Friday, July 25, 2025
End: Kinuseo Falls Campground
Route (km): 43.0
Total (km): 167.4
Hours: 13.7
Total (hrs): 80.4
The End of Tough Hiking
For me, the Limestone Lakes marks the end of difficult hiking on the Great Divide Route, heading North. From my camp in the meadow approaching Paxton Pass, I didn’t encounter any big obstacles. The rest of the day was quite enjoyable and easy-going compared to previous days on the route.
All Downhill from Paxton Pass
This pass marks the last real high altitude on the route heading North, and it is not a difficult descent down to the Monkman Tarns. Traversing the tarns is not a problem, either. There was little ice on my passage, and the rocky terrain was not bad. I had marked Hugh Lake on my map, and though I saw it from the pass, the route didn’t go directly to the shore, and I didn’t visit it.
A Trail to Monkman Lake
Cairns start to appear on the Monkman Tarns, and from the iconic photo spot high above Monkman Lake, there is a marked trail down. It is a good thing that the trail is there, because without it, this would be a nasty descent through thick bush. Even with the trail, I took my time to ensure I didn’t lose my footing in the mud. It takes some time to descend several hundred meters down, and the bush only gets thicker as the trail flattens out closer to the lake. The trail was well-marked with ribbon and orange diamond blazes.
Overgrown Monkman Trail
The trail North from Monkman Lake to Kinuseo Falls Campground is 25 kilometers, so I figured that I could cover that in 5 hours. I was a little naive. The trail is quite overgrown, and as I went through the “car wash”, I was going no faster than 4 kilometers each hour. It was faster than not having a trail at all, and indeed this would have been tough going if it weren’t for the trail. Nevertheless, I got just as wet hiking this trail as anywhere else on the Great Divide Route.
Fabled Kinuseo Falls Campground Logbook
What an epic logbook at the campground! It only takes a few page turns to go back to all the others who have completed the Great Divide Route. A great way to end the hike.