GROUP 10
Updated March 1, 2020
Departure: Sunday, September 20 (early - 6:00 am appx.)
Bus Number: TBA
Return: Saturday, September 25 (after dinner)
Departure: Sunday, September 20 (early - 6:00 am appx.)
Bus Number: TBA
Return: Saturday, September 25 (after dinner)
LAKE O'HARA PLANNING ITINERARY: SUBJECT TO CHANGES - YOUR CHAPERONE WILL CONFIRM ALL ROUTES
Egypt Lakes - Group 10
Day 1 - Sunday - Lake Louise Campground: Meet your group in the OKM parking lot bright and early to board your assigned bus. Gear will be stored in chaperone support vehicles and you will only need your jacket and bagged lunch on the bus. First stop will be a bathroom break in Sicamous. From there we will travel to the Roger’s Pass Visitor Information Center for a safety presentation. From here it is approximately 2 hours to the Lake Louise Campground on Hwy 1. After arriving at Lake Louise, you will set up your camp, enjoy your car camping meal and prepare to set off on your through hike tomorrow morning. If you have time, your group can night hike up to Lake Louise via the Louise Creek Trail (6km return).
Day 2 - Monday - Sunshine Village Parking Lot to Healy Creek Campground (5.9 km - easy): Up early and on your assigned bus by 8:00 am. Your bus will be dropping off groups 8 and 9 at Red Earth Creek before dropping you off at Sunshine Village Ski area, where you will be starting your hike today. You will be starting late so you have an easy hike to the first campsite. The trailhead is beside the information sign behind the Gondola Shed. There is an information sign close to where you pick up the trail and you will cross the creek and begin your uphill hike. The trail is wide and veers to the right - follow it all the way to the Healy Creek Campground (E5) where you will spend the night.
Day 3 - Tuesday - Healy Creek Campground to Egypt Lake Campground (6.5 km/350 m elevation gain - moderate): From Healy Creek Campground, travel to Egypt Lake Campground. On the way explore Healy Pass, take some pictures and see if you can see Assiniboine to the south. The Monarch Ramparts are a great extension side trip. Drop your packs and take your lunch out on the Ramparts for a great lunch with views of Sunshine Ski Village. When you arrive at Egypt Lake you can set yourself up in the campground for the night and then explore the area.
Day 4 - Wednesday - Egypt Lake Campground to Ball Pass Junction Campground (11 km/350 m elevation gain - moderate): Today you are going to travel to Ball Pass Campground through the Whistling Pass. It will be an exceptional day of hiking! Follow the trail that heads southwest towards Egypt Lake. You will come across a Junction (0.5 km from starting point). Keep to the right, and then you will climb a very steep series of switchbacks leading up through forest and rock slides along the south slope of the Pharaoh Peaks. The trail grinds upward for more than a kilometre, finally emerging in a meadow above Scarab Lake. You will come to a Junction for Scarab Lake and Mummy Lake (1.9 km). Keep to the right for Whistling Pass. After the junction the trail continues upward into the meadows, larch trees and talus slopes of the Whistling Valley (3.3 km). Whistling Valley is a spectacular gap nestled between the Pharaoh Peaks and the sheer escarpment of the Great Divide. Enjoy a snack with exceptional views from the top before descending to Haiduk Lake, which might be a great spot for lunch. From the pass to Haiduk Lake you will hike a moderate to steep downhill trail, which has rocky sections. On the north side of Whistling Pass the trail drops abruptly through a large rockslide and then levels out into the marshy meadows along Haiduk Lake (5.5 km). Beyond the lake, the trail crosses to the true left bank of Haiduk creek and descends through subalpine forest to the campground at Ball Pass Junction Campground. This is where you will spend the night. Set up camp and then take some time to explore the Ball Pass area before sundown, the rock face going up to Ball Pass is beautiful and worth checking out.
Day 5 - Thursday - Ball Pass Junction Campground to Shadow Lake Campground (5.3 km - easy): From Ball Pass Junction, you will travel to Shadow Lake Campground. It is a very easy hiking day so enjoy a leisurely breakfast and take your time packing up camp. Spend some time exploring the Ball Pass area before leaving, the rock face going up to Ball Pass is beautiful and worth checking out. It is an easy and almost entirely downhill walk to Shadow Lake Campground. Once you arrive at Shadow Lake Campground, set up camp and then spend some time exploring. If you want an interesting extension, explore the Shadow Lake area along the north end of the lake. This can add on another 4-8kms if you want to challenge the students and can be done with just some water and snacks.
Day 6: Friday - Shadow Lake Campground to Red Earth Creek (13 km - easy): Get up very early and get going quickly. You have a long, but easy hike to meet your bus today. Travel from Shadow Lake Campground along Redearth Creek Trail all the way to the rendezvous at the Redearth Creek parking Lot. Your assigned bus will pick you up around 9:00 am. You may come across group 7 today who will also be picked up at Red Earth Creek.
We will rendezvous at Roger’s Pass Monument (Time TBA) with all the other groups. A group picture will be taken here. Then we will proceed to Revelstoke for a lunch break at the fast food strip on the left-hand side of the highway at the main intersection.
