, or divert to Watchtower campground which is a bit off trail. A few popular tourist trails lead you from the end of Skyline and into the town of Jasper and the end of Section E.

Campgrounds in this area:

• Evelyn Creek – Jasper National Park (permit and reservation required)
• Little Shovel – Jasper National Park (permit and reservation required)
• Snowbowl – Jasper National Park (permit and reservation required)
• Watchtower (Off Trail) – Jasper National Park (permit and reservation required)
• Shovel Pass Lodge – Shovel Pass Lodge (reservation required)    
• Curator – Parks Canada – Jasper National Park (permit and reservation required)
• Tekarra – Jasper National Park (permit and reservation required)
• Signal Mountain – Jasper National Park (permit and reservation required)

Entry / Exit Points

• South – Maligne Lake  
• North – Jasper

Resupply

• Jasper

SECTION F: JASPER TO MOUNT ROBSON

It is here where the GDT really starts to become remote. The route heads north from the more travelled sections of Jasper and deep into the hinterlands. Before attempting this section, ensure you’re comfortable with off trail navigation and being self-sufficient. It’s not uncommon to go several days without seeing anyone. On the flip side, by many accounts, this is among the most sublime sections of the GDT.

LEAVING JASPER TOWNSITE

Heading west from the town of Jasper, lies the Yellowhead highway. It’s named after Pierre Hastination, a 19^th century Iroquois trapper and fur trader known for his blonde hair, earning him the nickname Tete Jaune (or Yellow Head). This is probably the most significant portion of road walking on the trail as the highway can be busy. Some will try to skip this walk and hitch the 20 km to the Miette River trailhead. Alternatively, you can avoid the highway by following a network of trails, old tote roads, and a bit bushwhacking to make it to the same trailhead. Chasing the Miette River up to its source, you’ll climb over Centre, Grant and Colonel Passes before climbing down into the adjacent Moose River valley in Mount Robson Provincial Park. A long alternate here follows the Moose River back down to Highway 16. You’ll ford the river several times as you head up the valley towards Moose Pass at its head.

Campgrounds in this area:

• Minnow Lake (Marjorie-Dorothy Lakes alternate) – Parks Canada (Permits and reservations required)
• Miette River – Parks Canada random camping (Permits required)
• Miette Lake – Parks Canada random camping (Permits required)
• Colonel Pass – Parks Canada random camping (Permits required)
• Trio (Moose River alternate) – BC Parks random camping (No permit required)
• Colonel Creek– BC Parks random camping (No permit required)
• Steppe Creek – BC Parks random camping (No permit required)
• Slide – BC Parks random camping (No permit required)
• Calumet – Parks Canada random camping (Permits required)

Entry / Exit Points

• South – Highway 16   
• Mid – Highway 16 via Moose River alternate
• North – Highway 16 via Berg Lake alternate

Resupply

• Jasper

MOUNT ROBSON AND BERG LAKE

At Smoky River you’ll encounter a key decision point. This is the junction with the world-famous Berg Lake Trail. The route through Mount Robson Provincial Park was the original terminus of the GDT and many still exit here. It’s much easier to access the trailhead from here compared to the current terminus at Kakwa Lake. Others will use Mt. Robson as a resupply point. It is however, a 30-mile (50km) round trip and permits to camp along the Berg Lake trail can be difficult to obtain. The trail passes by Mt Robson, the tallest mountain in the Canadian Rockies (just shy of 13,000 ft) which drops its ice in the aptly named Berg Lake. Note: Due to flooding in 2021, the Berg Lake trail is currently closed with no details if it will be open in 2022.

Campgrounds in this area:

• Adolphus (off trail) – Parks Canada (Permits and reservations required)
• Robson Pass (Berg Lake alternate) – BC Parks (Permits and reservations required)
• Rearguard (Berg Lake alternate) – BC Parks (Permits and reservations required)
• Berg Lake (Berg Lake alternate) – BC Parks (Permits and reservations required)
• Marmot (Berg Lake alternate) – BC Parks (Permits and reservations required)
• Emperor Falls (Berg Lake alternate) – BC Parks (Permits and reservations required)
• Whitehorn (Berg Lake alternate) – BC Parks (Permits and reservations required)
• Kinney Lake (Berg Lake alternate) – BC Parks (Permits and reservations required)

Entry / Exit Points

• Highway 16 via Berg Lake Trail

Resupply

• Mount Robson

SECTION G: MOUNT ROBSON TO KAKWA

Several sections of the trail vie for the moniker “heart of the GDT”. Section B contains the first dedicated sections of trail (and where a lot of current work is being done). Section C passes through some of the most spectacular scenery in the Rockies, but it is also the most popular and crowded. Parts of Section E spend mile after wondrous mile in the high alpine. However, it is Section G where you truly encounter the rugged, remote wilderness that the GDT is known for. Once you leave highway 16 past the Jasper townsite, you won’t cross another road until you finish the trail. Here trails are rarely maintained, bridge crossings are few, deadfall is plentiful and bail out options are limited, but you will be rewarded by some of the most spectacular hiking on the Great Divide. Be prepared for up to 10-day (or longer) food carries.

THE NORTH BOUNDARY TRAIL

Continuing on the main route of the GDT, we move from section G to section F and the remote (and soggy) Smoky River valley. At Chown Creek and Bess Pass you’ll be following parts of the Jasper North Boundary Trail. This can be hiked as a separate 115 mile (185 km) thru-hike taking you through the remote northern sections of Japer National Park. From this point on, you may encounter horses on the trail so make sure to brush up on your etiquette.

Leaving the North Boundary Trail you’ll cross into the Jackpine Valley and the first of several similar decisions you’ll make from here on in. At many points the trail will splits between a high route and a low route. The high routes typically take you above the treeline, giving you incredible views of remote peaks, glaciers and valleys. On the flip side, these high routes are exposed to lightning, and often involve route finding (no trails). If conditions are good, most folks recommend taking the high routes. If weather is poor, you may have to constrain yourselves to the muddier, brushier valleys.

Campgrounds in this area:

• Wolverine North (often flooded into late August) – Parks Canada (Permits and reservations required)
• Timothy Slides – Parks Canada random camping (Permits required)
• Chown Creek – Parks Canada (Permits and reservations required)

Entry / Exit Points

• South – Highway 16 via Berg Lake Trail
• North – Highway 16 via Holmes River Road and Blueberry Lake (Jackpine Highroute)    

Resupply

Some folks will make arrangements for supplies to be cached at Blueberry Lake

TAKING THE HIGH OR LOW ROAD

For the Jackpine, the main trail takes you across a ridge line with a lower alternate trail in the valley. Work is being done to clear the trail in this area, do remember to thank a volunteer if you come across a crew. You can exit the trail at Holmes River, but this is a 25 mile (43km) unmaintained route back to highway 16. At Jackpine Mountain, you can again choose to stay in the alpine along the Perseverance and Loren Lake High Routes or climb down to the Jackpine River.

The trails rejoin each other at Big Shale Hill and closely parallel the Great Divide for several miles with an optional side trip to the summit of Mount Talbot. Staying up high, the trail heads over Morkill and Fetherstonhaugh Passes.

Back down into Casket Creek valley, you’ll find a junction with the Sheep River trail and an exit to Grande Cache in Alberta. This 45 mile (72 km) unmaintained trail through the Wilmore Wilderness, has a few significant fords, but ends in town and full services.

Passing into BC and Kakwa Provincial Park, the next two alternates are the Surprise Pass and Providence Pass high routes. If conditions allow, again, taking these high routes are preferred as you can enjoy beautiful views of Cecilia Lake. The two trails meet up again at Kakwa Lake and the official end of the trail. A campground and cabin mark the terminus of the GDT.

