Petain Basin Trail

It was about time we discover a new area of the Rockies. Our last few outings were all in places we had been before. This August long weekend turned out to be my birthday weekend and the choice of our destination was left for me to decide. I was of course looking for a “less popular” area as like any long weekend of the summer, pretty much the entire backcountry sites are fully booked. Just on the other side of the Alberta border near Upper Kananaskis Lake lies Elk Provincial Park in British Columbia. I had two objectives in mind for this area: Coral Pass and the Petain Basin.

We left Calgary early in the afternoon on the Friday and we were at the trailhead in less than two hours. The forecast called for a hot and sunny weekend and we indeed hit the trail under a warm sun. Luckily, the mosquitoes were busy somewhere else!

The first few kilometers follow an old forest road used by the utility company to service the power lines.

It was a long uphill slog to reach the trail that leaves the service road for the forest. With a lot of comfort food (and beer!) packed in, our legs were surely feeling it.

As soon as we got on the trail, we were at the border and crossed into British Columbia. From there, we had around 10 kilometers left to reach the old Petain Creek Campground (old because it got washed away by the 2013 flooding and while random camping is allowed in the area, B.C. Parks does not mention it anywhere as it sits on a river flat). The sky became a little cloudy at times so we picked up the pace from there.

Lots and lots of wildflowers all along the trail.

And some other wild things too.

Our first glimpse of Lower Elk Lake. There is an established backcountry campground managed by B.C. Parks at this lake. We did walked up to it, thinking a tent pad might be available and also because the sky was becoming a little menacing by moments. But walking through the campground, it became quite obvious that the amount of people already settled there for the weekend was not something we wanted to deal with. With the sun setting down slowly behind the mountains, we backtracked on the main trail and pushed on toward Upper Elk Lake where random camping is allowed.

The mountains around Upper Elk Lakes were interesting to look at. Some cool stratification in the rock.

There was no turning back at this point. The trail along Upper Elk Lake is very narrow and there was no open spot to pitch a tent on either side. It’s a long lake and loosing daylight was now somewhat of a concern.

We reached the end of the lake and came to what I had marked as a potential area to camp on my map. There were a few open spots nested between the trail and the Petain Creek (which is flowing into Upper Elk Lake). But as we kept walking, the location of the old Petain Creek Campground became hard to find. We were on a river flat but the map clearly showed that the campground should have been on the other side of the creek. The idea of crossing the creek was quickly left aside when we noticed how fast and murky the water was. We decided to set up our tent on a barely wide enough sandy patch along the river.

Just in time for the golden hour!

Probably the only advantages of staying on a floodplain: lots of rocks and tons of drift wood for a camp fire!

After relaxing our feet in the creek for a while, we found a big log to sit on while enjoying some homemade dehydrated pasta and cold beers to celebrate my 34th birthday the way I wanted: deep into the mountains and away from it all.

Waking up to a beautiful morning, the night was calm with a light breeze. Sleeping next to a creek is awesome. The sound of the water has a real calming effect on me. Just as I was walking back on the river bed to grab my bear canister, I noticed someone coming on the trail. I wondered who could that be that early in the morning. It was a B.C. Park Ranger named Meghan, on her way to perform trail maintenance. I remembered when I hiked the Berg Lake Trail two years how amazed I was by how B.C. Parks take care of their Provincial Parks, having met a full crew of rangers at the Berg Lake Campground. Once again, kudos to B.C. Parks for their dedication in keeping the backcountry accessible to all of us (take notes Parks Canada…). After a brief chat with her and sharing our plans for the weekend, she confirmed my worries about the trail that leads to Coral Pass. She mentioned she had met a hiker coming back from over the pass with his shorts and t-shirt all ripped up by the bushwacking. Oh well. Worst case we will turn around! But she also told me that the old Petain Creek Campground was just 15 minutes further up on the trail. We were not quite there yet yesterday. We packed up and headed to the campground to drop our stuff and have breakfast before walking back to the trail junction for an attempt at Coral Pass. The old fossilized corals that can be found on top of the 8170ft pass which used to be the bottom of an ocean after the glaciation period were too intriguing not to try this trip.

One of the views from the Petain Creek Campground. We set up our tent and had a quick breakfast along the creek before leaving again with only a light day pack this time.

Right after the junction the trail was already faint and covered with deadfall. My GPS track was not helping us at all, making us bushwack into very thick bushes. We came to the conclusion that the trail was simply following the Nivelle Creek all the way up to the treeline. We then proceeded by walking directly into the creek as it was easier.

