Wishbone

Elevation: 1350 m
Elevation Gain: 120 m (cumulative)
Waterton’s “Wishbone” trail is an old stock route that passes through open plains and aspen groves on the east side of Waterton Lakes. The trail can be used to access Vimy Peak, Crypt Landing and the Bospurus which separates the Park’s namesake Upper and Middle Lakes.
My Ascents:
June 18 2021
Trailhead: Wishbone Trailhead
GPS Track: Wishbone

In celebration of Father’s Day 2021, a grand camping trip to Lundbreck Falls was organized to fete our family’s 3 Dads: Grandpa Gord, Papa Gary and yours truly. While multigenerational camping trips are wonderful ways to celebrate, hikes are, of course, better. Fortunately, the two are not mutually exclusive!

After taking in the stunning views of Lundbreck Falls (photo courtesy Gord Hobbs) and much campground revelry the night prior, we decided to pay an overdue visit to nearby Waterton Lakes National Park for our annual Father’s Day hike-a-thon. With toasty summer weather forecast and hikers ranging in age from 3 to 73, I uncharacteristically suggested a flat walk along the Wishbone trail which I hoped would prove scenic and colorful thanks to Waterton’s abundance of wildflowers. The Wishbone trail, essentially, doesn’t end but we decided to aim for Sofa Creek which crosses the trail at the 5-km mark. With the summer solstice only days away, I figured that the creek’s ice-cold waters might provide a welcome way to beat the Father’s Day heat.

After caravanning to the trailhead (which resides just outside the Park Boundary), Brianne (aka Mom) stopped to carefully read the trail description. She obviously didn’t believe me when I said that I was planning a reasonable family hike! 🙃 Note also, the first of many wildflowers to come… 🌷

Geranium viscosissimum (sticky purple geranium).

3-year-old Penny was nearly as colorful as the hike's many flowers and made quick work of the trail’s first few kilometers.

An early appearance by the Prince of Wales Hotel with Mount Richards and Bertha Peak towering above. Thanks to the trail’s many open sections, views like this were abundant! 😍

LEFT: Mount Blakiston highlighted the view up the Akamina Parkway. In the foreground, evidence of the Kenow wildfire was quickly being overtaken by fresh growth. In 2017, the fire swept down the Akamina Parkway and incinerated much of the Park.
RIGHT: After passing through relatively open meadows initially, the trail meandered through a series of aspen groves (providing welcome shade for Crux!).

LEFT: More wildflowers to be found in the woods (this time: twining honeysuckle - Lonicera dioica).
RIGHT: An unusual sight: a floating aspen tree! 🤯

Wild rose (Rosa acicularis) country.

Waterton wonder! As the trail left the aspen forest behind, much of Waterton came into sight beyond verdant plains. Click to see larger.

Penny continued to lead the charge as our group hiked south towards Vimy Peak. If Vimy looks far away from here, it’s because it is…

Views east towards Mount Crandell.

A closer look at Mount Crandell’s “Tick Ridge” scramble route which Brianne and I enjoyed during our first trip to Waterton together. The Kenow Fire laid waste to this area, leaving only matchstick forests behind.

The old hounds hiking together again. 🐕

LEFT: Having discovered the night prior that I was eligible to book my second COVID vaccination at noon, I briefly turned my attention away from the trail’s splendid scenery and focussed on the acquisition of much-coveted mRNA. Thanks for the Father’s Day gift AHS!
RIGHT: And now back to our regularly scheduled flower photos: mountain lady’s slipper (Cypripedium montanum).

A brief cameo appearance by Middle Waterton Lake. As the strong June sun beat down upon us, we found ourselves wishing that we’d picked a trail that was closer to the cool-looking lake!

A three-spot mariposa lily (Calochortus apiculatus).

Northern sweetvetch (Hedysarum boreale).

About 5 kilometers from the trailhead, a preponderance of goldenasters (Heterotheca villosa) welcomed us to the banks of Sofa Creek.

LEFT: Goldenasters (ever so slightly past their prime).
RIGHT: Arctic lupines - Lupinus arcticus (photo courtesy Gord Hobbs).

Scenic Sofa Creek (click to see larger). After a hot hike to this point, the creek’s cool waters and the impressive panorama from its banks made this a natural stopping point.

Looking upstream towards Sofa Mountain.

A host of Waterton summits rise up to the southwest of Sofa Creek, including (from left to right): Mount Richards, Mount Alderson, Bertha Peak, Mount Carthew and Buchanan Peak. Photo courtesy Gord Hobbs.

The downstream view featured many of the peaks of the Red Rock Parkway. From left to right: Lost Mountain, Anderson Peak, Mount Galwey, Bellevue Hill and Rogan Peak.

Grandma and Mera cool off in the fast-flowing creek. 🥶

Crux does likewise.

With 5-km between us and the car, Brianne doused Crux to cool him off as much as possible. It was a hot day to be wearing a thick, black fur coat!

LEFT: Nannie didn’t have a fur coat but Papa, obviously, felt it prudent to douse her as well (dead man walking 😬).
RIGHT: A cool perch for 5-year-old Mera.

LEFT: Monkeys cooling their feet in the stream! 🙉
RIGHT: As you can see, Grandpa decided to cool more than just his feet… 🤣

LEFT: Anything the Old Man can do, I can do better!
RIGHT: Cool dudes (but only in the literal sense). Anything to beat the heat! ❄️

After everyone cooled themselves (to varying degrees) in Sofa Creek’s refreshing waters, we braved the heat once more and started back towards the trailhead.

LEFT: Of course, I managed to find some more flowers during the return hike: Indian paintbrush (Castilleja miniate).
RIGHT: False Solomon’s Seal (Maianthemum amplexicaule).

For a hike with next-to-no elevation gain, Wishbone really packs a panoramic punch! Click to see larger.

A tiny Brianne follows the trail as it makes its way back into sparse aspen groves.

Biscuitroot (Lomatium grayi) amidst the aspens.

LEFT: With the sun directly overhead during our return, the aspens (sadly) provided no shade. 🥵
RIGHT: Having run most of the way to Sofa Creek, Penny opted to work smarter not harder on the way back.

A few feet were, apparently, the difference between life and death for the Wishbone trail’s trembling aspens during the Kenow Fire.

Another Father’s Day march for Nannie and her girls.

LEFT: The sun took its toll on little Penny. Fortunately, she proved capable of napping upright! 🤣 😴
RIGHT: After a hot hike back, Grandma found a mass-brewed way to beat the heat back at the car. Shame! Shame! Shame! (Fortunately, we had a better selection of craft beer in our cooler!)

The BEST way to beat the heat: ICE CREAM 🍦 and GOATS 🐐 in nearby Twin Butte!

LEFT: I scream, you scream, the goats scream for ice cream!
RIGHT: These are a few of my favorite things…

Mera smiles ear-to-ear thanks to the combination of ice cream and baby goats. For anyone passing by Twin Butte on their way to Waterton, a stop at “The Grumpy Goat” is a must!

LEFT and RIGHT (photos courtesy Gord Hobbs): After a hot hike, we made our way back to Lundbreck Falls. As cooler temperatures finally settled in, we wrapped up the Father’s Day festivities with a family campfire. From falls to flowers to fires, I had a great Father’s Day complete with some of the best gifts I could have asked for: ice cream, GOATS (!), craft beer, cool mountain streams, peak-filled panoramas, a COVID vaccine appointment and, mostly importantly, a day filled with fun, family memories. Let’s do this again next Father’s Day! 🎉