Campgrounds in this area:

• Jackpine River – Random Camping (Alberta crown land camping pass required)
• Pauline Creek – Random Camping (Alberta crown land camping pass required)
• Shale Pass  – Random Camping (no permits required)
• Morkill Pass – Random Camping (no permits required)
• Casket Pass – Random Camping (Alberta crown land camping pass required)
• Copper Kettle – Random Camping (Alberta crown land camping pass required)
• Broadview Lake – BC Parks Random camping (no permits required)
• Kakwa Lake – BC Parks Random camping (no permits required)
• Kakwa Lake Cabin – BC Parks (first come first served)

Entry / Exit Points

• South – Highway 16 via Holmes River Road and Blueberry Lake (Jackpine Highroute)    
• Mid – Grande Cache (Alberta Highway 40) via Sheep River Trail
• North – None

Resupply

• None

NOT QUITE DONE YET

This isn’t the end though. Several bridge washouts on the Kakwa Lake road currently makes the terminus inaccessible by vehicle. From the lake it’s a 30km walk to the Bastille Creek Trailhead which is the closest you can get by vehicle (and on a rough forestry road at that). Down the road, it’s 74 km (46 miles) to highway 16. While some have managed to grab a hitch along the forestry road, others have had to walk all the way to the main highway. From there you’ll need to get a ride west Prince George (the closest Airport to the terminus) or east towards Valemont and Jasper. There is talk of BC Forestry making repairs to this road, so stay tuned for updates.

Campgrounds in this area:

• Buchannan Creek (hike out) – Random camping (no permits required)

Entry / Exit Points

• South – None   
• North – Highway 16

Resupply

• You’re still here? It’s over, go home ? either that or turn around and start back south…

by Gordon Matthies

This is how this trip was advertised by Dan: “Do you love the GDT, hard work, and short notice trips? Next weekend (August 14/15) a group of GDTA volunteers are flying in to the remote Jackpine Valley in Section G for a week of hard work and suffering. We may have a few extra spots in the heli. The Jackpine Valley is the roughest stretch on the entire GDT, as it hasn’t been maintained for decades. This fly-in trip with brush saws will make a huge difference for future hikers. We’re getting dropped off deep in the woods and then backpacking out 5 0km over the next 7 days. Expect long days of hard work and slow progress.”

So of COURSE we went on this trip! Just to top it off it rained for a good part of the week too. Please enjoy this video showing a bit of what we did during this amazing week. It was so much work but so much fun and in the most beautiful part of paradise. Top it all off with some crazy hard workers and good times! Best part is… there is still another half of the valley to clear!

Looking for inspiration for your summer on the trails?  Check out these amazing videos created by three talented thru-hikers from the GDT class of 2021.

Brigid Scott 

Brigid is a teacher and outdoor adventurer from Jasper, AB, with a scrambling and photography problem. Follow along for daily videos of her 2021 thru-hike with her husband, Mark:

Great Divide Trail – YouTube

Justin Hicks 

Justin is an outdoorsman from Calgary, AB, lucky enough to be in one of the best places to get out and experience the backcountry and outdoors. His YouTube channel is all about taking you on those journeys and providing some tips, tricks, and gear recommendations for your own adventures. Take a look at the video of his solo GDT thru-hike:

36 Days Solo Thru-Hiking the Rocky Mountains | Full Documentary – YouTube

Bruce Watts  

After a challenging and rewarding 30 years as a police officer, Bruce retired healthy, happy, and ready for new challenges. He thru-hiked the Bruce Trail in 2019, the Rideau Trail for the second time in 2020, and the GDT in 2021. When he’s not backpacking, Bruce can be found paddling, cycling, or circling the continent in an RV with his wife of 38 years. Below is a link to his GDT trail diaries:

Great Divide Trail Diaries – YouTube

Many thanks to Brigid, Justin, and Bruce! 

by Paul Jollymore

The Cairnes Creek crossing has presented a problem in recent years with washouts due to high levels of glacial runoff and flood waters. Our goal last year was to re-establish a safe means of crossing at the David Thompson Trail junction. Dave Higgins led a team in June that prepped the site and made a valiant effort to move a 15m tree into position but fell short as some of our equipment couldn’t bear the load. Our group of eight was not to be deterred and built a temporary structure that enabled hikers a crossing for the 2021 hiking season. A day trip to the Lambe Creek crossing involved some trail work to bypass some wet sections as well as railing repairs at the Lambe Creek Bridge.

A group of four returned in September with some heavy duty gear and a new plan. The new structure progressed without a hitch and we are left with an elevated crossing that should last for years!

These efforts were captured on video for you to enjoy as you watch the bridge building action.

by Eloise Robbins

“It is the worst hiking I’ve ever done in my life,” the southbounder complained, a soft accent masking the fatigue in his voice. “It took me all day just to get between camps. Terrible. Alders up to here.” His hand hovered over his head. This awful section of trail, which had him so shaken up? The Jackpine River, infamous among thru-hikers as the very worst section of bushwhacking on the entire Great Divide Trail.

A dirty smudge covered his cheek, and one pant leg was ripped from ankle to knee. To be fair, we didn’t look any better. We’d stopped for the night at Chown Horse Camp, north of Mount Robson. We only had a week left to hike the final kilometers of the Great Divide Trail, but we were struggling. The trail had gotten steadily worse after leaving Jasper. I’d torn a hole in my pants clambering over downed trees, and alders and willows had blocked the path for most of the past week. We’d spent the day fording swollen rivers past the remnants of washed out bridges. And apparently it was about to get even worse.

We left camp in the morning, saying goodbye to our new friend. We crossed Chown Creek over and over, until our feet went numb in the glacial water. We climbed up towards Bess Pass, blood rushing back to our feet in painful pins and needles. We crossed another valley, then up, up, up, across the trailless wilderness of the Jackpine Alpine to Blueberry Lake. Glacier-studded mountains ringed the high plateau, while streaks of virga rained down from patchy clouds.

We set up camp at Blueberry Lake, cooking dinner in the lee of a few stunted pines. Dusk fell, turning the snow streaked peaks pink with alpenglow. Exhausted, we were about to turn in when we heard voices. Three figures emerged from the trees, carrying a strange, electronic box.

“Northbound? You’re in for a treat!” One of the figures greeted us. “We just got done with the Jackpine Valley. Cleared a bunch of brush. Once you hit Spider Creek, it’s smooth sailing.”

The trail crew stayed for a while, chatting with us about our hikes and what we could expect from the next section. As the first stars popped out overhead, they wandered off to set up the trail camera they carried, and return to their tents for the night.

We rose early, anxious to get a head start on the Jackpine. After we crossed another pass, the trail descended steeply, the way frequently blocked by fallen pines. Blueberries the size of grapes lined the trail: a reward for the tough travel. We reached the river, following a rough animal track through alders that wound together above my head, forming a tunnel that blocked out the building clouds above.

We forded the river, again and again, trying to stay on horse paths that were little more than faint indentations in the vegetation. The trail crew had given us hints on the easiest travel, and told us to cross the water whenever the path petered out. We couldn’t get too lost: we just had to follow the river as it meandered down the valley. But our way was frequently blocked by impenetrable vegetation, thick as a wall. Occasionally, we had no choice but to put our heads down and push through, stems as fat as my wrist grabbing at my clothes, and wet leaves whipping my face as they sprang back from my husband pushing through in front of me.

