There were a few lakes to choose from in which to hike to today. I opted for Wall Lake! I saw Wall Lake from up on Akamina Ridge back in 2012 but I have not hiked to it as a destination nor have I spent time at it. Once again I drove up the Akamina Parkway to the trailhead parking lot. As I pulled in two guys were leaving their vehicle and heading up the trail. I was glad they were clearing the way before me. Once again, yes of course, I have my bear spray.
Once again also, like at every other trail head in Waterton, please wipe your feet before and after the hike.
There was cloud and rain in the forecast for later in the day.
I was happy to have some blue sky as I started hiking.
loads of healthy green vegetation early on
Deja Vu! This was a busy trail for birds but not for people. Many songs of different kinds were filling the air but it was challenging to spot the birds. This White-Crowned Sparrow stayed still long enough for me to get a clear photo. It was my first time for seeing this type of sparrow.
So far there was more green than autumn shades along this trail. The pink did pop!
This area was not spared either from the 2017 wildfires.
Since those wildfires, there are now mountain views every where!
view along the way
The border between Alberta and British Columbia is not that far from the trailhead.
cairn display
beauty in charred trees paired with vibrant red vegetation
It was time for a break when I arrived at the Akamina Backcountry Campground. Since I would be coming back this way, I decided I would check out the campground later. For now, it was snack time.
Wall Lake was my destination for today. I did though take the turnoff for Forum Lake and hike a short distance to see the new Wardens Cabin. This was as close as I could get. It was boarded up until next spring. It's a nice structure built in a beautiful location.
The outhouse does remain accessible.
This type of trail is easy on the feet. You could see that it's a busy route, although all those footprints are probably from prior days. My guess is the two guys ahead of me probably carried on up to Forum Lake and then up onto Akamina Ridge. While looking at all the footprints, I checked too to see if there were bear prints but there were none to be seen. In fact, so far this entire visit, I have seen no skat, nor bear prints nor bears. While along this section which was nearing Wall Lake, I did remember reading someone saw a moose swimming in the lake. I thought it would be cool to see a moose up here.
No word of a lie, about 10 seconds after having that thought, this is what I saw!
Not only did I see one moose...
...well, he had a partner!
Wall Lake sits just beyond those trees and at the base of that rock wall which is Akamina Ridge.
This is Wall Lake today!
It's a challenge to photograph being so large and up close to the mountains.
Some sunshine would have helped with capturing a brighter shot.
This is back in August of 2012 when I hiked Akamina Ridge and got to look down to Wall Lake.
There is a trail around the lake to a little lagoon with two benches. On the way there are two bridges to cross. This is looking back after crossing the first bridge. Parks People have done so much work since the 2017 wildfires to bring these trails back to life. I settled in at the lagoon and savoured the scenery and my lunch. I was the only one here, I still made noise and monitored my surroundings.
When I arrived back at the entrance trail to Wall Lake, a solo fellow came along with his little best friend. He offered to snap my shot so I went for it. We chatted for awhile before I went on my way with the beginning of the hike back.
When I reached the Akamina Backcountry Campground, I once again took some time, but a little more time this time, to check it out. Two lounging chairs are carved out of tree trunks. You can see the outhouse to the left of my hand.
There is a log lined trail up a little hill. I hiked to the top and I am standing on the highest camping pad. You can see the other pads at different levels on the side of the hill all the way to the bottom. The outhouse is on the left and at the very bottom you will find the food lockers, the fire pit with loads of wood and an axe and also a picnic table plus many flattened off large tree trunks. There is a creek about two minutes away which would be the water source. Wow the Parks People created such a perfect place to stay the night. There is a sign warning to secure your tent tightly as there can be strong winds.
It is so nice to see all the colour and how this Park is coming back to life. Between Mother Nature and the Parks People, the renewal has come a long way. There are still closures where there are improvement projects on the go. Waterton still remains on the wild side though! I will see what kind of winter we have and decide if I am up for driving in the conditions to Waterton to skate, snowshoe and cross-country ski.
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