Boom Lake is a wonderful hike to take your (out-of-shape!) visitors and relatives out to see the real, pristine Rockies in Banff National Park. The trail starts high up near the continental divide so the elevation gain and steepness of the trail is minimized. The trail is wide and easy to follow; after a short climb, the trail levels out through picturesque forest, with snow-capped mountains rearing over the treetops. Just when everyone starts to ask, "when will we get there?" the trail opens up onto a beautiful, large, alpine lake sitting directly at timberline and right below the jagged edge of the continental divide. The lake makes a lovely picnic stop--bring your camera. The trail elevation also makes it a great early season hike as the snow is generally gone by early June. Kids can handle the hike well, though small children may need to be carried for portions. I've seen strollers used, but for the last few hundred metres, the strollers need to be carried. The hike is superb for older people, otherwise not used to the elevations in the Rockies. Best of all, the hike is not well known and is therefore not (relatively) crowded, a rare experience nowadays in our National Parks.
In the winter it makes a pretty decent ski, easy-ish to go up using waxless or skins and the 3.2km closes to the parking lot is a great downhill on the way back (30 kmh fun!).
There has been a slight re-route of the trail to go through the forest rather than across the tail end of an avalanche run. I didn't see anything on the entire trail that would make me the slightest bit worried unless we had a brazillion feet of snow some year.
In winter please check the Avaluator(Online Trip Planner) rating is: Challenging. See more trip planner route details here.
NTS Map: 082N08
Elevation Gain: 175 m (575 ft).
Directions:
Go west from Calgary, and continue west from Banff on the Trans Canada Highway (#1). Turn south-west on Hwy 93 to Radium, B.C. and ascend the continental divide. The trailhead is 7.1km down the road on your right (west) side just before you reach the summit of the divide (stay in Alberta) and starts at the end of a well marked parking area.
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ByPosted By: kitten422
- Fri Aug 03 13:40:58 EDT 2012
CommentThis was the first hike I did while visiting Canada. NOTE: NOT A STROLLER HIKE. Everybody who goes on this hike should be prepared for crossing baby mountain streams and mud. About halfway through you will see a log that is perfect for a quick stop. Because the hike was uncrowded, we managed to see a couple families of grouse (a quail type bird) and a marmot. Towards the end of the hike you will pass a large rock meadow kinda thing. If you are lucky you will see the marmot hiding in the rocks. When we reached the lake, we were rewarded with perfect views. There are plenty of large rocks that are perfect for a picnic. Because we went at the end of July, I took of my shoes and put them in the chilly water. On the way back it sprinkled, but that is normal for this time of year. In total we spent 4 hours hiking (we take our time) and 40 min relaxing at the lake with our new chip monk friends. :D
ByPosted By: ferreira01
- Wed Jun 15 21:03:54 EDT 2011
UpsideEasy and not busy.
DownsideNone
CommentI did this hike on June 12 and there was still lots of snow on the trail and very muddy. The lake was still amazing and for sure worth the trip.
ByPosted By: longleggedhiker
- Thu Aug 12 22:20:26 EDT 2010
UpsideA relativley easy and plesant trail to a brilliant lake located near the Continental Divide. This hike will be okay for someone who is out of shape.
DownsideThere really isnt a downside to this one at all unless you absolutley must have a full day hike.
CommentThis is a MUST HIKE trail to a beautiful alpine lake. The going is pretty fast owing to only 100 m elevation gain over 5.1 km. Therefore, you can spend some time at the lake and / or pair this hike with another short hike in the area such as Stanley Glacier, located only 6 km down Highway 93.
ByPosted By: kimmyg
- Mon Sep 28 15:14:44 EDT 2009
UpsideBeautiful and variable trail, lots to see and enjoy. Easy to get to the trail head, lots of parking. Was not busy at all.
ByPosted By: Park2
- Sat Mar 07 21:03:13 EST 2009
UpsideGood access, fun rolly trail. Got lucky with great snow today.
DownsideA little easy & short (10-11km return)
CommentFun ride back down, wish it was 2x longer. Cloudy day so don't know about the scenery. The Alpina Control Edge (light B/C, steel edges, nnn BC bindings) were PERFECT for these conditions.
ByPosted By: dycheung
- Mon Aug 04 22:20:59 EDT 2008
UpsideGreat to take out of town guests, very easy and quick hike.
DownsideNot the best hike you'll ever take, but Boom Lake is pretty.
CommentThe road from Trans Canada to Radium is actually 93.
Posted By: kitten422
Posted By: ferreira01
Posted By: kimmyg