I checked my phone constantly. Not because I was worried about getting lost, but because I was counting down the kilometers to Spider Creek. Just a few hundred meters away, and the clouds that had been building all day burst. Thunder boomed and echoed across the valley, loud as a rockslide. We took refuge in a stand of pines on the banks of the Spider. Across the river, we could see a trail badge, white and shiny and new. We’d made it.

After half an hour, the storm moved off. Soaked and grumpy, we searched for the trail. The blaze was right there. But where was the trail? Surely it must be obvious? We traipsed back and forth searching, wet rain gear sticking to our skin, until we shivered from the damp. Finally, we gave up, bushwhacking towards the river. In this narrow valley, we’d find the path eventually, right?

Two kilometers later, and I’d given up completely. The trail maintenance was a lie. We’d be stuck in bushwhacking hell forever. There was no escape. I thought about resigning myself to my fate and lying down on the side of the river. The only problem was that there wasn’t a single square inch that wasn’t covered in these damn alders.

Then, appearing like a dream, a single cut stem, the white sapwood broken and bright against a ring of dark bark. Underfoot, green leaves were trampled into the mud. Another broken shrub, and then another, until the trail was lined with cut leaves and torn branches. It wasn’t pretty: the trail crew had hacked and cut with speed and violence rather than precision. But after fighting through the brush for days, I too would have taken great pride in whacking back at the bushes.

In an instant, we picked up speed. We went from a half a kilometer an hour crawl to flying down the river valley. We didn’t need to wonder where the trail went: cut branches showed the way. I didn’t need to put my head down and push through woody stems, and not a single branch smacked me in the face. After being drenched from the carwash effect of wet branches, my rain gear finally began to dry.

We followed the cut bushes all the way to Big Shale Hill. Every time we crossed what had formerly been a particularly thick patch of brush, we’d thank the trail crew out loud. “Thank you trail crew!” my husband sang out as we walked through sawdust surrounded a cut log that would have blocked the trail a few days ago. “Thank you trail crew!” I called while following neon flagging where a burn had obliterated the trail. The smell of cut pine gave the trail a festive feel, and my husband sang Christmas carols as he followed me up towards the crest of Big Shale through the fog. Trail maintenance was the best present we could have received.

I’ve never hiked a trail as dynamic as the GDT. You can see how much it’s changing in every blaze, every cut tree, or reroute to avoid a dirt road. We bumped into two separate trail crews in 1,100 kilometers. On my entire AT thru-hike, a much more popular trail three times as long, I didn’t see a single crew. You can feel how well loved this trail is as you hike it. You can tell there’s an entire group of people supporting it, figuring out how to make it better.

I’ve heard from friends who hiked a few years ago just how hard the GDT used to be. Sure, it’s still plenty challenging now, but you can see just how much the trail has improved. If it wasn’t for the work of volunteers, we might still be fighting against the alders in the Jackpine.

So, on behalf of all thru-hikers past, present, and future, thank you. Thank you if you joined a trail crew this summer. Thank you if you’ve cut a log or flagged a route in the past. Thank you if you’re watching the GDTA website intently, waiting for opportunities to volunteer next summer. Thank you if you donated money so others could get out there and clear a path. Thank you if you volunteer behind the scenes, raising money or doing admin work. We said it out loud to your work on the trail this summer, but now I want to say it to your face. Thank you.

by Oliver Cautereels

Dear readers of the Pathfinder Newsletter,

My name is Oliver Cautereels. After working at Pfizer Manufacturing Puurs (Belgium) for a little over one year as a project engineer on the validations and optimizations of the first production line of the Covid-19 “Comirnaty” vaccine, I accumulated so much overtime that I was able to take a long holiday from September to December.

Part of my holiday was going for my first solo thru-hiking experience. I decided to embark on the biggest adventure of my life in the Canadian wilderness. I left Waterton on Wednesday the 29th of September and arrived in Jasper on Saturday the 30th of October. According to my watch, it took me 1,281,511 steps to thru-hike this section of the GDT. My extremely limited research and preparation suggested that hiking in Canada in October would be very challenging. In this article, I wanted to share my experience of this winter wonderland with you.

“Beyond the very extreme of fatigue and distress, we may find amounts of ease and power we never dreamed ourselves to own; sources of strength never taxed at all because we never push through the obstruction” – Scott Jurek

This quote by Scott Jurek perfectly summarizes my main take away from my hike. It is incredibly fulfilling to keep pushing through your own physical and mental boundaries again and again and again. However tired I sometimes got from hiking in the knee-deep snow, the stunning views I got to enjoy while catching my breath were more than enough to keep me moving forward.

My first few days on the trail were marked with errors, even though I brought all relevant sections of Ryan Silk’s GDT Map Atlas. Somewhere in the dale between Mt. Matkin and Font Mountain, where the trail runs along the divide between British Columbia and Alberta, my mishaps started to accumulate. I lost the trail somewhere and had to climb a ridiculously steep side of the mountain covered with scuffs. I worked up a serious sweat hoisting myself up along the branches of the pine trees and the blades of grass. At the end of one of my mini-breaks to check my trajectory, I forgot to pick up my hiking poles. When I realized this a few minutes later, I was unable to retrace my exact steps. After some searching I decided to continue without my poles. They make a good excuse to go back on the trail and look for them some day.

Later on, I noticed the pocket in the waistband of my backpack was unzipped. Evidently, the specific page of the map atlas (A4 – La Coulotte Ridge and A5 – West Castle Road) was missing. At this point I was still lost, but I kept heading westwards and by some miracle encountered my first GDT-plaque on the mountain. I did however get to enjoy my first sunset on the trail.

I tried following the ridge of the mountain, but due to the falling darkness, I decided to make my way down into the valley to find a somewhat level spot to pitch my tent. Bushy pines and fallen trees harassed me on the way down and the needles of the pine trees scuffed my legs like little whips. My suffering was eased when I heard some running water. While filling my canteens, I slipped and fell in the water. A bit farther down I stumbled upon something that looked like a fire road where I was able to set up camp. Tired, lost and with wet feet I crawled into my sleeping bag. This was only my third night on the trail and I wondered what other hurdles it would have in store for me.

On my first day of Section B, I had an encounter with a grizzly on my way to the Window Mountain Lake Campground. Luckily, the astonishing creature didn’t want anything to do with me, and stormed off in the other direction. I lost the safety of my bear spray in this encounter, and like Murphy predicted, this would come to haunt me at the most inconvenient moment, namely while shoving my backpack in my tent a few days later. My spray deployed in my tent. After crying my eyes out for ten to fifteen minutes, I crammed some toilet paper in my nose and tried cleaning up the mess. Since it was freezing outside, I had to sleep in my tent. In the middle of the night, I woke up with a burning sensation on my hands and chest, which were flaming red. I stumbled to the creek near my campsite, filled my canteen and rinsed my chest repeatedly with the icy water. Even though I am a seasoned Wim Hoff practitioner, this added a whole new dimension to it. Shivering uncontrollably, I crawled back in my tent, only to notice that some of the bear spray had made its nasty way inside my sleeping bag onto my liner. I removed the liner and jumped in my sleeping bag. Never in my life had I experienced such a sensation of coldness.

Be it these two anecdotes, waking up to frozen water inside your canteen, experiencing such freezing gusts of wind on the mountain tops that your gloves and boots freeze in a fixed position while wearing them, wading through knee deep snow for miles at a time, when you put your mind to it, you can overcome almost anything and derive incredible joy and fulfillment in doing so. “Pain is inevitable – Suffering is optional”.

Everything that went wrong on my first solo experience was utterly and completely my own fault. There was no one else to blame. This taught me that it is very much okay to make mistakes. Everyone makes them. Henceforth, I will try to own up to my own mistakes without shifting the blame to someone else.

