Paradise Lake

Elevation: 1838 m
Elevation Gain: 435 m
Paradise Lake is the unofficial name of the body of water which occupies the basin between Mount Haig’s northeast and southeast ridges. While the name “Paradise” aptly describes the alpine environs, the term “lake” is a bit of a stretch for this seasonal tarn which may consist completely of snow early in the season and mud later on.
My Ascents:
June 13 2020
Trailhead: Castle Mountain Ski Resort

With camping season finally upon us, I was excited to have secured 3 coveted (and neighboring!) sites for our immediate family and both sets of grandparents at the lovely Beaver Mines Lake campground in Castle Wildland Provincial Park. With Grandma, Grandpa, Nannie and Papa all along for the ride, our girls were guaranteed a fantastic long weekend filled with memories that they will cherish. Mera caught her first fish (although Papa did all the work) and Penny, inexplicably, found a way to completely coat herself in melted marshmallow. This is what camping is all about. This and, of course, HIKING (Dad needs to have fun too, right?).

Typically, my wife would have a bird if I suggested that we drive 2.5 hours to the Castle ski resort to explore some of their family-friendly summer hiking trails. From our campsite, however, the resort was but a short 14 minute drive (which turned into a 40 minute caravan thanks to the complete and utter lack of cellular service in the area). Caravanning misadventures aside, we all (eventually) met up at the Castle resort parking lot (because Highway 774 really leads nowhere else)!

On the advice of guidebook author extraordinaire and Castle guru Andrew Nugara, we decided to investigate the Paradise Lake trail from the ski resort base. Andrew had suggested that a series of waterfalls early on in the hike would prove entertaining even if our multigenerational crew didn’t all make it to the lake tarn. While his sage guidance was spot-on RE: waterfalls, he, surprisingly, failed to mention that the first few kilometers of this hike grant grand, sweeping views of the spectacular Westcastle Valley. In short, I would highly recommend this hike regardless of whether or not you make it all the way to the lake tarn. Thanks Andrew!

Once our group finally found one another (exactly where we were supposed to meet anyways), we set off to the south from the ski resort parking area before turning west on Sundown Lane to reach the ski hill proper. Once there, we turned south and discovered hiking signs to guide us towards Paradise Lake Tarn.

We saw the sign (it opened up our eyes). We saw the sign (Just follow the sign)!

As we started uphill along the eastern ski area boundary, we soon encountered the resort’s snow-making reservoir which our girls mistook for a pool. Thank God it was fenced in!

LEFT: For the first 3.5 km, the hiking trail is more of a road. In the winter, the ski resort uses this road to provide cat skiing adventures on Haig Ridge. In the summer, it allows for easy travel to some great viewpoints and at least one lake tarn.
RIGHT: Despite being perfectly capable of walking, someone insisted that she wanted to go in the hiking backpack…

Stop the hike here. Seriously. This is SPECTACULAR! After 1 kilometer or 2, we reached an open overlook which granted panoramic views over the Westcastle Valley towards Barnaby Ridge (left) and Rainy Ridge (right). Click to see larger.

Paintbrushes and argillite provide a splash of red to contrast the lush greens of the Westcastle Valley.

A closer look at Rainy Ridge to the south.

When the overlook proved too scenic to just keep hiking, we decided to stop for lunch here (behold as Crux butters up Grandpa while seeking scraps).

LEFT AND RIGHT (Respectively): My little hiking goat and my HEAVY hiking bear!

LEFT: An entertaining waterfall (as promised).
RIGHT: Nannie and Papa enjoy an even more entertaining traverse across the stream that came from said waterfall!

LEFT: Are you not entertained?! I, for one, was; particularly when I noticed the glacier lilies! (But I don't think Russell Crowe was talking about flowers.)
RIGHT: With a heavy winter snowpack and HOT June sun, these were not little trickles (as Brianne can attest after getting thoroughly “spritzed” to take this photo).

LEFT: The Steepening. After about 3 km of relatively easy travel, the road suddenly decided to go STRAIGHT UP. Satisfied with the spectacular views and entertaining waterfalls, half of our group opted to turn back here while Crux, Grandpa, Brianne, Mera, Penny and I forged on.
RIGHT: My 2 hiking goats made quick work of the steep slope.

