GROUP 9
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 9
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 - Red Earth Creek to Lost Horse Creek (6.9 km/limited elevation gain - easy): Up early and on your assigned bus by 8:00 am. Your bus will be dropping off your group, along with group 8 at Red Earth Creek - approximately 10 km from the Castle Mountain Junction (Hwy 1 and Hwy 93). Take your time today - the other group has a further, steeper hike to complete so you do not need to keep pace with them. Your trail departs the east end of the parking area, joining a former fire road in 300 meters (328 yards). Ascend generally southwest up the road, high above the southeast bank of Redearth Creek. At 6.9 km cross a bridge over Redearth Creek to the northwest bank and you will find the Lost Horse Creek Campground (Re6). This is where you will be setting up camp for the night. Once you are set up, follow the up trail behind the food locker to emerge at an avalanche chute meadow with a beautiful view of Copper Mountain.
Day 3 - Tuesday - Lost Horse Creek to Ball Pass Junction Campground (11.4 km/350 m elevation gain - easy): Depart Lost Horse Creek and continue until you reach Red earth Junction (3.6 km). When the trail forks, your group will be going right towards Shadow Lake. You have enjoyed a relatively flat hike until this point, but the trail will steadily climb until you reach Shadow Lake Campground (2.5 km). From Shadow Lake you will be heading to Ball Pass Junction today (5.3 km). 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. When you are ready to head towards Ball Pass Junction Campsite, you will be hiking along valley / marsh and it is relatively flat all the way to your campground. Once at Ball Pass Junction Campground set up campsites and then explore the Ball Pass area before sundown, the rock face going up to Ball Pass is beautiful and worth checking out.
Day 4 - Wednesday - Ball Pass Junction Campground to Egypt Lake Campground (6.7 km/650 m elevation gain - moderate): This will be an exceptional day of hiking! From Ball Pass continue south and start getting a bit of elevation towards Haiduk Lake. This is a good snack spot. The grunt work starts after Haiduk Lake up to Whistling Pass. Enjoy this viewpoint with lunch. Whistling Valley is a spectacular gap nestled between the Pharaoh Peaks and the sheer escarpment of the Great Divide. The way down to Egypt Lakes is a series of steep switchbacks. Take your time as the knees will be sore from this. If it has been rainy, be careful as the mud can make these switchbacks quite slippery. Walking poles are recommended to ease the strain. When you arrive at Egypt Lake you can set yourself up in the campground for the night and then go off and explore Egypt Lake, Scarab Lake and Mummy Lake. You will be joined by group 7 tonight - they will be staying in the hut. Enjoy visiting and swapping stories tonight.
Day 5 - Thursday - Egypt Lakes Campground to Healy Creek Campground (6.5 km/340 m elevation gain - moderate): You will be leaving the Egypt Lakes area today and heading over Healy Pass. Have a leisurely breakfast and take some time to explore this area before you leave today. 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. Once you are ready to leave Egypt Lakes, cross the bridge over the river and hike over Healy Pass to the Healy Creek campground (E5). Once on top of Healy Pass drop the packs and explore the Monarch Ramparts to the south – south east. There is an undulating trail along the ramparts with great views across the valley to Sunshine Village Ski hill. Do not go any further than the Healy Campground, you want a short hike out in the morning!
Day 6 - Friday - Healy Creek Campground to Sunshine Parking Lot (5.9 km - easy) You must get up early today and make a quick, brisk walk out to meet your rendezvous times. Today you are going to hike out to the Sunshine Parking lot by about 9:00 am to meet your assigned bus.
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 9
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 - Red Earth Creek to Lost Horse Creek (6.9 km/limited elevation gain - easy): Up early and on your assigned bus by 8:00 am. Your bus will be dropping off your group, along with group 8 at Red Earth Creek - approximately 10 km from the Castle Mountain Junction (Hwy 1 and Hwy 93). Take your time today - the other group has a further, steeper hike to complete so you do not need to keep pace with them. Your trail departs the east end of the parking area, joining a former fire road in 300 meters (328 yards). Ascend generally southwest up the road, high above the southeast bank of Redearth Creek. At 6.9 km cross a bridge over Redearth Creek to the northwest bank and you will find the Lost Horse Creek Campground (Re6). This is where you will be setting up camp for the night. Once you are set up, follow the up trail behind the food locker to emerge at an avalanche chute meadow with a beautiful view of Copper Mountain.
Day 3 - Tuesday - Lost Horse Creek to Ball Pass Junction Campground (11.4 km/350 m elevation gain - easy): Depart Lost Horse Creek and continue until you reach Red earth Junction (3.6 km). When the trail forks, your group will be going right towards Shadow Lake. You have enjoyed a relatively flat hike until this point, but the trail will steadily climb until you reach Shadow Lake Campground (2.5 km). From Shadow Lake you will be heading to Ball Pass Junction today (5.3 km). 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. When you are ready to head towards Ball Pass Junction Campsite, you will be hiking along valley / marsh and it is relatively flat all the way to your campground. Once at Ball Pass Junction Campground set up campsites and then explore the Ball Pass area before sundown, the rock face going up to Ball Pass is beautiful and worth checking out.
Day 4 - Wednesday - Ball Pass Junction Campground to Egypt Lake Campground (6.7 km/650 m elevation gain - moderate): This will be an exceptional day of hiking! From Ball Pass continue south and start getting a bit of elevation towards Haiduk Lake. This is a good snack spot. The grunt work starts after Haiduk Lake up to Whistling Pass. Enjoy this viewpoint with lunch. Whistling Valley is a spectacular gap nestled between the Pharaoh Peaks and the sheer escarpment of the Great Divide. The way down to Egypt Lakes is a series of steep switchbacks. Take your time as the knees will be sore from this. If it has been rainy, be careful as the mud can make these switchbacks quite slippery. Walking poles are recommended to ease the strain. When you arrive at Egypt Lake you can set yourself up in the campground for the night and then go off and explore Egypt Lake, Scarab Lake and Mummy Lake. You will be joined by group 7 tonight - they will be staying in the hut. Enjoy visiting and swapping stories tonight.
Day 5 - Thursday - Egypt Lakes Campground to Healy Creek Campground (6.5 km/340 m elevation gain - moderate): You will be leaving the Egypt Lakes area today and heading over Healy Pass. Have a leisurely breakfast and take some time to explore this area before you leave today. 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. Once you are ready to leave Egypt Lakes, cross the bridge over the river and hike over Healy Pass to the Healy Creek campground (E5). Once on top of Healy Pass drop the packs and explore the Monarch Ramparts to the south – south east. There is an undulating trail along the ramparts with great views across the valley to Sunshine Village Ski hill. Do not go any further than the Healy Campground, you want a short hike out in the morning!
Day 6 - Friday - Healy Creek Campground to Sunshine Parking Lot (5.9 km - easy) You must get up early today and make a quick, brisk walk out to meet your rendezvous times. Today you are going to hike out to the Sunshine Parking lot by about 9:00 am to meet your assigned bus.
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).