The trail is magnificent as a whole. Personal highlights of the trail for me were the climb and descent of Whistling Pass to the pristine Haiduk Lake. The climb between Little and Big Shovel Pass where you’re surrounded by mountain tops covered in snow for as far as the eye can see.  

“Happiness only real when shared” – Christopher McCandless

In October, there are almost no other people on the trail. Apart from encounters near popular day-trip spots like Kananaskis Lake, I was completely alone for most of my trip. This made meeting people all the more special and I want to sincerely thank all the wonderful people I met along the trail:

• Kevin and his dog “Drifter”, who offered me a room when I arrived at the Castle Mountain Campground in the middle of the night.
• Josh and Carol who offered me a lift to Coleman after I got lost in Lynx Creek.
• Dan and Alannah from “A Safe Haven” who took care of me like real trail angels and recommended the GDT-app to me, which made getting lost almost impossible.
• Oscar, who was doing the GDT on bike in the opposite direction. We sheltered from a snow storm in the cabin at Tobermory Creek. That cabin really saved us.  
• Laurie and Dave, who offered me the best tasting orange of my life near Kananaskis lake.
• Liam, Vanessa and the whole crew of the Mount Engadine Lodge for making my stay awesome, offering me as much food as I desired and getting me new hiking boots since my boots broke down 150km ago!
• Felipe and Sebastian, for giving me a ride from Lake Louise to Field. Sebastian turned out to be the chef of the “Truffle Pigs” restaurant, awesome food!

I enjoyed all the highs and lows on my Great Canadian Adventure. The simple joy of walking in such stunning scenery and overcoming all hardships along the trail, filled me with a sense of happiness and satisfaction I had never before experienced. The Canadian wilderness is a marvelous place and I thank my lucky stars I was able to hike through it. Hopefully, you’ll get to enjoy it as much as I did. I can’t wait for my next adventure.

Oliver Cautereels

Here is a slideshow that tells the story of my hike – its beauty, its challenges, and more.  Please enjoy watching it.

by Dave Higgins

When it comes to stream crossings on the Great Divide Trail, that is indeed the question. Let’s see if we can come up with an intelligent answer! But first, some background and history:

The many creeks and rivers traversed by the nearly 1200 km route are barriers to safe, efficient foot travel. While “building bridges” is an obvious solution, it also happens to be a great metaphor full of positive connotations and possibilities (not to mention clichés, but let’s cross that bridge when we get to it!). I really like the notion, for example, of transcending both physical AND metaphorical barriers – philosophical differences between groups of people, for example. You can see this happening on each and every one of our bridge-building work trips. We often talk about building not walls but bridges. Hey, even the parts of songs are connected by bridges!

Famed Spanish architect and bridge designer Santiago Calatrava has this to say on the topic: “Building a bridge, in my opinion, is a symbolic gesture, linked with the needs of people who cross over it, and with the idea of overcoming or surmounting obstacles. A bridge can also be a work of art. It helps to shape our daily lives and becomes a vital experience for all the people who use it.”

Just ask Sara Dhooma, 2021 GDT thru-hiker who does a euphoric happy-dance on every bridge she encounters – you’d be forgiven for thinking these are the highlight of her trek! (check out her excellent GDT vlog on YouTube). To Sara, at least, trail bridges have their own special mystique.

I’m not inclined to disagree.

I’ve participated in the building of many bridges along the GDT over the past few decades and have crossed a great many more on trails in different places around the world. For me, encountering a footbridge while hiking is always a positive experience – even the ones that are overkill or seem entirely out of place still get me to the other side without risking life, limb, or wet feet. Perhaps because on my earliest hiking trips crossing a stream without getting soaked usually involved balancing precariously on slippery rocks or whatever remnants of fallen trees happened to be close by. On the other hand, that usually added to the sense of adventure.

Fallen trees were, in fact, the first “official” bridges on the GDT, and if no naturally occurring specimens were present in the vicinity of the crossing, we might have cut down a suitable dead-standing tree, axed off some limbs, and dragged it across the creek. Needless to say, good balance and willingness to take risks were essential traits of the early GDT hiker. Later we began creating simple two or three-log bridges resting on log sills, all using native trees. Few of these efforts lasted more than ten years, but on the other hand none cost any money!

I should acknowledge here that many backcountry hikers view bridges as unnecessary, even intrusive, trail features that detract from the authentic wilderness experience; I can certainly appreciate the sentiment. In my experience, thru-hikers prefer the convenience of bridges but laying down those 40-km days means barely breaking stride as they march straight through creeks and rivers – at least the ones where it’s not overly life-threatening. Aside from the observation that dry footwear is preferable to wet, mountain streams can and do have their bad days, especially following periods of rain or hot weather in the early season. So in my view, some bridges are necessary intrusions. The main questions are: where should they be installed (or not), and what kind of structure is appropriate?

Although I’m very much of the view that a bridge should look as “natural” as possible, practical considerations can get in the way. The more natural a bridge looks, the less safe it is to use and the shorter its lifespan – the fallen tree for example. Forty-plus years of experience as a volunteer organization tells us it’s very hard to keep on top of trail maintenance in remote areas, and many damaged or washed-out bridges take years to fix or replace. The simple bridges we created in the old days seemed perfectly fine at the time – but now we’re a lot more concerned about imposing unnecessary risks on trail users, and suddenly those logs seem awfully narrow and rickety, not to mention slippery in wet conditions – and the lack of anything to hold on to just makes things worse. Thru-hiker accounts confirm that upon encountering such a bridge, many opt to wade across.

Wayne Marshall and Dan Wallace were two of the catalysts for a re-boot of the long-dormant GDTA in the new millennium; one of their first priorities was to build new two-log bridges across several creeks along the original GDT. Their efforts sparked renewed interest in the Trail, and it wasn’t long before the Alberta Government got on board. Alberta Environment and Parks offered to construct new higher-quality footbridges at Cache, Lyall and Hidden Creeks, provided that we augmented their crews with some of our own workers. Later, they paid to have several well-constructed bridges built along the new High Rock Trail, and AEP continues to provide invaluable support to our mission.

Provincial government engagement has been instrumental in improving all of our trail construction standards compared to what they were in the early days. But none so much as the way we build bridges. Safety, longevity and minimizing impact to the local environment and wildlife are now the main drivers of bridge design. Native trees are still used in some cases, but increasingly we’re incorporating “foreign” materials – treated lumber for decking and handrails, cedar poles for stringers being two examples. Over the past six years these materials have been used for several projects along the new High Rock Trail and the “original” GDT in Section B, and at Lambe Creek in Section D. Fortunately for us (and stream health), the newer wood treatment products are completely benign and will not leach out of the wood fibres. These structures, built longer and higher than what they replaced, are expected to last several decades. Not exactly as natural looking as we might prefer, but like most things in life, when it comes to trail bridges there are trade-offs.

Handrails are one such compromise.  Many bridges built by the GDTA over the past decade or so don’t have them – if there’s good solid decking on the bridge and no serious risk of injury from a fall, handrails are an unnecessary additional expense (unless they’re needed for structural reasons).  A handrail or two will still be included if deemed necessary. At Lambe Creek in Section D, for example, it was just a bit too daunting to shuffle across two slippery logs that span a narrow gorge immediately below a waterfall. A single handrail (plus steel mesh on the logs), added during a 2019 work trip to re-open the David Thompson Heritage Trail, solved the problem.

