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Calgary, Alberta
Canada
88 Posts |
Posted - 07/06/2008 : 11:07 AM
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Although technically in BC, the Rockwall is so close to southern Alberta that I thought I would post this trip report here. "Mainland BC" sounds so flat and the Rockwall is not that!
See our photos at:
www.theos.com/tdr/rockwall2008
Headed out Friday morning to Kootenay National Park, plan was to do the entire circuit (55.6km). We weren't allowed to book tent sites at Floe Lake yet as it will not be officially opened until July 11/08 I believe (something about sensitive alpine plants). We like doing it north to south, as the first section from Paint Pots to Helmet Creek/Helmet Falls is pretty flat, and we can keeping hiking through Rockwall Pass to Tumbling Creek campground (about 27km day). We saw a black bear in the first meadow/avalanche slope about an hour in from the parking lot, not good that it took 5 min of hooting and hollering before it stopped staring at us and wandered away. Helmet Falls looks huge right now with all of the spring melt.
A fair bit of snow up around Wolverine Pass, we carried snowshoes and used them for a few kilometers, the snow isn't very deep so it can be done without snowshoes. Pretty spectacular up there with all the snow!
Headed up to Tumbling Pass in the morning, a bit of snow there but not much. Great glacial views all along the pass. Heading down into Numa creek was snow free, but a fair bit of deadfall on the trail. Numa creek up to Numa Pass is snow free with just a good patch of snow at the pass. Floe Lake is looking pretty specky with ice still over the west end. We got hit with a hail storm descending into Floe Lake, thankfully it was over in about 15min.
At Floe Lake we would usually set up a tent, but instead we hiked out to make another long day at about 28 km. Coming down from Floe Lake there is a lot of blowdown on the trail - hopefully they are in the process of trying to clear the trail as some of the logs are quite large.
On the highway at Floe Lake Trailhead we were picked up within 5min of hitchhiking by a lovely couple from Airdrie who run a landscaping company called Eze (had to get that plug in to keep the good karma flowing). Back in Calgary by 8:00pm with time to put burgers on the BBQ!
1. Heading towards Rockwall Pass
2. Passing the small lakes before Rockwall Pass
3. Rockwall Pass
4. Wolverine Pass ahead
5. Walking along Tumbling Pass
6. Starting the long descent into Numa Creek
7. Western anemone everywhere
8. Heading up Numa Pass
9. Looking back from Numa Pass
10. At Numa Pass, weather coming in
11. Descending into Floe Lake, hailstorm
12. Floe Lake
13. Floe Lake
14. Mushrooms everywhere at Floe Lake!
15. Floe Lake Trail has lots of new growth in the old fire path
16. Two bugs having fun on a purple fleabane on the Floe Lake trail
1. 2.  3. 4. 
5. 6.  7. 8. 
9. 10 11 12
13 14 15  16 |
Edited by - Nadine on 07/06/2008 4:44 PM
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 Alberta-based choss climbin', flame throwin', rappel lovin', ass talkin' hater who doesn't like "Gumby" for a descriptor
6302 Posts |
Posted - 07/06/2008 : 5:37 PM
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quote:
We weren't allowed to book tent sites at Floe Lake yet as it will not be officially opened until July 11/08 I believe (something about sensitive alpine plants
lol...ask 4 people why it's closed and you will get 4 different answers.
Wicked shots. I can't wait to go there. |
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| Engor
Intermediate Member
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Calgary
840 Posts |
Posted - 07/07/2008 : 12:15 AM
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I just returned from the mountains. Did Northern Part of the Rockwall in 2 days - Helmet Falls (sidetrip to Goodsir Pass)- Rockwall Pass - Tumbling Creek returning to Paint Pots. Unfortunately, we were not so lucky as you - it rained like in the jungles!
Want to confirm - Snow on Rockwall Pass is not deep at all and easily hikable despite what Parks Canada website tells.
