Biking on the old logging road
The first section of this trip – to Watridge Lake - is an easy
ride on an old logging road. When there’s snow on the ground,
X-country ski trails criss-cross the road (rated intermediate to
advanced and only intermittently maintained).
Watridge Lake with Cone Mountain in background
If you wish to do the hike portion of the trip, watch for the
Bryant Creek trail junction (there’s good signage). Drop down to
the left off the old logging road and head to Watridge Lake where
you can park your bike (and lock it to a sign post if you wish) and
make the short and easy climb up to
GC1F5QF Kananaskis Karst earth cache. The initial stretch of
trail to Karst Spring is a super-long “balance beam”, as Alberta
Parks has installed a series of walking beams to prevent what would
otherwise be extensive wear and tear through this perpetually muddy
section. Beyond the balance beams the walking trail parallels the
creek and you will enjoy watching the water falls as they tumble
down the hill from the Karst.
Crossing the Spray River
Continuing the bike portion of the outing, it’s a little over 2
km to reach the outlet of Spray Lakes Reservoir into Spray River
and much of this stretch is a very enjoyable downhill coast. This
is a great spot for kids to play on the water’s edge, but is still
a somewhat challenging 1.5 km from the cache hiding spot. Watch for
trail signage to Canyon Dam to be sure you’re on the right trail
and note that bicycles are not permitted on some of the trails
heading into Banff National Park. This last stretch can be quite
muddy and should be considered a wide, single track.
In the general area of the geocache
The cache is a rectangular, camo’d lock ‘n’ lock containing the
usual hiking-type swag and an FTF prize. It’s hidden between the
trail and the reservoir in an area where there’s new forest growth;
the area appears to have been logged a couple decades ago. If you
look carefully, you will also see large slabs of rock that appear
to be karst (i.e. riddled with holes suggesting that water flowed
through them at some point in the past).
For more information, consult Gillean Daffern’s “Kanaskis
Country trail guide Volume 1”, Gemtrek’s “Trail Map and Guide –
Canmore & Kananaskis” or contact GeoKs via e-mail. The trail to
Watridge Lake and Karst Spring is also in the Calgary
Area Trail Mapping Project trail set.