Sat, Jul 19 2008 - Paradise Valley/ Giant Steps (and dinner) - Slow to Moderate (View Original Event Details)
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The first 3 km or so is a climb in the forest. When we crossed the first bridge over Paradise Creek, the scenery opened up onto a dramatic view of Mount Temple and down the valley. Then there is a bit of a climb again to Lake Annette. We stopped for a snack at this beautiful spot. The climb then continued up to a rocky slope.
We continued to a junction where you could choose a hign trail or head directly to the Giant Steps. The high trail adds about 1 km but is worth it for the great views of glaciers and of Sentinel Pass (from the "other" side).
The trip to the Giant Steps is about 0.9 km off the trail, and is an interesting side trip. We had our lunch (and a short nap) on a large flat rock overlooking the falls. We then checked out the newly-moved campground.
For those that have been on this trail before, please note the trail has been rerouted and upgraded. There is no longer a low valley route to return. Instead you climb back up to the Lake Annette trail. The old route per the Canadian Rockies Trail guide shows an elevation gain of 385 metres. The new route has an elevation gain of 715 metres per the GPS (thank you Barbara fo the GPS charts),and we covered 20.1 kms.
The hike, with our two breaks, took us 8 hours. We had a well-deserved dinner in Canmore on the way back.
It was a long day with good company - thank you for joining me. Laura L