It's amazing that you did the whole trail in 2 days! Wow! It took me the same time to do half of it  |
Edited by - Engor on 07/07/2008 12:23 AM |
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 | Dru
Mountain Grammar Police
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Sardonic sandbagging scoundrel, Cascade Climbers lobotomized spraymeister, space blanket flyer, new millennium vulgarian betaboy and friend to all squids
Climbing, a mountain
Canada
∞ Posts |
Posted - 07/07/2008 : 06:38 AM
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Pretty  |
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Popkum, BC
Canada
5887 Posts |
Posted - 07/07/2008 : 07:51 AM
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Beautiful area . |
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Calgary, Alberta
Canada
88 Posts |
Posted - 07/07/2008 : 08:05 AM
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quote:
Originally posted by Engor
I just returned from the mountains. Did Northern Part of the Rockwall in 2 days - Helmet Falls (sidetrip to Goodsir Pass)- Rockwall Pass - Tumbling Creek returning to Paint Pots. Unfortunately, we were not so lucky as you - it rained like in the jungles!
Want to confirm - Snow on Rockwall Pass is not deep at all and easily hikable despite what Parks Canada website tells.
It's amazing that you did the whole trail in 2 days! Wow! It took me the same time to do half of it
Hey Engor, we may have seen your footprints through Rockwall Pass! I totally agree that Rockwall Pass is hikable, as is the whole Rockwall Trail. We probably saved ourselves an hour with snowshoes through Rockwall Pass, but the snowshoes weren't necessary.
We are going to try a yo-yo of the West Coast Trail this weekend, so we are trying to get used to long kilometer days (trying to do the yo-yo in 8 nights!). But the Rockwall trail is so beautiful (with great areas to explore like Goodsir Pass), that two days on the trail is not enough time to fully appreciate it all (but it was our third time so we didn't feel like we were missing out on things). |
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| Engor
Intermediate Member
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Calgary
840 Posts |
Posted - 07/07/2008 : 3:54 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by Nadine
Hey Engor, we may have seen your footprints through Rockwall Pass! I totally agree that Rockwall Pass is hikable, as is the whole Rockwall Trail. We probably saved ourselves an hour with snowshoes through Rockwall Pass, but the snowshoes weren't necessary.
We are going to try a yo-yo of the West Coast Trail this weekend, so we are trying to get used to long kilometer days (trying to do the yo-yo in 8 nights!). But the Rockwall trail is so beautiful (with great areas to explore like Goodsir Pass), that two days on the trail is not enough time to fully appreciate it all (but it was our third time so we didn't feel like we were missing out on things).
We hiked through Rockwall Pass yesterday (Sunday) so you couldn't see our footprints. Strangely enough we didn't see any footprints except those of a part of our group who hiked an hour ahead of us. Perhaps the recent snow melting and rain hid all footprints of previous parties. Snow was very supportive and boots left little marks on it (especially snowshoes  .
The recent rain storms led to an unusually high water level so some creek crossing was a little bit tricky. Our party built a bridge of deadfall to cross a Tumbling Creek securely above Tumbling Creek CG. The high currents carried away the bridge right beside Helmet Falls CG but it's still passable. The water level should subside once this freaking rain stops. Lots of deadfall from the recent storms between Rockwall Pass and Tumbling Creek CG. |
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372 Posts |
Posted - 07/07/2008 : 5:18 PM
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| Enjoyed your pictures, but mainland B.C. is not really flat. In fact I think Mt. Robson, in British Columbia, is the highest point in the Canadian Rockies. I have hiked in a lot of spectacular alpine areas in B.C. like the Purcells and the Bugaboos and many many other places, (too many to mention here) so you should come and explore our beautiful province some day. I certainly have enjoyed many wonderful holidays in your province without complaining about all the flat areas east of Banff. |
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Happy go lucky, plaid wearin, postholin, safeway gaitor sportin, old-school film shootin, giver of many regards
Abbotsford, B.C.
Canada
13478 Posts |
Posted - 07/07/2008 : 5:31 PM
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I have heard recently of this before.
What a splendid area. Your photos are awesome.
