Old Goat Glacier

Trip No. 155

Elevation

2422m

Height Gain

721m

Distance (one-way)

5.37km; add 0.57km for return trip to tarn

Time to Reach Summit

2.0 - 3.5 hours

Degree of Difficulty

1.5 of 5

Scenery

2 of 5

Date of Most-recent Ascent

July 17, 2004

Download GPS Track

Drive south from Canmore on the dusty Smith-Dorrien Spray Trail. In just over 13km you reach the ranger station. Shortly after turn right at Three Sisters Dam and cross Spray Lake to the west side. At the camp site entrance (GPS reference 50d59m39s N, 115d22m39s W) turn left. Head down the dirt road 1.4km and at a left bend in the road look for a small clearing on your right and campsites on your left. Pull off the road and park in the clearing (GPS reference 50d59m05s N,115d21m49s W). There's a sign here noting no fires and no camping.

Start off into the forest on a clear trail. Within minutes you arrive at the first intersection. Keep left. A little further on at a second junction again stay left. After 10 minutes of brisk hiking from the trailhead at a third junction (GPS reference 50d58m54s N, 115d21m57s W) go right and then quickly left. The trail stays fairly close to the creek for most of the way as you advance up valley on semi-open forest. The forest floor is lush green with ferns.

1.67km and 30-35 minutes into the hike a clearing (GPS reference 50d58m19s N, 115d22m17s W) develops off to your left. If you stray a little ways into the opening you'll get a clear view of the headwall below the glacier. The route will climb steep slopes to a gap on the left of a clump of trees. On the very right of the clearing you should be able to just make out a waterfall.

Another 10-15 minutes after the clearing the trail becomes rocky, and the din of the waterfall is unmistakable. As you exit trees the waterfall is directly ahead. Hop over the creek at a cairn (GPS reference 50d58m04s N, 115d22m33s W). In fact, a row of 3 cairns direct you to a stunted clump of trees. Oodles of orange flagging decorate nearly every branch as you squeeze through the narrow confines.

As soon as you're through the trees head for the right of large boulders. A continuous line of cairns coax you up the steep, rocky terrain. None of this is difficult, but the sustained 25% grade will test your endurance. Behind you the view of Mt. Lawrence Grassi and Three Sisters begins to unfold.

The trail wraps around to the right as you go higher, and for the last section slithers alongside trees before arriving at a narrow gap. Directly across from the rubble pile is the toe of the lateral moraine. Turn right and drop down a bit to gain easy access to the moraine. If you continue on the faint trail it will take you down to a small lake at the top of the waterfall. This is a 20 minute (return) detour that you can make on the return trip.

Once you're on the moraine (GPS reference 50d57m44s N, 115d22m41s W) it's up to you to decide how far you want to go. The moraine is almost 2km in length. If you're thinking of reaching the glacier via the moraine it's a more serious undertaking, as you'll need to traverse steep snow slopes to get to the upper bowl. It may be easier to drop down earlier into the glacial valley and hike up to the tip of the ice flow.

If you follow the moraine, at the first large boulder you come to note the layers of fossilized shells in the rock. There's not a whole lot of difficulty as you travel further up this hanging valley. The view of the head of the glacier improves, as do the spectacular cliffs under Old Goat Mt. The terrain becomes more barren as you proceed. Finally the moraine peters out as it merges into steep slopes dropping down from the left. A little further on all vestiges of trail disappear at a small cairn (GPS reference 50d56m56s N, 115d21m47s W). You can stray further out to touch some of the tributary snow feeding down to the glacier far below.

On a hot day the breeze blowing off the glacier is a welcome relief. In spite of the open valley in front of you it feels a little closed in up here. Perhaps it's the just austere environment - there's nothing growing here, not even moss or lichen. The only green you can see is a grass slope way off in the distance at the end of the valley.

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Old Goat Mt.

Route to glacier ascends treed headwall near center of photo

Old Goat Mt.

Waterfall below lake

Old Goat Mt.

Approach top of headwall below glacier

Old Goat Glacier

From start of lateral moraine

Access Map

Elevation Profile