Saturday, July 19, 2025
End: Kakwa Lake
Kilometers: 27.4
Approach Total: 107.1
Starting from the Highway Again
It was a little odd starting the walk from the highway again, but I didn’t have much of a choice. Ultimately I didn’t include that portion of the hike in my map or statistics because I already hiked that portion. I pretended that I just started from Bastille Creek, but actually I did five hours of walking on the Walker Creek Forest Service Road from Highway 97 to just past the logging camp at kilometer marker 25. It was boring.
Hitching a Ride to Bastille Creek
I was picked up by a couple of guys, Luke and Rocky, who were picking up some hikers who had just finished the Great Divide Trail. Rocky had experience with horse outfitting trips farther South in the Canadian Rockies, and it was interesting to hear their stories. I tried to warn Luke, the driver, several times about the big potholes and poor state of the road to come, but he explained the truck was going to need some work anyway. We plowed through some big potholes, and I hope we didn’t really damage that vehicle. If you get the opporunity to hitch to Bastille Creek, don’t feel bad about taking it, you aren’t missing anything by not walking the Walker Creek FSR.
ATV Trail Deviation
Right off the bat from Bastille Creek, the old trail goes West to go alongside the McGregor River. The information which I received is that the trail has eroded there, and the better option is to go straight North from Bastille Creek on the ATV trail. This is a muddy area, and I probably got my feet wet here despite my best efforts to keep them dry.
Waterlogged South of Buchanan
The hike between Bastille and Buchanan creeks is very wet. The path gets close to the river, which I believe is where I crossed a braid of the river or a small creek twice in quick succession. There was also a section not far from Bastille Creek where the path was underwater for a lengthy stretch. It’s not great hiking here.
The Buchanan Creek Crossing
The GDT hikers I met coming out as I was on my way in told me that they had crossed Buchanan Creek right where the path crosses the creek, and the water was at knee level. I crossed the creek about 10 or 20 meters West of where the path dumped me into the creek because it seemed to be the best spot. I was up to my waist, and the current was strong enough to make me miss a step or two, faltering backwards and trying not to fall over. I think the current was stronger on this crossing than on any other crossing I did during my whole trip. Thankfully it was a very short crossing.
Good Hiking North of Buchanan
As the path gained in elevation, the hiking became more enjoyable, nostably out of the mud. Wishaw Lake is easily visible from the path, and apparently some people camp there occasionally. Mariel Lake, on the other hand, was not visible from the path. This surprised me, because I had noted its position, and the path looks like it comes within about 50 meters of the North edge of the lake.
Majestic Kakwa Lake
No real need for more comments on Kakwa Lake, but I want to reiterate how happy I am that I got to visit. For years I had been watching YouTube videos and reading trip reports of hikes into Kakwa Lake on the Great Divide Trail, and I finally made it in myself. It was a treat to be there, a treat to meet the volunteer hosts, and a treat to read the log book of past hikers and their visits.