But the creek itself was becoming faster as we were (slowly) progressing uphill. It was not even noon yet but the sun was out in full force, bringing the temperature in the high 20’s (Celsius). With snow still present just below Coral Pass, it was clear that if we kept going, we would have a hard time walking the even faster Nivelle Creek in the afternoon after the daily snow meltdown. Add a bunch more deadfall and it was not a super fun hike (at least for Andrea!). I told her that at this pace we would reach the top in a few hours and it was not worth it. We turned around and even bushwacked a little more to skip a big portion of the trail and to reach the parallel Petain Creek where the campground was. Fording it was quite intense as it was raging and murky. But we made it safely across and took it easy for the afternoon, lounging near the creek while enjoying the hot sun and the amazing views that were surrounding us.

At the end of the afternoon, we decided to go check out the Petain Falls by hiking a few kilometers from our campground. The Falls are formed by the melting Petain Glacier and drop down from the Petain Basin to offer spectacular views. Walking into this valley surrounded by the impressive Mount Castelnau, Mount Nivelle and Mount Petain was incredible. I stood there for a good half-hour just admiring the landscape, feeling so tiny almost at the bottom of the valley next to these massive and gorgeous peaks.

Hungry, we made our way down for dinner and went back to our nice and comfortable spot along the creek. Soup was prepared along with a bunch of dried salami pieces and of course a few cold beers.

Is there anything better than looking at golden colored peaks at sunset around a campfire?

We enjoyed what I could say was the best evening of the summer until the stars came out and went to bed past midnight. Our plan for tomorrow was to hike up to the Petain Basin to check out the top of the waterfalls.

And off we were for the grueling uphill that is the Petain Basin trail. Even with an early start, the sun exposure is pretty much constant from the moment the trail leaves the treeline. It was hot and we were sweating like crazy.

But I didn’t mind… just look at that view!!

This little glacial trickle was the last water source until the Basin and I made sure to hydrate myself plenty because the second half of the trail was about to kick our rear-end with an almost vertical climb all the way, starting at this tiny waterfall with a mini scrambling session.

Some sections were very steep.

Then up that loose rock gully. It was so slippery, every step would make a bunch of rocks roll down below.

The alpine vegetation is always fun to look at. Here a few succulent plants growing in this big crack, fully exposed to the elements.

After a few exposed sections, we reached the top of the Petain Basin, with a nice view at the Petain Glacier. The Basin is an extensive area where one could spend a few days exploring around. We stayed for an hour and sit on the other side of the basin near where the Petain Falls drop down below.

I will definitely come back here in the near future and camp in this area and explore the peaks around the basin. But for now, it was time to leave. We had to hike back down to the campground to pack up and walk almost 20KM back to the trailhead.

The hike downhill was fun because the views were now in front of us, but we were baking in the sun and the steepness of the trail required our full attention the entire time. A few butt slides were performed along the way!

No words can describe how happy I am in this environment.

After packing up, we made our way toward the Upper Elk Lake. Our legs were still shaking from the morning climb. But to keep walking was the best way to mitigate the pain.

We were making good progress but it was getting late in the afternoon. The light was already changing to a sunset glow and a drop in temperature was more than welcomed.

An avalanche path makes you appreciate even more the hard work of the trail maintenance crew. I know how it is to walk among loads of deadfall. Thank you once again BC Parks!

A beautiful stretch of the Continental Divide. Alberta is just on the other side of this range.

Almost back into Alberta.

It was 8PM by then and the only thing that kept us moving was this magnificent landscape provided by the setting sun.

Lower Kananaskis Lake straight ahead. It meant one thing: we would be going downhill all the way to the trailhead from now on. Great!

Back on Highway 40 by 9PM, this trip was concluded by what I believe will remain the best wildlife sightseeing session ever. Between Upper Kananaskis Lake and Highway 1, we saw a massive grizzly bear (just next to the sign that said “Bears are active in this area” LOL), black bears, moose, deer, elks and a few rams. I was like a kid in a candy store.

A tradition of ours… stopping at the Tim Hortons on our way back home to satisfy our sugar cravings after a very long day of hiking. The new one that just opened next to the Stoney Nakoda Resort offers quite the view of Kananaskis. This trip on the other side of the Divide into the British Columbia wilderness was fantastic and I can’t wait to hike more in this area.

Joffre Creek Trail

Howse River Valley

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