Healy's Pass

First non-summit for the season!

This was refreshing for me (and my legs) as I was able to trudge along 20km round trip without really feeling like I had done all that work. Until the last 2 km that is. Not only this but that it started out at my local snowboarding grounds Sunshine Village.

Literally walking up the Lower Canyon run at the base of Sunshine Village, at around 400m in you turn right down the path- rather than left further up towards the ski resort. This is a nice winding path that is more level than an incline which carries on for a few more kilometres. This then comes to a little wooden bridge crossing a crystal clear stream with a waterfall underneath the bridge. I mean, come on, who puts a bridge directly over a waterfall! That just seems silly to me. Nearly managed to lose my Ray Bans!

Winding through the woods only slightly going up an incline you pass through some large avalanche shoots which would be terrifying in winter! Eventually you read E5 which is a little Parks Canada campground perched by the riverside deep in the woods. This is defiantly somewhere I would love to take Andrew and camp for a night or two.

Just after passing the campsites you meet a crossroads. This is where you can chose to take the Simpson Pass Loop. Elena and myself decided to go right which leads directly up to Healy’s Pass. We gradually started to incline gaining more and more elevation which came as a shock to our legs after walking on relatively flat grounds for quite some time. For me personally I am quite happy to wander through the woods listening to the birds chirping and rivers near by pounding away at the rocks.

Eventually we came out to a little river which lay in the middle of a large meadow flourishing with wild flowers and snow capped mountains in the distance (primarily The Monarch). The flowers are so vibrant and everywhere! At this point in the hike the red magenta flowers took precedence and then further along the trail at higher elevations the whites, purples and yellows started making appearances. I can see why tourists and travellers have the temptation to pick and take photos with the flowers, but the ecosystem is so delicate in areas especially alpine areas that it could b very detrimental.

Elena and I came to another intersection not long after the meadow. At this point we were slightly confused. We just assumed that the trail to the left looped back to the campground and that the right path lead up to the top of the ridge. This was thankfully a correct assumption. This stage is the “steep” climb of Healy’s Pass trail and is only 1.5km from the crossroads. Trust me keep going. The views obtained at Healy’s Pass are amazing. You’re able to look over Egypt Lake (which also has a campsite and hut), as well as Mummy Lake, Talc Lake and Scarab Lake. Large towering mountains, deep blue glacial lakes and waterfalls flowing in between.

We slowly made our way back down to the intersection. We decided to go to what we thought was the Simpson Pass. Level trial winding through the woods along lake side and meadows filled with wildflowers. If you don’t have the time don’t bother with the loop as there isn’t many more sights along the way that you don’t see from the Healy’s Pass trail. Even so, it was a nice little adventure as we weren’t in a rush.

By the time we got back to the crystal clear water and bridge we were sore and tired. Until this point we didn’t actually feel like we had walked as far as we had. The 20km was starting to take its toll. Thankfully once you reach this point its all sweet sailing and mostly flat.

For those who prefer not to slog up a mountain to a summit to stand at incredible heights this hike would be a good alternative. You get great views of mountains in the horizon (Mt Assiniboine included), cross the Alberta-British Columbia divide and wander through some vibrant meadows.