Charting course to Wilcox Pass Trail
Another downhill bushwhack
Rejoining with Wilcox Pass Trail
We switched the route-finding part of our minds off at the Wilcox Pass Trail. From here back to the highway, it was simply a matter of following this fine little path downhill. At first we passed through some pleasant sub-alpine meadows, but soon we were in the forest proper again. And not long after that, we joined up with Tangle Creek once again, now following along its southern banks.
Downhill to the trailhead
Very soon we came to the point at which we had departed the trail on the way up to Tangle Ridge's summit several hours earlier, closing the loop part of our hike. This also meant, of course, that we were exactly a mile away from the trailhead.
Easy downhill sauntering brought us to the final open views, where the trail traverses diagonally down a small patch of steeply-sloping meadow. The skies had really brightened up, with lots of blue between puffy clouds and a warm afternoon sun. It was still a touch smoky, though.
We started to hear the cars on the Icefield Parkway before we saw it, but then soon enough, there it was, 30 feet below us in a deep road-cut. We turned right and followed the line of the old Icefields Parkway roadbed back down to Tangle Falls, the trailhead, and on the opposite side of the highway, our Jeep.
Interactive trackmap with photo points - Tangle Ridge Loop - click map to view
Tangle Ridge Loop - Hike Data
Start Time:
6:29a.m.
End Time:
1:20p.m.
Duration:
6h50m
Distance:
15.0 km
(9.32 mi)
Average Speed:
2.2 km/hr
(1.4 mph)
Start Elevation:
6030ft
(1838m)
*
Max Elevation:
9858ft
(3005m)
*
Min Elevation:
6029ft
(1838m)
*
End Elevation:
6050ft
(1844m)
*
* : +/- 75 feet
Total Elevation Gain:
3892ft
(1186m)
*
Total Elevation Loss:
3867ft
(1179m)
*
* : +/- 75 feet
Elevation Graph
And so, that was it. The final outing of our Rockies 2020 trip was now complete. And we'd done it in a very respectable time. It was now 1:20pm. We'd achieved our goal of finishing our final hike in the early afternoon, and we had a nice big buffer of time to head back south and east to Calgary. Along the way, we stopped off at Wilson's in Lake Louise to return our rental bear spray (unused, of course). We arrived back in Calgary shortly before 6pm, giving us time to check into our motel before heading off to a final supper at a local steakhouse.
Back over Lake Superior PP
Flying back east was again - despite Covid precautions - very smooth. Julian and I had an empty middle seat between us, and the airports on both ends were quiet.
I want to send out a big thank you to both Gino and Julian: Julian, for being such a good sport on what was your first "big Lavigne" trip. I know that your sleeping bag and pad were not adequate, and hopefully this doesn't sour you on the possibility for a comfortable camping experience. It's just a matter of tweaking your gear to what is right for you. And to you, Gino: thank you for being a trooper on terrain upon which I know you are often not comfortable. I hope you enjoyed the high points that you attained, and I hope this doesn't turn you off from further attempts. That's it for now, folks. Look for the video version to come out shortly. I'm sure there will be a few good laughs in it.