K |
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Calgary, Alberta
Canada
88 Posts |
Posted - 07/07/2008 : 8:20 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by vic
Enjoyed your pictures, but mainland B.C. is not really flat. In fact I think Mt. Robson, in British Columbia, is the highest point in the Canadian Rockies. I have hiked in a lot of spectacular alpine areas in B.C. like the Purcells and the Bugaboos and many many other places, (too many to mention here) so you should come and explore our beautiful province some day. I certainly have enjoyed many wonderful holidays in your province without complaining about all the flat areas east of Banff.
Ha ha sorry Vic I do consider BC to have a lot of elevation and we love hiking there. Calgary is so close to Kootenay that I really forget that it is BC sometimes. And I was laughing at the word "mainland" because it doesn't have the connotation of mountains. That's all I really meant! Sorry again! |
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Alberta-based choss climbin', flame throwin', rappel lovin', ass talkin' hater who doesn't like "Gumby" for a descriptor
6302 Posts |
Posted - 07/07/2008 : 8:25 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by vic
Enjoyed your pictures, but mainland B.C. is not really flat. In fact I think Mt. Robson, in British Columbia, is the highest point in the Canadian Rockies. I have hiked in a lot of spectacular alpine areas in B.C. like the Purcells and the Bugaboos and many many other places, (too many to mention here) so you should come and explore our beautiful province some day. I certainly have enjoyed many wonderful holidays in your province without complaining about all the flat areas east of Banff.
Lol...Robson is not on the lower mainland. In fact, it's closer to Dreadmonton than it is to Vancouver. But yeah, the lower mainland is hardly flat. |
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| Engor
Intermediate Member
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Calgary
840 Posts |
Posted - 07/08/2008 : 01:11 AM
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| I do agree that the Canadian Rockies should not be split into Alberta and BC boards, it's the same mountains after all. I rarely read BC board - it's is almost exclusively about Vancouver area hikes. I think many Alberta based hikers do the same. |
Edited by - Engor on 07/08/2008 01:13 AM |
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Canmore, AB
Canada
1238 Posts |
Posted - 07/08/2008 : 07:58 AM
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I rarely look at the BC boards as well. 
I guess I should look just in case someone lists a trip report from the Rogers Pass area, Bugaboos, Kootenay, Yoho, etc.
A section dedicated to the Canadian Rockies would resolve that but we'd still need a Alberta section for the hikes which were done elsewhere in AB. |
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Unity, Saskatchewan
Canada
144 Posts |
Posted - 07/08/2008 : 1:15 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by vic
I certainly have enjoyed many wonderful holidays in your province without complaining about all the flat areas east of Banff.
Hey, is somebody putting down FLATNESS?!? Haven't you wanted to stand in the middle of the flatness and ponder the immensity of the glacier that was once piled above? Have you hiked the flats at sunset in the summer, when the sun warms the underside of your chin while the prairiegrasses are sidelit in the sunlight? Flat is where it's at, man!
FLAT is something to complain about? When I'm hiking with Albertans, I often hear them say, "This is a really nice flat stretch of trail." So sometimes flat is a good thing, right?
Complaining about all the flat, sheesh! What's to complain about?
; )
(Did I mention that there's a "mountain" in my town? It's all a matter of perspective!)
Now, about time I got a hike in around here. Where's there some hills? Forget the hills, forget the hike - Where do I post MY trip-report? I know, I'll just hike in secret out here in the flats. No one will know! Ha ha HA! I know the perfect places!
- Hank the hidden hiker
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Unity, Saskatchewan
Canada
144 Posts |
Posted - 07/08/2008 : 1:28 PM
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Thanks for the TR. Quite the fast-paced whirlwind tour of the Rockwall! Not my style, but it sounds like an umm, *healthy lifestyle*. If you're going to choose a place to do training, that sounds like an enjoyable place to do it.
Have fun on the coast. Sit back and soak up some sun while you're out there.
- Hank |
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Rockwall July 3-4/08 - completely doable
