Willow Creek Hills
Kananaskis
January 14, 2012

After a brief foray into Willow Creek Hills last week, Dinah and I wanted to return to hit higher ground with better views. The centre hill appeared to be our best bet. There are two higher points to the northwest in Willow Creek Hills, but these are some distance away and covered in trees. In comparison, the centre hill was closer and the NTS map depicted a spacious, treeless summit.

Starting from the base of Indian Graves Ridge, we could walk up the exploration road for about four kilometres before turning off and hiking up a creek south of the centre hill. If we followed the creek, we would come to a north-south cutline that leads nearly to the top.

But we didn't stick with those plans. We hiked up the road – surprisingly pleasant where it cut high into an open slope – and then started up the creek. But we missed a fork in the creek that we should have taken. Fortunately too, for we realized later that the creek becomes rather steep-sided. Besides, we found a good east-west cutline that took us to a southern spur that, in turn, led to the summit. With little deadfall and understory, travel was easy on the wooded spur, so there was no need to take the north-south cutline. However, there was nothing to see but trees, trees, trees and we looked forward to reaching the summit clearing.

At the summit, however, we were met with disappointment. We found a bare crown a few dozen metres across that was ringed with trees. Views were restricted. Even so, being goal-oriented beings, we were glad to reach the top of something. And the outing gave me an idea to return to the area another day to climb a more promising point.

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