In the “work of art” category, I was the designer and crew leader for a very unusual project in 2020. As part of rerouting a section of the original GDT at Lost Creek in Section B, a new footbridge was needed where none had existed before. Several factors precluded the use of local trees and there was no budget for helicopter support, so it was decided to try building a bridge entirely from treated dimensional lumber, which could be hand-carried piece-by piece to the site. An internet search revealed an ingenious concept invented by Leonardo DaVinci whereby individual lengths of wood (poles in his case) could be assembled without fasteners to create a strong arched structure. I found quite a few modern examples online, and set about building a model to sort out assembly details. Then the real thing was built on my Calgary driveway (to the amusement of my neighbours!). Each piece was lettered for easy re-assembly, then disassembled and loaded into a utility trailer for transport to the Lost Creek parking area, about 1.5 km from the bridge site. With the assistance of local trapper Rod Graham and his ATV, all the materials were moved to the site and Robert Armstrong expertly oversaw the assembly process. This was the only bridge project where previous experience with IKEA furniture was an asset!

The largest footbridge project ever contemplated by the GDTA – a new, permanent 17m-long structure intended for Cairnes Creek in BC (roughly the midway point of the GDT, in Section D), was engineered with laminated Douglas-fir beams, treated lumber decking and handrails, and galvanized steel gabion cages filled with many tons of rocks for one of the abutments. Designed to survive the creek’s frequent floods and last several decades, the $34,000 project was to be completed in 2021 but refusal on the part of the BC government to give their final approval has delayed it, perhaps indefinitely. Cairnes is one of the most hazardous stream crossings on the GDT, so leaving it as a ford isn’t an option. To make sure hikers had a way to cross the creek during the 2021 season, we fastened some lengths of lumber to a conveniently fallen tree some distance upstream on the floodplain, and removed them at the end of the season.

It took two work trips in July and September, but at last we successfully installed a provisional single-log crossing over this troublesome creek. Armed with various winches, cables and tripods and a lot of ingenuity (thank you Rob Biggs and Robert Armstrong!) we managed to pull a large, heavy spruce log across the rushing creek without getting it wet. The log was raised to a safe height above the creek on log cribbing, and a thick rope handrail was added. That should do the trick for the next few years, or at least until the next massive flood. Fingers crossed!

Near that location we’re planning to install a new 22m-long, permanent bridge over the turbulent Blaeberry River that will enable the official GDT route to follow an historic trail from Amiskwi Pass to Cairnes Creek (currently known as the “Collie Creek Alternate”), bypassing 15 km of tedious logging road travel. An existing road bridge currently used by logging trucks and hikers is due to be removed soon, and without a way to safely get across the river the new route will be unusable. The proposed footbridge will need to be placed by helicopter, dictating lightweight materials to minimize weight.

We got some experience working with a helicopter in July 2021, on the Cataract Creek bridge project in Section B. Like most GDT stream crossings, Cataract is a long way from driveable roads. It’s not accessible by ATV either, so all materials, tools and camp gear had to be airlifted. While costly, the end product is a very robust structure that should survive floods and last decades. In 2022 a similar bridge is being planned to replace a broken two-log crossing at the Oldman River.

Employing helicopters on bridge projects has really moved the needle on construction costs, which started out at virtually nothing when local trees were the go-to solution, to nearly $10,000 for the new Cataract bridge. This figure, however, is still a fraction of what similar projects would cost if undertaken by the government – a volunteer workforce can make a huge difference! Even so, the proposed Blaeberry bridge will still come in at around $50,000 (although 80% of the cost will likely be covered by a grant from the Columbia Basin Trust).

Obviously, we won’t be bridging every creek and river along the GDT with costs like these! So a practical way forward is to identify which crossings are not only dangerous enough to need fixed structures to get hikers safely to the other side, but also whether the effort and expense is risky in and of itself – that is, would the structure survive periodic natural events like floods or forest fires? Many creeks and rivers in Sections F and G, for example, simply don’t have banks high enough to keep the bridge structure above flood level, and often there aren’t enough loose rocks close by to build gabion abutments. On the other hand, most of those streams are easily forded during hiking season. A good thing, because these are the most remote and therefore costly places to build good quality bridges.

Fortunately, the various National and Provincial Parks traversed by much of the GDT route have their own budgets and crews to look after bridge construction and maintenance. That is, when and where they decide a bridge is a necessity rather than a nice-to-have. In the case of some National Parks, there’s a growing tendency to downgrade certain trails to either save money or discourage human use of the backcountry. One example is the Howse River in Section D, which is being left to revert to a natural state forcing hikers to use the floodplain – which wouldn’t be such a terrible thing if the river, which must be forded multiple times, didn’t tend to rise so much during hot or rainy weather.

The GDTA will continue to advocate for keeping important park trails like Howse River open and safe to use. But I suppose it’s a good thing most thru-hikers are the sort who feel the additional hardship and danger is an integral part of their GDT trek.

If you asked me to name my favourite type of crossing structure, I’d have to say a suspension bridge. There’s something airy and graceful about these bridges, and they seem to enhance their setting rather than detract in any way from it. Santiago Calatrava again: “Bridges with cables very easily resemble stringed instruments.” He likely had in mind one of his futuristic designs, but I think any suspension bridge, even those flimsy ancient ones spanning some ridiculously deep gorge in the Himalayas, can be described that way. Not only that, but crossing a swaying suspension bridge always adds to the adventure!

So why aren’t we building any of these? The simple answer is cost. For a volunteer organization like the GDTA, spending what it would take to properly engineer and construct a suspension bridge in a remote location, when there are less costly options, means we wouldn’t have funding for other initiatives. Some difficult stream crossings can only be spanned by a suspension bridge, but none of those are along the current GDT route outside of the parks.

Here’s one more good reason for building bridges on the GDT: volunteers like working on these projects. Sure, walking a section of trail that you’ve just completed is always gratifying, but there’s something extra special about standing back to appreciate a beautiful big structure that you’ve helped create with your own hands (additional gratitude, if needed, is always provided enthusiastically by passing hikers). And there are other intangible benefits to working closely with others to solve the many physical challenges. West Indian psychiatrist and political philosopher Frantz Fanon stated: “If the building of a bridge does not enrich the awareness of those who work on it, then that bridge ought not to be built.” A metaphorical assertion, possibly, but I think it would resonate with everyone who’s worked on our GDT bridges. If you haven’t had the chance to experience this yet, all you need to do is sign up for our next bridge-building trip.

I hope I’ve helped to enrich YOUR awareness of our GDT bridge strategy by writing this lengthy piece. Yes, it could have been shorter, but then – strained cliché alert! – it might have been abridged too far!

And if the “intelligent answer” to my opening question isn’t obvious by now, I think we can confidently say it’s Yes …. and No.

By Jenny L. Feick, PhD (All pictures except where noted were taken by the author.)

At this time of year the majority of the Great Divide Trail (GDT) lies blanketed by snow. Although we may feel sad not to be out on the trail right now, the snows of winter provide a valuable period of rest and rejuvenation for the plants and animals in high altitude areas, while avalanche season poses significant danger to human visitors. Since one can potentially experience snow near the Great Divide any month of the year, it’s a good idea to learn something about this magical mineral.

What is this white stuff anyway?

Snow consists of frozen water crystals that grow suspended within clouds when temperatures there sink below the freezing point (0 degrees Celsius, or 32 degrees Fahrenheit). Here, atmospheric water vapour condenses directly into ice without going through the liquid water stage. As each ice crystal forms, it absorbs and freezes additional water vapour from the surrounding air. The ice crystals may grow into clusters called snowflakes, lumpy opaque snow-ice pellets termed grauple, or small translucent mixtures of rain and ice called sleet, which then fall to Earth. Given cold enough conditions, the snowflakes, grauple or sleet accumulates on the ground where they undergo further changes. If on a slope, snow can also slide. Ultimately, the snow melts into liquid water, or sublimates (transitions from a solid to gaseous state) directly into water vapour in the atmosphere.

