There are also designated snowshoe trails from which to choose. Thank you to Caroline Marion for the beautiful photo and this report from Mt Shark: “Pristine track setting and perfect conditions on the 15 km loop. If you are looking for other easy Kananaskis snowshoe trails similar to this Shark Lake snowshoe, we recommend the Torpor Loop Snowshoe or the Frozen Toad Loop Snowshoe. The drive from Calgary to Mt. The trailhead is at the intersection of Spray Lakes Road and Mount Shark Road but it isn’t well-marked. Can be a busy trail and gets used winter & summer. Some say your choices on the Mountain are endless. Snowshoeing on Summit property is not permitted without a rental/ticket. If you do find yourself on the same trail, snowmobilers (and snowmobile grooming machines on cross-country trails) have the right-of-way. Shark road and use the facilities in the main Mt. The trail isn’t an official snowshoe trail, meaning it is not signed or maintained. Traveling in groups, making noise on trail, and keeping pets on leash is mandatory. Shark Day Use area from Canmore or Banff is take the Smith-Dorrien Trail Highway (AB742). There is an unmarked intersection with the Tent Ridge hike, so to avoid confusion, we recommend having a Shark Lake trail map on your phone. Lincoln and the nearby White Mountain National Forest has tons of great snowshoe trails for all abilities. Keep an eye out or listen for motorized vehicles headed your way. Mount Shark Trail System – Cross Country Ski Trails Map. There are, however, plastic trail markers tied to tree branches along the Shark Lake trail – look for them if you need help navigating. Experience Montana’s magical winter season with a peaceful ramble in the woods—on snowshoes. Events Photos Camp Bike > > Hike/Run > > Ski > > Climb > > > Paddle Fish Picnic Equestrian ... go to Nordic Ski & Snowshoe Home . The Shark Lake snowshoe trail is a very kid-friendly snowshoe trail in Kananaskis. For snowshoeing, the town has the Bethel Village Trails and Carter’s XC Ski Center. Dogs are not permitted on ski trails in Peter Lougheed Provincial Park (but are permitted ON-LEASH on Mtn Shark Trails). still provide a safety risk to Kananaskis visitors. 10 Snowshoe Drive Snowshoe, WV 26209 ©2021 Snowshoe Mountain Resort Given the sun is low in the sky during the winter months you’ll likely be snowshoeing in the shade most of your trip. It’s a very serene, beautiful winter mountain scene. Snowshoeing is a recreational activity enjoyed around the world for its accessibility and rustic simplicity. Cross Country Skiing, XC, Skiing Tags Mount Shark Mount Shark trails. These trails are perfect for beginners and small children. See the snowshoe map below. It’s always a good idea to check the Shark Lake snowshoe trail conditions before you leave home. The ski and snowshoe trails at the 99 Mile Recreation site are managed by the 100 Mile Nordic ski society. Look at the steel spikes on the bottom of the Kahtoola MICROspikes and you’ll see why we love these traction devices so much. The final stretch of the Shark Lake snowshoe trail is through an atmospheric forest with long strands of Old Man Beard Lichen hanging from almost every tree branches. Shark XC / biathalon area, 'shoe/ski/hike along the closed road following the signs to Watridge Lake. Please note: As the SkiTrails Live Grooming Report is no longer functioning for Mount Shark, grooming and tracksetting information may be found in the individual trail comments below. Cross Country Skiing, XC Duane, Biking/Cycling,Skiing,Skijoring They are a scaled-down recreational version of the crampons you’ll see on mountain expeditions. If you drive out Friday night, you’ll enjoy a short 3 minute drive to the Shark Lake parking lot on Saturday morning. To make a purchase, you will need a Visa or MasterCard credit or debit card for payment and an e-mail account. 10 Snowshoe Drive Snowshoe, WV 26209 ©2021 Snowshoe Mountain Resort Unlike the official snowshoe trails in Kananaskis, there are no orange snowshoe trail markers along the way. There are a few reasons for its popularity, most of which can be clearly seen on the elevation profile below. Mount Shark – Bryant Creek – Assiniboine Pass – Lake Magog. Mueller’s trails offer sweeping views of mountain ranges in the distance, and most are easy to moderate for snowshoeing. are now buried under the snow. It’s a great alternative to Chester Lake is you are tired of crowds! This area is prone to chinooks with snow cover varying widely across the season. If you snowshoe at a fast pace or decide to have fun in the deep snow, you’ll get hot pretty quickly, even when it’s cold outside. 