Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Reservations are taken for some campgrounds annually from May 1 onwards.
Use the website www.reserve.albertaparks.ca and have your credit card at hand.
This easily reached lake is away from the busiest part of the park, making it an uncrowded
yet worthwhile jaunt (also known as the Black Prince Cirque Trail, although officially
ending well before the actual cirque). Numbered posts along the trail correspond to a book-
let available at the trailhead or at the Visitor Information Centre. The trail begins by climb-
ing steadily to an area that was logged in the early 1970s. It then winds up through a
forest of Engelmann spruce and subalpine fir, crossing Warspite Creek and emerging at the
forest-encircled lake. An unmarked route continues along the north shoreline, then climbs
unrelentingly before entering Black Prince Cirque, which was formed by ancient glacial
action. Each spring the cirque fills with water, forming small, emerald-green lakes. It's an
additional three kilometers (1.9 miles) each way from Warspite Lake to the cirque.
Burstall Pass
• Length: 7.4 kilometers/4.6 miles (2.5 hours) one-way
• Elevation gain: 480 meters/1,575 feet
• Rating: moderate/difficult
• Trailhead: Mud Lake, Smith-Dorrien/Spray Trail, 20 kilometers (12.4 miles) from Kana-
naskis Lakes Road
From Mud Lake (a popular fishing hole), this trail begins with a three-kilometer (1.9-mile)
climb up an old logging road to Burstall Lakes. After traversing some willow flats, it be-
gins climbing again through heavy forest and across avalanche paths to a large cirque. The
final ascent to the pass is a real slog, but the view across the Upper Spray Valley (which is
in Banff National Park) is worth it.
OTHER RECREATION
Hiking is the most popular activity in the park but by no means the only one. The Bike
Trail, a 20-kilometer (12.4-mile) paved trail designed especially for bicycles, begins be-
hind the Visitor Information Centre and follows Lower Kananaskis Lake all the way to
the Mount Sarrail Campground. Many other trails are designated for mountain-bike use;
inquire at the Visitor Information Centre (403/591-6344). Boulton Creek Trading Post
(403/591-7678) rents mountain bikes; $12 per hour, $45 per day.
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