[1-Sadlier Mountain and Fortress Lake]
Fortress Lake is located in Hamber Provincial Park in British Columbia, and is accessible only by fly-in, and hiking or skiing over a 24 km (15 miles) route from Sunwapta Falls in Jasper National Park. Hamber Provincial Park has 24,000 hectares.
Trophy brook trout catch and release fly fishing in a remote and private wilderness area. Photos of the sizes of the fish caught in this lake can be seen here.
From British Columbia Parks:
“At high elevation, and with pristine wilderness, this park has excellent angling opportunities, and is prime grizzly and black bear country. A rustic campground is located at the east end of Fortress Lake and several traditional campsites are identifiable along the north shore of the lake. Each campsite has a pit toilet and bear pole for storing food. Because Hamber Provincial Park is an undeveloped wilderness area with no facilities, visitors should be self-sufficient and properly equipped.”
As an added bonus the following are photos of braver and tougher hikers than I who walked to Fortress Lake.
[2-Trail to Fortress Lake from Sunwapta Falls]
[3-Trail to Fortress Lake beside Athabasca River]
[4-Crossing the Athabasca River]
[5-Crossing the Athbasca River]
[6-Trail to Fortress Lake - click to enlarge]
[7-click to enlarge]
[8-click to enlarge]
[9-Crossing the Chaba River as there is no bridge]
These hikers sent the tallest of their group first into the icy water to see how deep it was. However, the reward of reaching Fortress Lake would be waiting.
Sources:
Fly Fish Alberta
http://www.britishcolumbia.com/parks/?id=176
Photo Credits: [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9]-Mr. Hermit CC=nc-nd-flickr.
19 comments:
Oh my, when I saw the little footbridge swaying over the waters, I thought this is not for the faint hearted. And then I read on ... *smile*
Makes one long for late spring and hiking adventures. Thank you for the information!
I always love this posts, Barbara. They help me travel virtually and enjoy this wonderful landscapes.
Thank you very much :)
that truly looks amazing
What a wonderful trip and beautiful set of photos! Only I wouldn't cross Athbasca River on that wobbly bridge!
Simply gorgeous.
I like that bridge across the river. I've always wanted to go on a hike similar to that.
Those shots look great but when viewed large they are spectacular. What a great series of photos.
Beautiful pics.expecting more...
siva
Merisi, Parks Canada often has to replace the footbridges within Banff and Jasper National Parks as they are taken out by the heavy snowfalls during the winter each year. Spring and fall would be better times to cross the Athabasca and the Chaba as their levels would be lower. I'm not very keen on fording ice cold rivers especially of that width!
Mihai, I enjoy posting them as they take me away from the day to day boring stuff.
Josh, hiking in the woods refreshes the mind and muscles.
Wil, I'd rather take a wobbly bridge than ford an icy river.
Bernard, now you need to visit.
David, some of the other hikes I've posted have suspension bridges too.
Michael, the top photo when enlarged looks like you could step through the window. The only things missing are the bird calls, the scent of evergreen trees in the air and the crisp clean air wafting in.
I'm afraid I don't much care for wading in icy water. Shiver!!!
The first photo of the lake is gorgeous. I have a thing for bridges. I'm usually glad when I'm over the other side with my feet firmly on the ground!
Siva, welcome and thank you for stopping by.
Charles, many years ago when I accompanied my mother to a teachers' convention held at the Banff School of Fine Arts I had a chemical allergy reaction, and found that by placing my feet into the ice cold Bow River, kept them from swelling.
Shelley, I, too, have a thing for bridges. Once I had to lead a horse over a bridge with low railings and a big drop on either side. I had to pretend it was 'okay' otherwise the horse wasn't going anywhere.
This place looks so stunning! Rough and untouched beauty. How wonderful to be able to hike regularly in such locations!
Bindu, unfortunately Jasper is about 3,800 km driving distance from Toronto. This hike is walking along a flat river valley without much elevation change. The only real obstacles are the rivers, being in 'bear' country and on your own in the wilderness.
Ah, that did me good! Like a mini vacation. Those trout were as gorgeous as the scenery. Thanks Barbara.
Frank, then you can have mini-vacations every Tuesday as these are the fishing posts. I agree those were BIG trout.
Kia ora Barbara,
Love the photos and the rivers, mountains, and tracks! The swing bridge and river crossings are very similar to New Zealand, where a days tramp in the mountains will almost always mean wet boots at some stage. That river looks very glacial by the colour. Have a great day.
Cheers,
Robb
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