7. A nice feature is the trails are generally one-way & signed as such, so they have a pretty smooth flow. You won’t find any benches or picnic tables along Shark Lake, so bring a winter picnic blanket if you have room in your day bag. Sandy and I did this snowshoe on Saturday, December 5, 2015. The Shark Lake snowshoe trail is pretty flat, with only a few hills of any consequence. The Shark Lake snowshoe trail wraps around the lower, northern slops of Tent Ridge. At this stage the Shark Lake trail narrows and the evergreen trees are close on both sides. Fortunately it’s also at the intersection to the turnoff to Mt Engadine Lodge – and the lodge is easy to find. The trails here are favorites for cross-country skiers as well as snowshoers and winter hikers, so if you choose the shoe over the ski, stay off their tracks when you can. What we love is that the trail is much less crowded! Artist Point. With nearly 40 trails and 1,500 vertical feet of descent, the park has something to offer everyone. Peter Lougheed Visitors Centre's services will be reduced to information and washrooms. I had forgotten how hilly Mount Shark is – phew! Visitor Safety; Weather; Trail Condition Report See our list of Easy Winter Hikes around Banff and Easy Cross-Country Skiing Trails in Banff and Area. Snowshoeing is a great way to stay active and get outdoors with minimal equipment and expense required. Before venturing onto any frozen lake, make sure you are knowledgeable about ice safety. These will continue to be removed throughout the winter as time allows. Mirror Lake Trail Map (PDF File) Mirror Lake Trailhead. Also, if possible, look for a pair of snowshoes with double-rachet bindings and avoid snowshoes with any form of buckle bindings – they tend to come undone, which gets annoying quickly. This is likely because they can’t run wild and most of the things they find interesting on a hike (finding treasures, etc.) Mount Shark Ski Trails This project will be brushing and limbing on the 15km ski loop at Mt Shark (the 5k that has been ungroomed for a number of years that is planned to be groomed with more regularity in the future). When covered with snow they create the cutest little cones of snow. Another fun activity to do while snowshoeing Shark Lake with kids is to look for animal tracks in the snow – find as many different kinds as you can and try to guess which animal made them. (143km) This way is shorter, but the Smith-Dorrien is unpaved with a slower speed limit. With its rugged mountain landscape, it’s hard to find a flat Kananaskis snowshoe trail, but the Shark Lake snowshoe trail comes pretty close. If you are looking for some solitude, the Shark Lake snowshoe isn’t well known, making it a great alternative to the Chester Lake snowshoe trail and other the other super-popular Kananaskis snowshoe trails. It’s packed with great scenery, and best of all, you should have the trail mostly to yourself. Experience Montana’s magical winter season with a peaceful ramble in the woods—on snowshoes. In Spring, the melting of ice and snow provide an enchanting soundtrack to nearby trails preparing to make host new growth and delicate wildflowers. Given the Mt. Cross Country Skiing, XC Duane. This easy Kananaskis snowshoe trail manages to stay level by wrapping around the lower northern slopes of Tent Ridge (2,545m). Highly recommended as an easy yet scenic stroll through Class 1 terrain. With three unique ski areas of 60+ trails, 40 bike trails, and activities like snowmobiling, tubing, biking, swimming, and much more, it's a win-win-win no matter what season you visit. If you are going to snowshoe Shark Lake, make sure you have multiple crampons underneath your snowshoes – some on the front toe and a pair under your heel. Vault Toilets are open, however visitors should plan to bring their own sanitary supplies, including paper and sanitizer. There are no drinking water facilities, so bring plenty of water from home. There are a few places where pine branches are encroaching the edges of the trail (especially when snow laden)- mainly on parts of the 15k loop, and especially the extra 5k of this loop. You can also use the search box above the Trail Name column to search for specific dates. Photo by marmot. We highly recommend consulting the Kananaskis Avalanche Danger Report published by Avalanche Canada before you go. So beautiful! There are no trail maps posted on signs anywhere either. This remote mountain lodge is the only place to stay for miles around, but it is very close to a lot of great Kananaskis winter activities. presents 6 maps of Mount Shark Trail System. There are six interconnected loops of … To explore other DEC lands across the state, visit our places to go page. The Sawmill trails were not ideal for racing, so Mount Shark trails were built and used for training Olympic volunteers until Canmore Nordic Centre was first used for the Nordic Combined test events in … Tony Daffern Nov 27, 2020 0 comments. You’ll find the Shark Lake parking area about halfway between the Smith-Dorrien Highway and the main Mt. March 5th:  Thursday night's grooming at Mt Shark took place under a clear sky. Please note that we endeavor to display updated snow depth information but it may not be available due to remote monitoring. Current conditions can be found at. If the shade or wind finds you, it will get noticeably colder. You could probably walk the Shark Lake trail in winter without any traction device on your, but our experience tells us that traction devices are always a good idea – you never know when you’ll hit an unexpected icy patch. Some official winter trails cross avalanche paths! West