A Hike to Cobb Lake in the Kootenays

Somewhere along the Banff-Windermere highway in Kootenay National Park one can find Cobb Lake. While not the most popular trail, like any spot in these parts it's a place of serene beauty. On a hot August day, the cool mountain air and dense tree cover made it a pleasant choice for a mid-afternoon hike.

The hike to Cobb lake isn't very challenging, you can get there in under an hour and both ways it's about 5km. The trail is mostly down from highway 93 and it's not very busy as there isn't much in the area. This is in interior British Columbia and too far for a day drive from Calgary, Alberta.

The trail is an out and back trail, at the midpoint there is this clear mountain stream. The bridge was woefully inadequate even when the water was low. The entire path for the most part was poorly maintained.

This is about as good as the path gets and is closer to the road as you head down into the valley. You can still see trees over the path and even a tiny brook flowing over the trail.

At this point we almost decided to turn around, a large pine tree had fallen over the path and crossing it would mean getting sappy and not having anywhere to step. Since it was on the way up to the lake, we decided not to give up and made our way through it.

Even though the path was taken over by trees in many areas, it wasn't difficult to follow because the forest is thick. Bushwhacking isn't recommended in these parts and one should be careful of bears as the visibility is poor. You don't want to surprise them.

It was hike two of three for the day. A few times a year we walk from morning to night, with long days in the Summer that means 30,000 plus steps. We spent the night in the park so there was no rush to get home and no need to go to only the top rated spots.

Every year we set new goals and at this point I may as well declare that I aim to hike most trails in the Banff, Jasper, Kootenay, Kananaskis and Yoho park systems. Sharing them of course with you. The reason why I say most is that there are dozens of trails over fifty kilometers long and others which are more of a climb than a hike. There are still at least a thousand hikes that make the list of I'm not going to risk my life doing this so we have plenty of adventures ahead of us.

Thank You for Reading

---

Photos are taken with an S Galaxy 22