Indigenous people living in snowy environments have long used a wide array of terms to describe the diversity of snow conditions they encounter as these conditions affect their survival.  Snow scientists also use numerous terms to describe different snow formations. By studying snow, how it forms, where it falls, and how the snowpack changes over time, they can better understand how snow affects our planet and our society.

The Beauty and Magic of Snow

A snowy mountain scene looks beautiful as the shapes are often softened and the palette simplified. Snow often looks uniformly white because the surface of clean snow reflects most of the sunlight that hits it. Visible light is white and most or all of the visible light striking snow or ice surfaces gets reflected back without any particular preference for a single color.

However, snow can appear as other colours depending on circumstances. Snow filters light. As light waves penetrate snow or ice, the ice grains scatter a large amount of light. If light travels over any distance, it must survive many such scattering events. That is, it must keep scattering and not be absorbed.  More of the longer-waved lower energy red light gets absorbed by snow and ice than the short-waved high energy blue light. After about a meter (3.3 feet) or more, photons emerging from the snow layer tend to be made up of more blue light than red light and the snow appears bluish in colour. That’s why when you stick your ski pole down into deep snow or dig a snow pit and peer down, it looks blue.

Nevertheless, snow can also appear red or pink in hue.  However, this coloration results from a species of cryophilic, or cold-loving, fresh-water algae Chlamydomonas nivalis that contains a bright red pigment. C. nivalis and other chlamydomonads, a group of green algae characterized by single cells with two flagella at their anterior ends, which thrive in very cold, nutrient-poor conditions. Their winter bodies are red, dormant “cysts” that allow them to survive. The red pigment is an adaptation these algae have developed that helps protect them from the intense UV radiation experienced at high elevations and in ecosystems with no shade protection. This “watermelon snow” as it is often called in the Rockies, is usually seen in the summertime in high alpine areas. This pink to red snow may look and even smell appealing. However, harmful bacteria and toxic algae can contaminate snow algae. Consuming large quantities of watermelon snow has caused digestive ailments in the uninformed hiker. If you see it along the GDT, admire its beauty, but don’t eat it, just as you would avoid eating yellow snow.

Most natural materials absorb some sunlight, giving them the colour we see. How much sunlight the snowpack reflects to the atmosphere is characterized as snow’s albedo. The red snow algae as well as dark-colored particles such as dust and soot from forest fires alter more than the appearance of snow. Since they absorb more sunlight, they significantly shorten the duration of snow cover and hasten glacial ice retreat. New snowstorms will bury dust layers, but these darker layers in the snowpack will reemerge as the top ones melt away.

The characteristics and age of snow can affect how sound waves travel, heightening them in some cases, or reducing them in others. You may have noticed that snow may make crunching, creaking, and squeaking sounds. Each layer of snow is comprised of many tiny ice grains surrounded by air. When someone or something steps on snow, these grains get compressed. As the snow compacts, the ice grains rub against each other, creating friction or resistance. Lower temperatures create the most friction among the grains of ice. Sudden squishing of snow at low temperatures produces the well-known crunch, creak or squeak. The colder the snow, the louder the crunch. When temperatures approach the melting point of snow, the grains can easily slide against one another due to the lack of friction. This produces little or no noise.

Have you ever noticed how sound changes after a fresh snowfall? When a thick layer of fresh, fluffy snow falls on the ground and your tent, sound waves get readily absorbed at the snow surface, diminishing sound. That’s one of the reasons that cross-country skiing during or just after a fresh snowfall can feel so peaceful. However, time and weather conditions change the snow surface. As the snow melts and refreezes, it transforms into a smooth and hard surface. This surface then helps reflect sound waves. Under these circumstances, sounds may seem clearer and travel farther than usual.

The Benefits of Snow

There’s a reason why the expression “blanketed by snow” arose. New snow contains a high percentage of air (90-95%) trapped among the accumulated snow crystals. The air can barely move, which reduces heat transfer. During winter, snow provides a protective, insulating layer for the soil, slowing the flow of heat from the ground to the colder air above. The ground is relatively warm since heat stored in it over the summer is slow to dissipate. Snow close to the ground in deeper snowpack is warmer than the upper layers because it is near that comparatively warm ground. The colder the air above, the colder the snow layers near the surface will be, especially within the top 30 to 45 centimeters (12 to 18 inches). If a snowpack consistently retains a depth greater than 15 cm (six in.), the soil temperatures below stay warmer. Ironically, mild winter air temperatures and a lack of snow can cause the exposed ground below to become colder than normal. Without the snowpack’s protection, exposed soils, and plants freeze more readily. This also poses deadly risks for hibernating animals that depend on the insulating effects of snow around their dens to stay warm.

Beneath the snow (sub-nivial in Latin), lies the subnivium, a busy but fleeting microclimate where many plants and animals thrive. There, between the soil below and the icy precipitation above, temperatures hover just above freezing—relatively mild and humid to animals that above the snowpack would face lethally frigid temperatures, high winds, and greater exposure to predators. 

The subnivium abounds with life. Microorganisms live out their life cycles. Fungi continue their decomposition functions. Lichens and many plants, including mosses, bearberry, and prince’s pine get enough light transmitted through the snow to remain actively photosynthetic. Some of the flowering plants that one can see along the GDT, including spring beauty, glacier lily, Western anemone, and Indian hellebore, can germinate under the snow.

A remarkable number of animals also carry out much of their lives under the snow, including shrews, many small rodents, porcupines, weasels, and some bird species like ptarmigan. The frosty cloak above protects them. Certain species of small mammals (e.g. voles and shrews) actively forage for food all winter and even reproduce in this sub-niveal environment. These voles and shrews tunnel away at the layer of soil just below the snow, foraging for nuts and berries and hidden insects in the unfrozen leaf litter beneath the snowpack. Voles are particularly active sub-niveal creatures. Their predators, from coyotes and lynx to owls and hawks, have had to evolve acute hearing to pinpoint the exact location of their prey under the snow, and learn specialized hunting techniques not dependent on sight.

While deep snow can impede porcupine travel, making them vulnerable to their main predator, the fisher, snowy drifts provide a steady, mild temperature range for porcupines sleeping in their dens under rock outcrops in forested areas.  Willow ptarmigan spend much of the winter on top of the snow but must seek cover beneath its protective blanket when it gets extremely cold and to rest undisturbed. Unlike the grouse that seek shelter in conifers, the remarkable ptarmigan creates cozy snow caves in which to roost. Thirty cm (about 12 in.) down, these birds nestle into a warmer, more comfortable alternative to the frigid surface temperatures.

Other mountain plants and animals have special adaptations enabling them to live above the snowpack in winter all the time. Coniferous trees such as subalpine fir and Engelmann spruce that live in the snow forest zone grow tall with short branches that point down, aiding in the shedding of heavy snow. Snow affects ecosystems in varied ways, such as the timing of spring blooms, as well as wildlife migration and survival.

Some creatures have developed specialized feet that help to distribute their weight over a larger area enabling them to travel more easily on top of the snow. Canada lynx and their favourite prey, the snowshoe hare, epitomize this type of adaptation. The large, crescent-shaped hooves of mountain caribou with their distinctive dew clam imprint enable them to search for food in snow-covered areas that would be inaccessible to deer and moose, and to run in deeper snow than their main predators, wolves and cougars. Grouse adjust their seasonal footwear. Every autumn, the chainmail-like scales on their feet develop pectinations. These tiny, bristly projections nearly double each foot’s surface area, making it easier for the grouse to travel on snow. Each spring, these pectinations simply drop off. Ptarmigan have even more protection. Instead of fleshy bumps, the feet of these birds grow expansive feathers that act like insulated snowshoes, increasing both surface area and warmth.

