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Access and
parking: The parking lot on the north side of the
Trans-Canada Highway 0.7 km west of the access road to
the Lake Louise ski area and directly opposite the west
entrance to Lake Louise.
Length
and classification: Trail I (loop) - 12.6 km, Easy;
Trail 2 (one-way) - 2.8 kin, Easy; Trail 3 (one-way) -
2.1 km, Easy; Trail 4 (one-way) - 1.9 kin, Easy; Trail 5
(one-way) - 1.5 kin, Moderate.
Description: Trail 1, the main
trail and the longest one in the Pipestone network, is a
12.6 kin loop. It starts at the bottom of the hill behind
the parking lot. There are not many hills on the
Pipestone trails and no others as high and steep as this
one. At the top, Trail I joins a road which runs along
the brow of the hill. Going to the right, or east, you
come first to the start of Trail 2 and, a little farther
on, to the hiking trail. At this point, Trail I turns off
the road and follows the hiking trail up the Pipestone
Valley for over 6 kin. Except for a few short steep
climbs on this part of the trail, most of it is on either
rolling or flat ground. The Pipestone River is named
after a rock, argillaceous shale, found along its banks;
Indians carved pipe bowls and other objects from this
rock.
At a point marked by an "End of
Trail" sign, Trail I swings left off the hiking
trail and circles back to the trailhead. From here back
to the parking lot, the trail is fairly level though
there are a few short steep sections. After passing one
end of Trail 4 and an un-named lake where Trail 2
branches off, Trail I eventually comes out on the road to
the government corral. It follows this road a short way
back to the brow of the hill overlooking the trailhead
sign, the parking lot and an area of historical
significance. It was while he was camped near here in
1882 that Tom Wilson, guided by a native Indian,
discovered Lake Louise. The Indians knew it as the
"lake of the little fishes"; Wilson originally
named it "Emerald Lake."
Trails 2, 3 and 4 all lie within the
loop of Trail 1. They are all rather similar, each of
them generally level with an occasional small hill. They
can be used to shorten, lengthen, or just add variety to
loop 1. Trail 2 is located mostly in trees, while Trail 3
travels mostly through clearings. The junction of Trails
I and 4 is not as obvious as the other junctions. Watch
carefully for signs. Along Trail 4 some derelict cabins,
remnants of an old logging camp, can be seen.
Trail 5 follows the hiking trail to Mud
Lake and then continues around the shore of the lake to
its far end. From here, it follows clearings back to
Trail 1, meeting it at the same point as Trail 3. There
are some steep hills on the trail in to Mud Lake that put
it into the moderate category. The preferred direction to
ski this trail is counter-clockwise.
The benchland on which these trails lie
makes one of the best cross-country ski areas in the
park. It holds the snow well yet is a bright, sunny area;
the terrain is gently rolling for the most part and the
forest is mostly open with frequent clearings.
Hazards: Off the trail the
terrain is generally featureless and therefore easy to
get lost in. Skiing on Mud Lake or any of the un-named
lakes in the area or on the Pipestone River is dangerous.
It is a good idea to double check
your direction every now and then; a wrong turn at a
junction will lengthen your trip considerably.
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