Let your parents know once you have an idea when you will be home so they can arrange for you to be picked up (usually around dinner time).
Egypt Lakes - Group 10
Day 1 - Sunday - Lake Louise Campground: Meet your group in the OKM parking lot bright and early to board your assigned bus. Gear will be stored in chaperone support vehicles and you will only need your jacket and bagged lunch on the bus. First stop will be a bathroom break in Sicamous. From there we will travel to the Roger’s Pass Visitor Information Center for a safety presentation. From here it is approximately 2 hours to the Lake Louise Campground on Hwy 1. After arriving at Lake Louise, you will set up your camp, enjoy your car camping meal and prepare to set off on your through hike tomorrow morning. If you have time, your group can night hike up to Lake Louise via the Louise Creek Trail (6km return).
Day 2 - Monday - Sunshine Village Parking Lot to Healy Creek Campground (5.9 km - easy): Up early and on your assigned bus by 8:00 am. Your bus will be dropping off groups 8 and 9 at Red Earth Creek before dropping you off at Sunshine Village Ski area, where you will be starting your hike today. You will be starting late so you have an easy hike to the first campsite. The trailhead is beside the information sign behind the Gondola Shed. There is an information sign close to where you pick up the trail and you will cross the creek and begin your uphill hike. The trail is wide and veers to the right - follow it all the way to the Healy Creek Campground (E5) where you will spend the night.
Day 3 - Tuesday - Healy Creek Campground to Egypt Lake Campground (6.5 km/350 m elevation gain - moderate): From Healy Creek Campground, travel to Egypt Lake Campground. On the way explore Healy Pass, take some pictures and see if you can see Assiniboine to the south. The Monarch Ramparts are a great extension side trip. Drop your packs and take your lunch out on the Ramparts for a great lunch with views of Sunshine Ski Village. When you arrive at Egypt Lake you can set yourself up in the campground for the night and then explore the area.
- Head north on Pharaoh Creek Trail and turn west (left) towards Pharaoh Lake. Explore this lake and then move on to discover Black Rock Lake. If you are feeling up for it try to continue the exploration to find Sphinx Lake another 1.4 kms from Black Rock Lake.
- You could take the group up to Egypt Lake and visit Scarab and Mummy Lake, which are nearby.
Day 4 - Wednesday - Egypt Lake Campground to Ball Pass Junction Campground (11 km/350 m elevation gain - moderate): Today you are going to travel to Ball Pass Campground through the Whistling Pass. It will be an exceptional day of hiking! Follow the trail that heads southwest towards Egypt Lake. You will come across a Junction (0.5 km from starting point). Keep to the right, and then you will climb a very steep series of switchbacks leading up through forest and rock slides along the south slope of the Pharaoh Peaks. The trail grinds upward for more than a kilometre, finally emerging in a meadow above Scarab Lake. You will come to a Junction for Scarab Lake and Mummy Lake (1.9 km). Keep to the right for Whistling Pass. After the junction the trail continues upward into the meadows, larch trees and talus slopes of the Whistling Valley (3.3 km). Whistling Valley is a spectacular gap nestled between the Pharaoh Peaks and the sheer escarpment of the Great Divide. Enjoy a snack with exceptional views from the top before descending to Haiduk Lake, which might be a great spot for lunch. From the pass to Haiduk Lake you will hike a moderate to steep downhill trail, which has rocky sections. On the north side of Whistling Pass the trail drops abruptly through a large rockslide and then levels out into the marshy meadows along Haiduk Lake (5.5 km). Beyond the lake, the trail crosses to the true left bank of Haiduk creek and descends through subalpine forest to the campground at Ball Pass Junction Campground. This is where you will spend the night. Set up camp and then take some time to explore the Ball Pass area before sundown, the rock face going up to Ball Pass is beautiful and worth checking out.
Day 5 - Thursday - Ball Pass Junction Campground to Shadow Lake Campground (5.3 km - easy): From Ball Pass Junction, you will travel to Shadow Lake Campground. It is a very easy hiking day so enjoy a leisurely breakfast and take your time packing up camp. Spend some time exploring the Ball Pass area before leaving, the rock face going up to Ball Pass is beautiful and worth checking out. It is an easy and almost entirely downhill walk to Shadow Lake Campground. Once you arrive at Shadow Lake Campground, set up camp and then spend some time exploring. If you want an interesting extension, explore the Shadow Lake area along the north end of the lake. This can add on another 4-8kms if you want to challenge the students and can be done with just some water and snacks.
Day 6: Friday - Shadow Lake Campground to Red Earth Creek (13 km - easy): Get up very early and get going quickly. You have a long, but easy hike to meet your bus today. Travel from Shadow Lake Campground along Redearth Creek Trail all the way to the rendezvous at the Redearth Creek parking Lot. Your assigned bus will pick you up around 9:00 am. You may come across group 7 today who will also be picked up at Red Earth Creek.
We will rendezvous at Roger’s Pass Monument (Time TBA) with all the other groups. A group picture will be taken here. Then we will proceed to Revelstoke for a lunch break at the fast food strip on the left-hand side of the highway at the main intersection.
Let your parents know once you have an idea when you will be home so they can arrange for you to be picked up (usually around dinner time).