People often consider the dearth of insects as one benefit of snow and winter. However, certain insects and other invertebrates can live on, in, or under snow. One of the most fascinating is the springtail, a type of ancient arthropod known as a hexopod in the class Collembola that has lived on Earth for 400 million years. Although nick-named snow fleas, these miniscule critters are no cousins to the insects called fleas, which evolved 200 million years ago. The only similarity the springtail and the flea have is size. They are both one to two mm long. A springtail doesn’t jump like a flea, using legs. It has a furcula, a tail-like appendage that catapults it nearly 100 times the length of its tiny body. Unlike a flea, it isn’t a parasite. Instead, springtails consume organic matter in the soil, which greatly helps with decomposition.  They thus help distribute the nutrients throughout ecosystems and they also help to control microbes. Snow fleas can and do live on snow, though, where they periodically appear in dense colonies. Their cells contain a glycine-rich antifreeze protein that helps them withstand bitterly cold temperatures. Once snow fleas sense snow is starting to thaw, they migrate up from their mud-bound homes to feed on algae and fungi in the snow. They need moist conditions for survival, but amazingly can live without food for years by recycling their own wastes or going dormant. Springtails come in a variety of different colours — purple, red, green springtails exist, although in the vicinity of the GDT the ones you will most likely see in dense colonies on the snow surface are either black or yellow (the golden snowflea).  There’s yet another reason to not eat yellow snow.

Another critter you could encounter out on the snows of the Great Divide is the northern ice crawler, Grylloblatta campodeiformis. These omnivorous insects are nocturnal predators and scavengers that actively search for small, invertebrate prey. They also venture onto snowfields, foraging for “insect-fallout” carried and deposited there by wind. Each individual adult is about 30 mm long, just over an inch, and a nice honey beige colour. The first specimen known to science was discovered in Banff National Park in 1913, high on the side of Sulphur Mountain.  Ice crawlers will live beside or even right on snowfields. They prefer temperatures of about 0° – 3° Celsius although they can tolerate temperatures of 10-20 °C for short periods. This species is the official insect of the Entomological Society of Canada and appears on the ESC’s crest.

Two insects that often get called snow spiders may also be seen walking on the snow surface on mild winter days, the snow scorpionflies and wingless snow-walking craneflies. Hint: Spiders are arachnids with eight legs. Insects have six legs. These two insects have similar shapes and sizes. However, snow scorpionflies are not true flies (in the order Diptera) whereas the wingless craneflies are, even though they lack wings.  Most spiders don’t do winter, although biologists have discovered a few renegade species of long-jawed orb weavers and wolf spiders in the sub-niveum surviving on springtails, craneflies and other insects able to tolerate cold temperatures.

So, the snow that seems to put our lives on the GDT on pause actually sustains the lives of many other living things. While some plant and animal species enter a state of dormancy or hibernation in late fall, others carry on throughout the snowy winter. Most people see a snowy winter landscape as empty and lifeless, but much ecosystem activity goes on below the snow.

Human beings have learned from sub-niveal animals and have used the insulating properties of snow to build snow dwellings in order to protect themselves from harsh winter weather. Even today, winter campers and climbers sometimes dig snow caves to sleep in. Although snow is cold, the air temperature inside a snow cave will stay higher than the exterior air temperature, which tends to plummet significantly at night. With the right sleeping bag and insulated foam pads, winter campers in snow caves often feel cozier than winter tent campers.

When Snow Gets Scary – The Perils of Snow Avalanches

A rapid flow of snow moving down a hill or mountainside is termed an avalanche. Three main parts make up an avalanche: the starting zone, the avalanche track or path, and the runout and deposition zone. The starting zone is the most volatile area of a slope, where areas of unstable snow can detach from the adjoining snow cover and start sliding. Given certain conditions, snow can fracture anywhere on the slope, but usually one finds starting zones high up. The avalanche track or path is the route that an avalanche follows as it heads downhill. If you see large vertical swaths of trees missing from a slope or chute-like clearings, they likely result from frequent large avalanches clearing the way as they race downhill. Avalanches can travel up to 90+ km/hr and many trees get blasted away by the even stronger winds generated in front of the advancing wall of snow and debris., Another telltale sign of avalanche activity is a large pile-up of snow and debris at the base of such slopes. This marks the runout and deposition zone where the snow and debris finally come to a halt.

Snow avalanches pose a significant risk to those who venture forth from November to May near the Great Divide in some of the accessible areas in the mountain parks and Kananaskis Country. Although avalanches can occur on any slope given the right conditions, certain locations, weather conditions, and times of day tend to be more dangerous than others.

The basic ingredients for any avalanche include a mass of snow, a slope for it to slide down, a weak layer in the snow cover and a trigger. Large avalanches get released naturally and relatively harmlessly in natural wild mountainous regions when the snowpack becomes unstable and layers of snow begin to fail. Mountain goats that dwell in these high alpine areas sometimes get killed by avalanches, providing a ready stored of fresh frozen food for hungry bears when they emerge from their winter dens in springtime. Grizzly bears often make their dens near avalanche paths in order to take advantage of this phenomenon as well as the fresh green shoots of willows, the succulent bulbs of avalanche or glacier lilies, and any unwary ground squirrels or marmots still dozy from their long hibernation. Skiers and other winter recreationalists can trigger smaller avalanches that prove deadly for people in the immediate vicinity. After one hour, only one in three victims buried in an avalanche is found alive. The most common causes of death are suffocation, wounds and hypothermia.

Several factors affect the probability of an avalanche, including weather, temperature, slope steepness, slope orientation (i.e., whether the slope faces north or south, east or west), wind direction, terrain, vegetation, and snowpack conditions. Various combinations of these factors generate low, moderate, or extreme avalanche risk. Certain conditions, such as temperature and snowpack, can change on a daily or even hourly basis.

Those engaged in cross-country skiing, backcountry ski touring, snowshoeing, and winter hiking activities need to be aware of the risks and conditions and willing to modify their plans and behavior as the avalanche danger increases. Anyone contemplating a winter trip on the GDT should take avalanche safety training such as those offered by Avalanche Canada, Alpine Club of Canada, and other organizations.  To stay safe in backcountry travel in the winter requires more planning, additional skills, the right gear, and more fortitude. Less latitude for error exists. Frostbite, hypothermia, or death by avalanche threaten those who fail to plan and prepare, those whose arrogance and ego overcome their common sense, and those who make mistakes. 

The snows of the Great Divide deserve our respect, admiration and appreciation. The ephemeral subnivial microhabitat can be destroyed by the movements of larger organisms overhead. As more people escape the cities to enjoy the many health benefits of outdoor winter activities, the compaction from many footsteps, skis, snowshoes and snowmobiles whittles away the sensitive subnivium. Snow ecosystems are also vulnerable to broader global environmental changes. Places like the Great Divide region characterized historically by snowy, chilly winters tend to be more susceptible to human-caused fluctuations than other places on Earth. Climate scientists expect snow cover to decrease with a warmer climate, melting earlier each spring and sometimes melting and freezing into ice instead of snow. This will affect water supplies and wildlife habitats. As the world warms, climate scientists also expect more extreme less predictable snowfall events, more avalanches, shorter less consistent snow seasons, and less snowy winter weather over time. In response, Sheila Watt-Cloutier wrote The Right to be Cold and many outdoor enthusiasts have come together in the Protect Our Winters movement.

