Peter Lougheed PP Loop – Options 1a & 1b route

Peter Lougheed PP Loop – Options 1a & 1b

This true loop route, with no shuttling required, comprised of a mix of paved, single-, and double-track biking routes spread over ~42 km with an elevation requirement of ~750 m, will endow the traveler with a diverse, wonderful, non-repetitive, and full touring experience of the gorgeous Peter Lougheed Provincial Park, as well as the surrounding stunning beauty of the Canadian Rockies, and will also endow to the traveler a ‘quieter’ experience, as compared to the typical ‘madness’ of the National Park experience over at nearby Banff NP, but the undertaking of this route can only be recommended with the advisements bulleted below. Portions of this route do not allow e-bikes although other portions do. The route is rated as hard due to its overall length combined with the difficult steep uphill push to arrive at the Fire Lookout Ranger Station.

This route has been broken down into 4 sections, as described in the narrative below, and was completed in a counterclockwise direction on a weekday in June. Option 1a is the complete loop as shown whilst Option1b incorporates the shortcut offered in Bullet Point No. 6 below. Allow 8 hours for the complete loop as described here. Whichever option you choose for this route, 1a or 1b, the counterclockwise routing is recommended to take advantage of the 95% downhill-leaning slope for the ~10 km. Pocatera Trail.

Advisements:

1) Especially for the more remote parts of this park, this is ‘serious’ bear country where the chance of bear encounters are greater than for bike rides in the general Canmore & Banff areas. Bear spray is mandatory and multiple riders are recommended (this rider had 2 bear encounters in 1 day + 1 additional bear sighting).

2) Cell phone communication is not possible anywhere along the trails. For emergency calls from the trail, only satellite communications will provide that possibility.

3) The southern Fire Lookout trail ascent (CC direction) is a completely ‘brutal’ steep ascent that will have you ‘huffing & puffing’ in ‘hike-a-bike’ mode for 1.0 to 1.5 hours to reach the Fire Lookout ranger station.

4) This same trail also hosts a stream crossing across Boulton Creek at the beginning of the ascent. Be prepared to take your shoes off, get your feet wet, and wade across (unless you don’t mind your shoes being soaking wet).

5) Especially on weekdays and for other like low-volume park visitation days, be prepared for a ‘lonely’ travel experience through sections of this park where the traveler may encounter few, if any, other visitors traveling either on foot or wheeled (this rider only met 1 party for the last ¾ length of the entire route).

6) If wishing to avoid the worst possibilities associated with Bullet Points 1, 3, 4, and 5 above, the rider can opt to also shorten the route by taking the Whiskey Jack Trail eastward to join the Pocatera Trail after arriving at the intersection of the High Rockies & paved Boulton Creek paths. That option will, in the cases of Nos. 3 & 4 above, eliminate these possibilities altogether whilst diminishing the possibilities associated with Nos. 1 & 5. This option will also cut the overall distance by around 50% whilst also greatly reducing the elevation requirement.

Section 1: Park at the Visitor’s Center, which is ~2 km or so from the entrance to the Park on Hwy 40. There’s plenty of parking there whilst diminishing possibilities for vehicle vandalism associated with more remote parking locations. From there make your way down to the dam on the Lower Kananaskis Lake for some good photo ops. From there make your way southward along the High Rockies Trail which first utilizes the motor vehicle roadways but eventually becomes a dedicated but paved hike/bike path through and around several campgrounds until its intersection with the paved Boulton Creek path where you can also find the Boulton Creek Trading Post. This route also includes, as an ‘extra’, the 3 km Marl Lake Loop (out-&-back). Deduct this from the total if you plan to skip it. This 1st section of the route is the most populated portion with the balance of the route offering much more sparse human contact whilst traveling off-pavement through the backcountry.

Section 2: From there, pick up the single-track Boulton Creek Trail to enjoy riding besides the stream, and then be sure to follow the signage to take the bridge across Boulton Creek to rejoin the High Rockies Trail and which in turn will carry you all the way to Elk Pass at the British Columbia border. You want to avoid the balance of the streamside trail / Elk Pass roadways which will force you to undesirable sections with unneeded elevation gains although this pathway will also join the High Rockies Trail later on. Take some photo ops & a restful break at Elk Pass before beginning the second half and the return portion of your journey.

Section 3: Take the Hydroline Trail northward beneath the towers about 2/3 of the way whilst keeping a sharp eye to the right for a break in the tree line which will indicate the beginning of the Fire Lookout Trail, and, if you are not careful, it is an easy turnoff to miss as there is no signage for it and can be overlooked rather easily. Taking this trail, you will shortly come across Boulton Creek, which is less than 0.5 km away, and there is no bridge across it, so you must ford it. At this elevation on this day in June, the stream could be forded without too much difficulty as the flow is much reduced from lower elevations. However, after this, be prepared for a grueling 800-ft. uphill section lasting approx. 2.3 km where you will be ‘huffing & puffing’ whilst pushing your bike up a very consistently steep uphill grade. Expect 1.0 to 1.5 hours to complete this section.

Finally taking the ridge is a delightful experience as the Ranger Station there is operational, manned, in good condition, and provides great viewpoints to all points west. You can take a great break there, get some sun, sign the visitor ledger with your remarks whilst also eyeing the provided maps to match the names of the mountains to those in your point of view. This is the literal high point for the day at nearly 7,000 ft., and the rest of the journey is pretty much all downhill, so you now know you’re gonna make it the rest of the way Ha!

Section 4: The balance of the Fire Lookout Trail + the Pocatera Trail is one big downhill ‘whoosh’ that will carry you approx. 12 km in a short period of time. The balance of the Fire Lookout Trail + the 1st 1.5 km of Pocatera are along a working forest service road whilst the last 8 km of the Pocatera Trail is a combined single- and double-track that is the best part of the return portion of the trip (don’t miss the turnoff !!). From the trail endpoint make your way southward along the 50-km max roadway the last 2 km to retrieve your vehicle.

Be advised that the Meadow Trail Trail as shown on the Trailforks map, where it connects to the northern end of Pocatera Trail, was not only difficult to locate, but once located, a portion of it was found to be seriously underwater at a marshy waterway crossing location on the western side of Kananaskis Lakes Trail (roadway). Thus, that option was skipped in lieu of taking the roadway itself to reconnect to the Visitor Center endpoint.

Good luck and safe travels!