Date: August 6, 2023
Location: Akamina-Kishinena Provincial Park, British Columbia, Canada
Total Trip Distance: 13.84 mi / 22.25 km Total Elevation Gain: 3,961 ft / 1,207 m
Trip Duration: 6 hours 45 min
Team: With Alex Catalfamo
Field Notes: The trail is straightforward and easy to follow for the entire hike except when turning left to bag Forum Peak. No route finding required, just take the easiest path towards the peak on a broad ridge. There are two places for water: a stream before reaching Forum Lake on the approach, and the second stream before reaching Wall Lake on the way out. There is apparently a scramble up Forum Peak which we didn't know about until after our trip was complete.
Rating: Class 1
Approach Via Forum Lake
It was a smokey drive as we made our way east towards Pincher Creek until eventually turning south towards the Waterton Lakes area. We'd never been in this area before and with plenty of smoke in the forecast we went with an option lower on our list of objectives. That being said, this trip didn't disappoint by any means.
We started our hike at the Akamina Pass trailhead. The beginning was a gradual incline through some beautiful fireweed - a flower that grows after a wildfire. We passed by a group of bikers that were getting their ass kicked by the incline. It seemed like this was their once-a-year hangout as a friend group and someone had the bright idea of slogging uphill on a bike.
We made a left near the Akamina Creek Campground and climbed higher as the trail went towards Forum Lake. We kept leapfrogging a couple who stopped every five minutes or so for a photo. It became irritating so I eventually just stopped for a long water break. A few minutes later we reached Forum Lake and made our way up the ridge towards Akamina Ridge.
Forum Peak & Akamina Ridge
I didn't realize until after the trip that there is a scramble up the northeast ridge of Forum Peak. So instead we climbed the ridge between Forum and Wall lake on a hiking trail. Then we turned left and made the short walk over to Forum Peak. It seems there are two summits separated by only a few minutes walk so we tagged both as their is a cairn on each.
It was still pretty smokey but the views were still great. I would be pretty excited to see this place in clear weather (and we eventually did). From the summit of Forum Peak we had some awesome views towards Mount Custer in Montana.
We decided to keep moving and retracted our steps back to Akamina Ridge. This was the best part of the day for us - high up on a ridge, all alone, with solid views in all directions. The color of the rock is pretty amazing as well. Patches of red, yellow, brown, orange and even shades of green create a unique color palette. We stopped at the summit of Akamina Ridge for a nice break. We kept imagining what it would be like to look straight into the heart of Glacier National Park in Montana. You can tell there are some big peaks out there.
When we felt ready, we continued on. There was a final section of ridge that was just stunning.
The trail dipped down to the skiers right before eventually meeting Wall Lake. We filled up our water at a creek, stripped down to our boxers, and went for a swim in Wall Lake. Magical. After a good ten minutes we put on our clothes and decided it was time to go home. It had been a much better day than expected.
We were treated to an amazing final section of fireweed. The pictures don't do it justice. The contrast between the purple flower, green grass, and brown trees was mesmerizing.
Back at the car there was one last objective. It was time for ice cream.
Happy days...
Comentarios