KANANASKIS COUNTRY - Canadian Rockies: Including Banff and Jasper National Parks - page 208

• Rating: difficult
• Trailhead: upper parking lot at Ribbon Creek
This is the highest maintained trail in the Canadian Rockies and one of the few that ac-
tually reach a mountaintop. Its final destination is the summit of Mount Allan, on whose
slopes the Nakiska ski area lies. From the marked trailhead, it branches to the right,
through the Hidden Ski Trail, then left through an open meadow that was the site of the
Ribbon Creek Coal Mine. Then the fun starts: The trail gains 610 meters (2,000 feet) of el-
evation in the next two kilometers (1.2 miles). At the end of this climb, the trail arrives atop
Centennial Ridge and at the top of the Olympic Platter, starting point for the Men's Down-
hill at the 1988 Winter Olympic Games. It follows the ridge past a group of intriguing
25-meter-high (82-foot-high) hoodoos known as the Rock Garden, passes a false summit,
and then, finally, reaches the top of 2,990-meter (9,810-foot) Mount Allan.
Galatea Creek
• Length: 5.9 kilometers/3.7 miles (2 hours) one-way
• Elevation gain: 425 meters/1,390 feet
• Rating: moderate
• Trailhead: Highway 40, 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) south of Mount Kidd RV Park
Galatea Creek flows from high in the Kananaskis Range through a narrow valley bordered
to the north by Mount Kidd and to the south by Fortress Ridge. From Highway 40, the trail
descends to the Kananaskis River, crossing via a long suspension bridge. Take the left fork
once across the river. The trail is easy to follow as it parallels the north bank of Galatea
Creek beneath the sheer southern wall of Mount Kidd. It traverses a wide avalanche slope
before reaching the final steep ascent to tree-encircled Lillian Lake, which is stocked with
rainbow trout. Behind the lake's backcountry campground, a trail continues two kilomet-
ers (1.2 miles) to Upper Galatea Lake.
OTHER RECREATION
In Kananaskis Village, Kananaskis Outfitters (403/591-7000) rents sporting equipment,
including mountain bikes (from $15 per hour, $45 per day), canoes and kayaks ($55 per
day), and various downhill and cross-country skiing equipment. Inside Out Experience
(403/949-3305 or 877/999-7238) runs three-hour rafting trips on the Kananaskis River be-
low Barrier Dam for $75 per person.