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Access and parking: Parking lot 3 at the Norquay ski
area.
Length and
classification: 8.9 kin (round-trip), Moderate.
Description: Start at the far
end of the parking lot and ski directly across the ski
area to where the trail enters the forest. Continue
straight ahead. After crossing a large and rather open
gully (an avalanche chute), the trail forks; one branch
leads to Mystic Lake, the other to Elk Lake. From this
fork, the ski trail makes a 6.7 km loop. Skiing the loop
in a clockwise direction (the easier way) you start with
a fairly steep uphill climb on the Mystic Lake trail. The
trail then drops for almost a kilometre to the banks of
Forty Mile Creek. At the bridge over the creek there is a
magnificent view of Mount Louis rising high on the
western horizon. Don't have lunch here - it's another
avalanche chute. Equally good views and safer spots can
be found farther along the creek.
From the bridge, the ski trail travels
downstream along the south bank of the creek to the Elk
Lake trail. This section is flat and narrower than the
rest of the trail. It twists and turns pleasantly as it
makes its way along the creek. The sulphur you can smell
at one point along the way comes from a spring on the
opposite side of the creek.
From the junction with the Elk Lake
trail, the going is uphill all the way back to the
parking lot, though this trail is less steep than the
Mystic Lake trail. Not all cross-country skiers will be
going in the same direction, so watch out for others
coming downhill.
Hazards: The trail crosses
several avalanche zones.
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