Grassi Lakes Hike

Where:

• Grassi Lakes

 

When:

• August 25, 2021

 

Who:

• Ed

 

Trailhead:

• from Canmore, take the Spray Lakes Road for a km past the Canmore Nordic Center, where you turn left onto Ken Ritchie Road down to the Grassi Lakes Day Use Area
• the trail can be extremely busy, so you may have to park in the overflow lot on the right-hand side of Spray Lakes Road
• the trail starts beside the outhouse, and after about .1 km, you come to a fork where the easy trail is to the right, and the more difficult trail is to the left

 

 

Degree of difficulty:

• 230 meters of elevation gain
• 4.3 km out and back
• gentle hike if you take the road on the right-hand side (known as Grassi Lakes Upper trail)
• the left-hand trail has a steep section near the end (known as Grassi Lakes Interpretive trail)
• the hike took me under an hour

 

 

Interesting notes:

• Grassi Lakes is a great trail for beginner hikers and those than want a moderate outing as well as being a very short drive from Canmore
• near the top of the Interpretive trail, there is a lookout point on the left-hand side to observe the large scenic waterfall and sweeping views of Canmore
• the lakes are small but quite scenic with their aquamarine color and reflections

• rock paintings that are more than 1000 years old can be found above the upper lake (believed to have been painted by Kutenai ancestors)
• this area is known for the climbers that scale the cliffs across from the upper lake, which is fun to watch
• the naming of Grassi Lakes relates to Lawrence Grassi, who was a local miner that was well known for his passion for the mountains and who built this trail