There’s nothing rainy about Rainy Ridge today…not yet at least…

LEFT: After about 3.5 km, rebar-mounted signs mark the point at which the Paradise Lake tarn hike departs from the road. Note the ample snow which remained at this elevation…
RIGHT: Good luck finding the trail in these conditions!

Everyone enjoys a good hike through 2-m-deep snow followed by a bushwhack, right? As we continued ever upwards through more challenging conditions, I learned that my family has come to refer to these misadventures as a "Matt Hobbs Special." 🤣

Despite the less-than-favorable conditions, we managed to stay pretty close to the designated summer trail (as evidenced by our periodic discovery of summer trail signs). Eventually, we discovered a snow-filled basin which granted easy travel up towards the lake tarn. While the roar of the outlet stream beneath the snow was mildly disconcerting, said snow was remarkably supportive and, thankfully, no one ended up taking an unwanted bath.

LEFT: It looks like we weren’t the only ones enticed by easy travel on top of the snow-covered stream! In addition to moose tracks, we also discovered this recent wolf track in the snow.
RIGHT: a Hobbs family photo in the east-facing basin below Mount Haig (Heaven forbid the kids cooperate for 1 picture). Also, isn’t there supposed to be a lake here? 🤔

Mount Haig (left) and Haig Ridge (right) dominate the view from the, thus far, lake-less basin while felled trees suggest that avalanches are a frequent occurrence here. Click to see larger.

LEFT: Majestic Mount Haig has quickly jumped up the queue on my “to-do” list.
RIGHT: Satisfied with their adventure to this point, Crux, Brianne and Penny opted to enjoy lunch in the sun.

Mera and I, however, HAD to find Paradise Lake tarn. As you can see from this panorama, however, the lake tarn proved to be more of a puddle in the snow at this point. Click to see larger.

LEFT: Mera was VERY excited to have reached the lake (even it was really just a tarn). Her enthusiasm was ADORABLE but, in retrospect, I should have recognized that it was also a sign that she was on the verge of exhaustion.
RIGHT: My new favorite hiking partner and I. Adventures await!

After returning to the rest of our crew, Grandpa and I snapped a quick selfie to document another successful father-son outing before starting the trek down.

What hikes up, must hike down. Is it just me or is that sky starting to look a little more threatening?…

LEFT: Brianne decides to just carry a suddenly-tired Mera as thunder rumbles above. 20 minutes earlier, Mera had been squealing in delight about the abundant snow but, as she suddenly tired, the snow no longer proved to be an ally and she recoiled at the thought of having to walk down through it herself.
RIGHT: A quick pause in the woods to gear up in rain jackets. Based on the increasing frequency of rumbling thunder, we (correctly) guessed that we were all about to get SOAKED.

A wetter, moodier panorama from our lunch spot after a speedy, storm-motivated descent. Click to see larger.

Penny didn’t seem to mind the rain or the hail (but that might be because she stayed warm and dry under the cover of her hiking backpack awning). For our part, the hail was mildly painful but, mercifully, was nothing compared to what Calgary experienced that day.

Enjoying the (suddenly very) fresh air with my mountain dog while Rainy Ridge lives up to its name. After a massive scare with Crux a few weeks earlier, it was great to see him out hiking again. While his scrambling days are now behind him, this old mountain dog has a few miles left in him yet!

LEFT: Back to the car (and not a moment too soon)! As we reached out vehicle, hail began to pelt us (again). I rushed to get Penny out of her backpack and Brianne and I managed to get both girls into their car seats seconds before nature unleashed fury upon us. Thankfully, Papa was grabbing beers for us while we were racing to get the kids into the car so we were all able to ride out the storm “comfortably”!
RIGHT: The storm proved too fierce for driving so we attempted to pull under a tree and decided to enjoy the beers that Papa provided. Mera was quite keen on coloring but, as you can see, she didn’t last long after hiking all the way up to Paradise Lake Tarn on her own! 🤣 😴

LEFT: Once the storm abated, we returned to our campsites at the base of Table Mountain. While the storm let up, the rain, unfortunately, never did (thank God we have an RV now!).
RIGHT: Hiking Dad is displeased that he needs to BBQ supper in a driving rain.

The calm after the storm. Crux dries off under a towel (left) while Brianne enjoys a hard-earned pint (right). Even in the rain, it was hard not to smile after a day of alpine adventures and a few misadventures/"Matt Hobbs Specials" as well. This is what camping is all about!