Authors Route: Distance: ~61km loop
Duration: 6 days (5 nights) Add a day for bad weather.
Elevation change: ~3,500 feet
Best season: Late June – Late August – Avalanche threat closes Nigel Creek trail often well into June.
Weather: (for season above) daytime: 55-85 f, Nighttime: 25-45 f – these temps are “normal”, mountain conditions can vary widely and extreme conditions can arise with little or no warning.
Entry/Exit Point: – Nigel Creek Trailhead – Ice Fields Parkway – 30 km north of Saskatchewan River Crossing and 30 km south of the Columbia Ice Field Center.
Difficulty: Moderate in pass and valley floors, to very difficult on steep bolder fields and route finding challenges.
Maps: South: Columbia Ice Fields, Cline River North: Sunwapta, Maleging – 40 meter contour interval – be careful defining routes, a 100 foot cliff can easily be obscured at this contour interval. Only select routes where scrambles have been documented. Even these (such as upper Cline Pass can be borderline for safe passage).
GPS Settings: WGS84 – UTM 11U - Metric
National Park Campgrounds: Boulder Creek, Four Points
References: Hiking Canada’s Great Divide Trail – Dustin Lynx - 2000
Rocky Mountain Books Calgary, Alberta T3C 3B3 Canada
ISBN:0-921102-79-8
Backroad Mapbook – Southwestern Alberta 1998
Mossio Ventures Ltd, New Westminster, BC V3L 5T5 Canada
ISBN:0-9697877-6-6 www.backroadmapbooks.com
(Documents routes and scrambles)
Jasper Trail Office: 780-852-6177 – Permits (3 month lead)
Nordig Ranger Station: 403-721-3965 – Conditions / Bear levels
Maps: MapTown: 100-400 5 Ave SW, Calgary AB.
403-266-2241 http://www.maptown.com/
NRCan Topographic Maps 1:50,000
SE: Cline River #83 C/2
SW: Columbia Ice Field #83 C/3
NE: Job Creek #83 C/7
NW: Sunwapta Peak #83 C/6
A Tale of The White Goat
“Trail? We don’t need no stinkin’ trail!” Backpacking in the Canadian Rockies, far from the well-used park trails, offers tremendous adventure, spectacular scenery and a great feeling of accomplishment. Our crew set out to explore the White Goat Wilderness Area, a remote wilderness east of Banff and Jasper National Parks in Alberta’s Canadian Rockies. Well aware there would be little evidence of trails to help us through this route, we were armed with a compass, GPS and excellent maps to find our way. Our entry to the backcountry was at Nigel Creek, some 30 km north of the Saskatchewan River Crossing. Immediately, the trail ascends to tree line and over Nigel Pass delivering spectacular views of these rugged mountains. This section is part of the popular South Boundary Trail, which connects to the very popular Skyline Trail that traverses over Jonas Shoulder and on to Jasper. The popularity of Skyline is precisely why we did not go that way. Instead, we vectored off trail and into the wilderness area east of the Brazeau River for a week of solitude, seeing not a sole.
Following the braided shores of the Brazeau, we had our first encounter with wildlife, a mother moose with her yearling calf. The calf noticed us first and charged off into the forest to safety. The mother snorted and stood her ground. Our route took us closer to her turf as we followed the riverbank. Finally, after successfully skirting her terrain, she still felt we were too close and began coming toward us. As large and awkward as she appeared, it was amazing how rapidly she covered ground. She crossed the river with swift steps, immerged on our side thundering towards us. We quickly retreated further into the woods, twisting and turning through the trees looking back hoping she would trail off, which she finally did. We needed no more convincing. The river was hers!
After entering the wilderness area, we ascended to the high peaks. Up, up, up into the high alpine meadows and finally to Afternoon Pass. Because there is no apparent trail, few people get to behold the glorious, almost lunar landscape over these remote passes. The view down over the terrain we had covered was an inspiration to us all. Perhaps never pushing ourselves quite so hard before, perhaps feeling accomplishment from defeating a mountain pass that looked so daunting, or perhaps just dazed from the exhilaration of being where we were, no one said a word. Wind whistling, sun shining, a 360 degree paradise unfolded to reward us. In the distance, views of the Colombia Ice Field added to our heightened senses. This is why we were here; this is what we came to see; this is what life is all about.
Exhausted after the abrupt ascent, we stood on the parched rock and barren slopes looking down on a Garden of Eden, knowing it would be home for the night. After a compass bearing we descended the steep slope, ringed by a large snow cornice. From the base of the pass the long slow descent through the alpine meadows was much more strenuous than we had expected. Striking canyons were sliced into the mountainsides, slowing our trek toward treeline. Some creeks were very silty, perhaps working their way through recent avalanches further upstream. The heavy silt converged in a medley with the pristine waters of McDonald Creek, forever clouding it’s route downstream. Big Horn sheep frolicked in the alpine meadows, offering some photo opportunities, a few laughs, and lifetime memories. We all wondered how many people may have seen this before and rejoiced in the knowledge that this valley was ours alone, no one else for miles around.
The steep descent brought forth a gradual birth of lichens, mosses and finally alpine flowers, until we tucked ourselves in below timberline for the night. We fell asleep with the sound of snow melt creeks rushing to their release, gusty winds swirling about the high peaks and birds singing the end of a long day.
Early to rise once more got us on our way before 7:00 am. We quickly departed our heavenly valley and orienteered through dense forest. Amazed at the pace at which we were covering ground, we began the ascent into the Valley of the Lakes, one of the highlights of this secluded route. Named for the string of paternostral lakes laid out like pearls in the valley floor, their emerald color dazzles the eye. The entire valley is rimmed in rugged peaks carved by hanging glaciers calving their thunderous loads and quaking the ground on which we stepped.
After another night rest we traversed the Valley of the Lakes and ascended to upper Cline Pass. After great debate, we elected to attempt the ascent along the rocky slopes on the north side of the pass to avoid the steep scree fields of the south. The ascent was simple, if not exhausting, right up to the final vault of the cirque basin itself. The last push required some climbing and much concern over what may lay on the other side. Finally reaching the top, we achieved our highest elevation of the trek – about 9,100 feet. Lunch on top offered plenty of time to plot our descent into lower Cline Pass. Rimmed with a very steep dolomite bolder field, the descent was slow and difficult, taking nearly 2 hours to cover 250 meters. Perhaps slow, but safe. The final leg for the day brought us to the headwaters of Cataract Creek and some much-needed rest.
Again ascending, this time to assault Cataract Pass, we made excellent time. Arriving at the top of the pass by 8:30, we were inspired by the amazing views of the headwaters of the Brazau River, Nigel Peak and the Cloister Mountains. Featured as one of the most breathtaking scenes in the Canadian Rockies, Cataract Pass is an incredible sight. On the mountainsides, white goats kept century, towering over the pass, watching our progress and absorbing the warm sunshine. Realizing these were our last alpine vistas, after a glorious final day above timberline we descended to Boulder Creek Campground with permit in hand. Tent pads, fire pits, cables to hang bear bags, and a real outhouse, Boulder Creek camp provided all the benefits of a National Park primitive site, and none of the disadvantages. Once again solitude was never a problem, even here only 11-km from the Ice Fields Parkway and home.
With sore knees, torn cloths, and newfound confidence, we descended Nigel valley to meet our transportation away from this pristine country. Some feelings of sadness that we had to depart, many feelings of hunger for some “real food”, the adventure came to a solemn conclusion. Adventurers, prepared for route finding challenges, wildlife encounters, and camaraderie; came away woodsmen, accomplished, satisfied, and eager to do it again.
