Swiftcurrent Pass. 15.5 miles 867 m elevation gain (August long weekend 2024)
I’ve had this trail on my list for ages and of course when we were finally able to do it, the forecast was for rain and storms. We set out at 8:15 hoping we could reach the pass before the rain came in.
First port of call was Fishercap Lake, moments from the trailhead. We have seen many moose in this lake. Right now there are zero moose.
Red Rock Falls is a small detour but worth it. All the rock in this area is so colourful.
We had to spend some time watching this little muskrat getting on with his day.
Fuzzy little ducks on Bullhead Lake.
Bullhead Lake was so still, the reflection was just stunning. Usually that’s just an early morning thing so I was delighted to see this lake. I could have spent hours here.
At the end of the lake we are faced with a gorgeous rock wall full of waterfalls and no idea where the trail will take us. Obviously somewhere beautiful.
The trail goes right then switchbacks up the right side of the wall. We got closer and closer to the waterfalls and the view back down the valley constantly unfolded.
It’s so steep. There is no way to access the falls.
After this we went around 2 bends before turning west and entering the pass area. Poles were not necessary as the climb was relatively gentle.
This is where the rain caught us. We stopped to eat before it got worse. It actually only got worse for a short period then it was off/on.
There’s something about hiking over the Continental Divide that makes me excited. We suddenly got texts from our cat sitter right here, the Granite Park Chalet which it turns out was just below us was being generous with waves.
Beautiful deer across the valley.
The pass area had spectacular wildflowers, the fuzzy purple balls (Allium) are sending me.
Soon we started descending so we stopped above the chalet and enjoyed the (brand new) view. The mountains to the side border the Grinnell Lake area.
The rain got more enthusiastic on this side of the Divide so we started to head back. We saw very few people on this trail, maybe due to the forecast.
The clouds were doing their best to infiltrate our valley over the top of Swiftcurrent Glacier.
This is why we do this, the view back down Swiftcurrent Valley. We will follow the line of lakes back down to the start.
The rain got crazy about an hour from the cabin but we still paused by Fishercap Lake to watch this moose for a few minutes. Moose quota satisfied.
This trail stays on the list so we can add the Grinnell overlook to it the next time.
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