Overview
On our fifth and final day, we hiked from the Mystic Valley Campground to the Forty Mile Creek trail where we hiked in on our first day. We hiked down this familiar trail back to the bridge where we had our first rest break of the trip. From there, we hiked the main trail, which we had missed on the way in, and got back to the ski resort where we should have come in on the first day.
Below, under Trip Details, I have described how to find this main trail from the parking lot. It may be helpful if you’re planning to do this trip and want to avoid taking the wrong trail like we did. There are no clear trail signs directing you across the ski resort and it’s easy to get going the wrong way. We talked to others on the trail who had made the same mistake we had.
Distance
My GaiaGPS app showed the total distance we walked on this day was 18.4 km. The elevation gain was only 184 meters and we descended 420 meters. The backcountry map published on the Parks Canada website gives a total distance for this leg of the journey of approximately 17.5 or 18 km.
Trip Details
It was another fine day as we left the campground and headed into the forest.
I was feeling excited to be on our last day and thinking about getting a burger for dinner at the end of the day.
We hiked toward the end of the valley and the junction with the Forty Mile Creek trail.
I was excited to be heading toward familiar ground.
In less than an hour, we came to a trail sign. We took the direction to Forty Mile Creek. We still weren’t back on familiar trail but we knew we were going in the right direction.
A few minutes down the trail from the sign, we came upon a small cabin sitting in a field surrounded by a fence.
It was the Mystic Lake Warden Cabin, one of many cabins scattered through the backcountry where wardens and their horses spend the night while out on the land.
There was no one there when we passed.
Another five minutes of hiking brought us to the familiar junction we had passed 4 days before. Then, we had gone on to stay at Campground Fm 19. On this day, we turned toward Norquay.
We saw many of the Western Toads during our 5 day journey. They would sit on the trail and at times, we nearly stepped on them! Usually, they made their slow, laborious way off the trail, into the forest.
We stopped for a break in a green meadow. Mount Louis (right) and Mount Edith (left) were familiar and welcome sights.
This trail out felt like a four-lane highway compared with some of the narrow, faint trails we had followed over the preceding days.
At last we came to the bridge over Forty Mile Creek where we had stopped for a rest break on first day.
We stopped for a break here again, hoping it would be our last break and the hike out would be easy. We planned to stick to the main trail and not retrace our steps down Forty Mile Creek.
This main trail struck out through the forest and soon we were high above the creek which was at the bottom of the valley on our left.
Half an hour later, we were still hiking through forest. I was hoping to see signs of the ski hill soon. I was ready to be back at the car where I would change into clean, comfy clothes for the drive back to Calgary.
At last we emerged from the trail onto a ski run. This photo is looking back at the trail as it leaves the ski resort and enters the forest.
If you are planning to do this hike and want to stay on the main trail, this is what you should be looking for.
Here is the trail into the forest as seen from the ski run.
We walked through the lower slopes of the ski hill on our way out to the parking lot.
This is looking back at where we have come. The road-like ski run winds around and slopes down gently.
This is looking back again where that road-like ski run joins with this dark gravel road. It traverses across the bottom of the runs.
It goes under the Spirit Chair (this is looking back again).
And under the Cascade Chairlift.
Finally we were back at the lodge buildings and hiking toward the parking lot where our car waited.
Below is a photo of the map of the ski runs. I have drawn a pink line along the bottom, where we hiked out from the main trail in the forest and crossed the ski runs. If you follow this track, you should find the main trail to start the Badger Pass Loop. It is easier than the unoffical trail up the creek that we accidentally took on our first day.
We got back to the car early in the afternoon. I was happy we had chosen to do this trail. The campgrounds were nice and the trail went through some truly beautiful landscapes. I would do it again. (But hopefully not until the Mystic Pass avalanche mess is cleaned up!)
Return to the Badger Pass Loop main page
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