CANMORE - Canadian Rockies: Including Banff and Jasper National Parks - page 167

the wooden steps, crossing Spray Lakes Road to Quarry Lake. This small lake lies in an
open meadow and is a popular sunbathing and swimming spot.
HIKING
The hiking trails around Canmore are usually passed by in favor of those of its famous
neighbors, but some interesting trails do exist. Paved paths around town are suitable for
walking, bicycling, and, in winter, skiing. They link Policeman's Creek with the golf
course, Nordic center, and Riverview Park on the Bow River.
MM Grassi Lakes
• Length: 2 kilometers/1.2 miles (40 minutes) one-way
• Elevation gain: 300 meters/980 feet
• Rating: easy/moderate
• Trailhead: Spray Village, beyond the Nordic center, 6 kilometers (3.7 miles) west of
downtown off Spray Lakes Road
This historic trail climbs to two small lakes below Chinaman's Peak. From the parking lot
just off Spray Lakes Road, take the left fork 150 meters (0.1 mile) along the trail. It climbs
steadily to stairs cut into a cliff face before leading up to a bridge over Canmore Creek and
to the lakes. Interpretive signs along the trail point out interesting aspects of the Bow Val-
ley and detail the life of Lawrence Grassi, who built the trail in the early 1920s. With Chi-
naman's Peak as a backdrop, these gin-clear, spring-fed lakes are a particularly rewarding
destination. Behind the upper lake, an easy scramble up a scree slope leads to four picto-
graphs (native rock paintings) of human figures. They are on the first large boulder in the
gorge. An alternate return route is down a rough access road between the hiking trail and
Spray Lakes Road, passing a broken-down log cabin along the way.
MM Ha Ling (Chinaman's) Peak
• Length: 2.2 kilometers/1.4 miles (90 minutes) one-way
• Elevation gain: 740 meters/2,430 feet
• Rating: moderate/difficult
• Trailhead: Goat Creek parking lot, Spray Lakes Road, 9 kilometers (5.6 miles) west of
Canmore