Dog Lake

Elevation: 1268 m
Elevation Gain: 200 m
Dog Lake is the official name of the subalpine lake located between the Kootenay River and Mount Harkin in Kootenay National Park. The name was officially adopted in 1966 and, although its origin is unclear, it was already well-established locally at that time.
My Ascents:
July 26 2022
Trailhead: Dog Lake Trailhead
GPS Track: Dog Lake

After a hike that was as scenic 😍 as it was scorching hot 🌞 the day prior, we decided to build some cooling capacity into our 2022 Kootenay camping trip’s next outing. “Dog Lake” doesn’t sound like a very appealing destination but the hike’s stats (5.2 km return and 200 vertical meters) were exactly the kind of easy day we were looking for and, after a week-long heatwave, we figured that any mountain swimming hole 🌊 would do! With bathing suits and kids’ water wings in hand, we therefore set out from the Dog Lake day use area (just south of the McLeod Meadows Campground) in Kootenay National Park.

LEFT: After being thoroughly indoctrinated about the dangers of aquatic invasive species (GASP) at several different Parks Canada interpretive shows, we were certain to self-certify our kids and their water wings at the Dog Lake trailhead. After confirming that the kids/water wings were in fact, CLEANED, DRAINED AND DRY, we started up the well-travelled trail.
RIGHT: Initially, the trail passed through the McLeod Meadows Campground which included an interpretive theatre. I actually love camping interpretive shows but I am BEGGING Parks Canada to come up with some topics more interesting than zebra/quagga mussels (GASP) for next year’s series…

Beyond the campground, a very bouncy suspension bridge spanned the Kootenay River. This proved to be a HIT for our little jumping beans (and me 🙃) but I’m not sure that it did poor pregnant Brianne’s unsettled tummy any favors! 🤰

Views of the Brisco Range to the east from the bridge. Essentially, all of the peaks visible here are outliers of Mount Kindersley.

LEFT: After crossing a two’fer of bridges, 4-year-old Penny and 6-year-old Mera made relatively quick work of the forested 135 m ascent on the west side of the Kootenay River.
RIGHT: A visit from a Canadian Tiger Swallowtail 🦋 added to the charm of this toasty summer afternoon.

Atop the 135 m hill, Mera and Penny enjoyed a gratuitous rest on an old bench (refusing to share it with their pregnant mom who actually could have used it 🤦).

Brianne descends from the trail’s bench’ed high point.

After wandering downhill through a prolific forest, the terrain opened suddenly and we were greeted with a view of our Dog Lake destination. The lake’s northern end was quite marshy, however, we were able to find a nicer rock/mud beach about half a kilometer south of here.

Despite its unappealing name, Dog Lake proved to be perfectly panoramic thanks to its Mitchell Range backdrop! Click to see larger.

Yesterday’s hike alongside the Simpson River was on the other side of those towering summits (Catlin Peak and Mount Selkirk).

Looking northeast towards Mount Daer.

Rising up directly across the lake, Mount Harkin was the most impressive part of our beachside view. Interestingly, the peak was named for James Bernard Harkin, who is widely considered to be the Father of Canada’s National Parks system. Thanks for the Parks James but something needs to be done about the overbearing mussel-related interpretive shows!

An unnamed outlier of Mount Docking to the southeast.

As advertised, this hike was less about hiking and more about cooling off on a hot summer afternoon! 🌞

Brianne and Penny paddle about at the foot of Mount Harkin. For those who don’t know Brianne personally, this is an INCREDIBLY rare site as she CAN’T STAND cold water!

LEFT: Penny, on the other hand, can’t get enough of the cold mountain lakes! Like father, like daughter!
RIGHT: Brianne accidentally touches the lake’s slimy bottom with her feet (and possibly her baby bump). The look on her face was PRICELESS (although I’m going to pay for posting this). Penny, again, just can’t get enough of the cold water and the slimy lake bottom…

Mera is more like her mom. While she briefly went in, the slimy bottom proved too gross for her. Instead, she chose to spend her time collecting snails (because they’re not gross at all 🤦).

Quite the collection 🐌🐚…

After splashing about for over an hour in the lake’s cool waters, we decided that it was time to grab one final photo, get dressed and start our return hike.

What goes up, must come down (and then go back up and then down again). All of which is to say, you have to hike uphill from Dog Lake before hiking back down. Penny wasn’t a fan…

Refreshed by our dip in Dog Lake, we made quick time on the hike down and soon found ourselves back at the Kootenay River bridges and the nearby trailhead. From there, a rigorous CLEANING, DRAINING and DRYING of our children 🙃 marked the end of another successful Kootenay adventure.