Climate change has already disrupted snow regimes in Western Canada and we can anticipate more significant effects on alpine ecosystems over the coming decades. Those of us hiking and working on the GDT may be among the first to witness and adapt to these effects. The next time you watch snowflakes fall from the sky or look out on a snowy mountain landscape, take a moment to reflect on the beauty, fragility, and importance of snow in shaping the world as we know it, and how in turn, people affect the future of snow.

By Jenny L. Feick, PhD

Writing the article on the Snows of the Great Divide got me thinking about encounters we had with snow while doing the field work for Project: Great Divide Trails back in 1974.  Here are a couple of Great Divide snow-related excerpts from the book Tales from the Great Divide. In these sections of dialogue taken from the book, Dave refers to Dave Higgins, Lani to Lani Smith, Jenny to Jenny Feick (rhymes with hike), Cliff to Cliff White, and Davie to Dave Zevick.

For anyone interested in reading more stories from the folks who initiated the idea of Canada’s Great Divide Trail and Great Divide Trail Association, you can still purchase a copy of the Second Edition of the book in three ways:

1. Order a print-on-demand version from Amazon for Cdn $85.00 (rate in US$ varies with the exchange rate) plus shipping (free for Amazon Prime members). 
2. Arrange to purchase a printed copy directly in person from Jenny Feick, the editor, in the Invermere area for Cdn $65.00 (shipping anywhere in Canada would cost $20.00) by emailing jenny.feick@gmail.com.
3. Order a PDF version from the Nature Wise Consulting website for Cdn $25.00 – https://naturewise.me/consulting/product/tales-from-the-great-divide-second-edition/

From Page 25 of the 2^nd edition of Tales from the Great Divide:

DAVE: [Coleman was] “The perfect jumping-off point for all of our study areas for the first two-thirds of the summer.”

LANI: “That’s where you started from?”

JENNY: “Yes. We were going south to north, with the idea that the snow would be less in the south.”

CLIFF: “As it turned out, that year was a horrific snow year. We had a heck of a time!”

JENNY: (Looking at Dave) “When we were in Tornado Pass, we had so much snow.”

DAVE: “There was still about two to three metres of snow on the ground in the [Tornado] Pass, and we were trying to find trails! So, this is not really going too well.”

From Page 49-50 of the 2^nd edition of Tales from the Great Divide:

CLIFF: “The nice thing about it was that the Great Divide Trail went through there. It was never logged as you come into Banff [National Park from North or South Kananaskis Pass], and all the way down through Kananaskis Country, either between the Height of the Rockies or on the Kananaskis side, it’s in pretty good shape. So, it was a nice way to finish the summer. We had a spectacular August, if I remember right. Fantastic weather.”

JENNY: “Except for when we got snowed on at Kananaskis Lakes!”

DAVE: “August 12th, we had our first snow of the season. We got well and truly snowed out there. And the Kananaskis Road at that time was being turned into a Kananaskis Highway, and we had to actually traverse [the construction area].We had to drive our little beat-up car [the VW] over Highwood Summit, which was a complete mess. Actually, I think there’s a picture of the car on that [construction area], where the little car is set in all the rocks on the road and everything. It was taken around then. But I remember having to evacuate out of there in a blizzard, basically.”

CLIFF: “I can remember that day. Davie and I were at Connor Lakes that day trying to get out of the pass into Abruzzi Creek. It was a really snowy day. We had to go over that pass until we got into [the] Abruzzi Creek [drainage].We sort of did that loop, but never ended up on the Great Divide Trail. It was beautiful country. That was the one thing that saved the upper [Elk] valley. It was stripped down low, but up high it was just NOT logging country. It had been burnt in 1936, so all the side valleys were burnt out. And beyond a few seismic roads, which never found any oil or gas, most of the country there was in pretty good shape.  So, that was nice.   It started to get pretty nice after that.”

47 Years Later – 2021

Even today, hikers should expect to encounter snow on the high-altitude parts of the GDT any month of the year and prepare accordingly. While the lingering snows of June and mid-August snowfalls along the Great Divide were typical patterns observed in the 1970s through the 1990s, climate change is making these trends less predictable. In 2021, GDT thru-hikers experienced extremely high temperatures in June through to mid-August and the first significant snow fell in the alpine at the end of August and into early September.

Section A: No updates.

Section B:

• The High Rock Trail is officially the main route of the GDT this year – woo hoo! The opening ceremony for the HRT took place on July 22.
• The GDTA will cease support of the old route from Deadman Pass to North Fork Pass.

Section C:

• Sunshine Village is open again this summer which means the cafe, restaurant, accommodation, gondola and shuttle service to Banff are available. Resupply cache service is available for $100 + GST. Contact Sunshine Village for more information.
• Peter Lougheed Visitor Centre will not be accepting resupply packages again this year but Nicole Sharpe has generously offered to deliver resupply boxes to the Elk Pass Trailhead in Peter Lougheed Provincial Park to GDTA members for a fee of $25 and to non-members for $40. Contact Nicole through Facebook or at nicole.d.sharpe@gmail.com to book your delivery service and receive mailing instructions. Once you’ve paid the fee, Nicole will give you her Zoleo satellite communicator number in case on-trail communication is needed.

Section D:

• Improvements to the Collie Creek alternate route have taken place this summer, including the construction of a bridge over Collie Creek, making it highly recommended this year. Note the new (flagged) route to access the bridge.

• There is a small route change at Conway Creek where the trail heads towards the Howse floodplain. Rather than fording Conway Creek back and forth, the route stays on the north side of the creek avoiding the two fords of Conway Creek.

Section E:

• The Six-Passes Alternate Route is closed to all overnight random camping but is open to random day use activity.
• The three campgrounds on the Maligne Pass Trail previously available online as ‘Maligne Pass North’ (Mary Vaux, Mary Schäffer, Trapper Creek) are listed in the online reservation system separately, 1 site per night at each campground, with the exception of Trapper Creek campground which is closed this summer.
• Reminder that reservations for the two campgrounds that Parks Canada opened to GDT hikers last year – Cline and McCready – are both only available via phone.

Section F:

• The Berg Lake Trail remains closed and it will not open this summer so hikers should plan accordingly when arranging resupply or exiting the trail.
• The Moose River Trail remains open so hikers can connect with Section G.
• Exiting via the Moose River Trail to Highway 16 is another option.

Section G:

• With the closure of the Berg Lake Trail, exit or resupply (with support) via the Blueberry Trail are good options.
• Improvements to the Walker Creek FSR took place last summer. BC Parks lists Walker Creek FSR as closed at km 37 due to unsafe road conditions, but the road remains accessible beyond that point for those with high clearance 4WD vehicles willing to drive the very rough and overgrown road all the way to from the Bastille Creek trailhead.
• Robson Valley Adventures Unplugged has confirmed they will be providing shuttle and resupply services to the Kakwa and Blueberry trailheads this summer.
• Following last year’s successful maintenance trip in the Jackpine valley, the route has been updated in several places. More of the old trail was discovered and restored but it does mean that the trail now fords the Jackpine River more frequently (at least 6 times more than previously). In normal water level conditions these fords are easy and only knee deep but hikers should be aware.
• Two additional campgrounds were discovered in the Jackpine valley and have been added to the GDT map & app: Gilbey’s camp and Castor Creek campground.
• Note the name of Sheep Creek campground has been changed to its historic name “Copper Kettle camp”. 

Happy trails and good luck out there in 2022!