Bragg Creek Trails - A network of 26 ski and snowshoe trails next door to Calgary in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. Be aware of avalanche conditions! Shark Lake is a kid-friendly snowshoe trail – our kids (aged 5 & 7) were able to complete it without issue. The lists below are samples of great cross-country skiing and snowshoeing opportunities on both DEC lands and State Park properties. Brewster broke trail beside the showshoe trail for other dogs to use. Welcome to the Washington State Parks Sno-Park Permit Purchasing Site. Yaktrax are another popular multi-purpose traction device used around Banff for winter walking or running. Check both trail reports for a good idea of what to expect on your winter Kananaskis adventure. Shark day-use area is a 2+ hour drive from Calgary, consider treating yourself to a weekend at the outstanding Mount Engadine Lodge. The payoff of the Shark Lake snowshoe trail is a beautiful frozen lake with the towering snow-capped Mt. The snowshoe trip to Rummel Lake is similar in difficulty (it’s rated as a Simple-Class 1 terrain) and scenery to Chester Lake, however not as steep, but a bit longer with slightly greater elevation gain. Highway 1 to Canmore, then south on the Smith-Dorrien Trail Highway. This is probably the most popular inbound route (next to flying) into the Mount Assiniboine area. The Mount Shark trailhead is a major starting point for skiers and hikers heading into Banff National Park and Mt Assiniboine Provincial Park in B.C. At the 2km mark, Mt. ATTENTION: There are closures and restrictions in place to help limit the spread of COVID-19. We did the Shark Lake snowshoe with our kids in just over 3 hours. This very scenic drive should take you approximately 1 hour and 10 minutes from Canmore or 1h 26m from Banff. I love being so close to a towering mountain peak, especially when it is snow covered in winter. Feb 26th: Strong winds and light snow flurries were in the Mt Shark area after dark on … Access into these areas is gained via Watridge Lake Trail. All you need is a pair of snowshoes, warm clothes, sturdy boots, and a sense of adventure. Cross Country Skiing, XC, Skiing,Skijoring The trail is lit with LED lights strung sustainably through the forest. If you need to go, drive 4 minutes further down the Mt. Take a few minutes and read “Living with Wildlife” by Alberta Parks. You can order Gem Trek maps off Amazon before your trip, or you can pick one up while here as they are widely available. For a few short & fun stretches of trail, you may even need to duck as you walk through a tight tunnel through the evergreen branches! If you are going to winter hike Shark Lake you should have some form of traction device on your feet. This, coupled with your close proximity to the Spray Lakes, means a good chance of wind. The Shark Lake snowshoe trail is a very enjoyable easy Kananaskis snowshoe trail near the very popular Mt. But as the Dog Mountain trail was quite small (even with a Dinky Peak detour), we still had an hour to spare. End: Mount Shark Parking, Watridge Lake Trail, Kananaskis Improvement District, Alberta, Canada (50.85934-115.37916) Whiskey Jack, Tyrwhitt, Elk Pass, Fox Creek and Moraine Trails … 7. For example, if you snowshoe to Fairview Lookout, you must stop at the lookout and return the way you came. We had decided to head down from the mountain on the shuttle bus at 1:15pm. I haven’t seen this much deep snow anywhere outside the upper meadow of Chester Lake. Ribbon Creek – Cross Country Ski Trails Map. Three Rivers offers trails of varying difficulty for snowshoers of all skill levels, and can rent snowshoes of all sizes. We use and recommend the AllTrails app. Shark (Marushka) Lake is a very enjoyable easy snowshoe trail in Kananaskis. Shark parking lot. In the dead of winter, the bears around Shark Lake should be hibernating (be careful in early winter or early spring though!) Most of the trails in this system are intermediate, with some … Named the #1 Resort for Snowshoeing in North America by Snowshoe Magazine in 2012, Mt Seymour offers a variety of trails exclusively for snowshoers providing a place of beauty and solitude. Found this post useful? It makes sense… winter hiking on snow or ice in the mountains is often very slippery and trekking poles add two more points of contact with the ground, thus greatly reducing your odds of slipping. Be sure to download the snowshoe trail map for offline use before leaving home as you will not have a cell signal anywhere this deep into Kananaskis Country. When conditions are good, trails will be track set and groomed but during minimal snow conditions, grooming and track setting is often avoided in order to maintain snow coverage. Shark road. As long as you have the patience to watch your kids have a super-fun (i.e. Other Class 1 / Simple Terrain trails end right before dangerous features (cliffs, large avalanche slopes) so you need to carry a map and know where to turn back. Once you park, put your snowshoes on and walk further down the road for 1-2 minutes. Not being hard core, I took the opportunity to walk up some of the… Continue reading