Mirror Lake & Stoney Creek Loops Camrose

This is an in-town hike, but that the route mostly travels through parks and green spaces belies the fact. We’re in Camrose Alberta making use of the city’s extensive pathway system and linking together a couple loops into a nice little cohesive package. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and should you duplicate it, we hope you do too. The fun starts at aptly named Mirror Lake and then you’ll head down Stoney Creek valley before doubling back – easy as pie.

There’s one little hill about half way in, but otherwise it’s pretty flat, and given some health issues we’ve been having, that was about perfect for us. This was a we’re in the area anyway and craving something to do kind of outing and after photographing a nice historic site the evening before, was a great way to end a wonderful weekend. Then we drove home, but let’s not dwell on that suckage.

Start out at the tourist info place down by Mirror Lake, originally a reservoir put in by the railway long ago as a water source for their steam locomotives. It once supplied homes in town as well, but today it’s purely recreational in use.

Head east and pass some…how shall we say…interesting…metal sculptures. Then just before crossing 48th, turn and look north across the lake to a church. It photographs nicely and in fact we came the evening before to take a few shots of it lit up and reflected in the lake ice. You’ll pass right in front of the building on the return leg of this hike.

After crossing the 48th, enter Jubilee Park and hit the pathway on the east side of the lake. Other paths lead out into various neighbourhood and if you find yourself on a residential street you’ve gone astray. The valley deepens as you go and in places is nicely wooded, which makes for a pleasant in the city but not feeling like it experience. For the next while you’ll parallel Stoney Creek (Stony on some maps). You’ll cross over it a few times and a road or two, before entering Four Seasons Rotary Park. It’s also home to a small ski-hill and cross country trails.

A rail lines runs nearby at this point and if you’re lucky a train might show. Right on cue, one did for us.

Still keeping to the valley, pass Lion’s Memorial Grove (trees planted in someone’s memory) and soon after the downhill runs comes into view off to the left. It’s not much of a ski hill, but this is the prairies and sloped land is always in short supply. I wonder if they’d allow inner-tubes or snowracers? No, that’s a silly idea.

Duck under the train trestle, then reverse directions and do it again after crossing the creek. If only another train would show at this point. It’d shoot nice on the structure, but this track is a secondary line and not super busy, so the odds were not in our favour. Those timbers are huge and that we can get close affords the chance to see how it’s constructed.

Now climb up the wooded slope to the valley top. Incidentally, the entire route described is along a paved pathway and there’s map’s at certain points should you need any help.

And here comes the snow and with that, a deep chill. We’re prepared, but still it was odd how it went from nice to blustery in such a short time.

On open slopes now, there’s a nice overall view of the valley you just visited and the ski hill behind. An information plaque along this section of pathway speaks of a coal mine that once operated close by. It produced domestic coal (so for heating homes) for the local market and was in business from 1910 to the mid-1940s. There’s vast tracks of this material under Alberta, but it’s not always easy to get at, but here the seams were close enough to the surface to exploit. Looking at old mine maps, the workings extend far under the neighbourhood to the west.

Drop down to the valley floor to meet up with the trail you came in on, and turn left. More snow for us and it’s getting cold! After the dam take the underpass – nicely done up with art and this is something far better than the featureless walls we’re told it had before. There’s that church you looked at earlier and just down the pathway more scrap metal art, only these ones have even more of a nightmarish vibe than those seen earlier.

Another info plaque marks the site of a former railway bridge (ca 1910) and presumably those couple poles sticking out of the water are what’s left of it. Hard to image there was a railway here, but it was pulled up in the 1920s, so a lot has changed in that time. Interestingly, Camrose was a three railway town early on, which is something usual for a smaller community such as it.

Two of those rail lines are still in use, by the way, one east-west in nature (Canadian Pacific) and the other, the one we witnessed that train on, running north-south (Canadian National).

We find a nice lunch spot and enjoy some well chilled wine. Why didn’t we bring something warm? You know…coffee…or rum spiked coffee…or maybe just hot rum? Bingo! Cold hands, cold bottoms and now an inner-chill from drinking literal ice wine…I mean, it turned into a slushie. Even if freezing our heinies off, we still love doing this kind of stuff.

At the far end of the lake, the pathway loops around to the other side and in no time, you’ll be back where you started. We really love the mountain hikes but they’re not always possible (especially lately), so doing it in-town helps keep us active and happy. No matter where we are in our travels, we’ll get in a good walk.

Know more (new tab): Camrose Alberta Pathways.

Till next time, happy hiking!

They’re saying…

”Love the variety and always look forward to seeing the places they visit.” Brian Brandon – River City Classics and Eamon’s Garage (High River, AB).

More like this…
Okotoks Loop – Along the Sheep.
Three Sisters Pathway Canmore – In the mountains, but in town.
Roaming Nanton – Small town fun.

If you wish more information about this route or if you love to chat don’t hesitate to contact us!

Date of adventure: November, 2021.
Location: Camrose, AB.
Distance: 11km.
Height gain maximum: 50m.
Height gain cumulative: 80m-ish.
NOTE: all distances and heights are approximate and may differ slightly from other trip reports (including our own).

Starting out near the tourist info centre.

Scrap bits made into art.

Looking across Mirror Lake.

A pleasant stroll.

A rule we should all follow (but often don’t).

Crossing over the little creek.

The tracks are not far away.

Lions Memorial Grove.

Little treasures…

The town’s ski hill.

Where’s a train when you need it?

Those are giant beams.

Okay, we have a thing for bridges.

Climbing up on the Stoney Creek Loop.

Here comes the snow.

Maps if you need them.

Looking down to where we’ve been.

There was a coal mine in this valley.

There’s that yellow jacket guy…

Not much going on at the disc golf course.

The dam bridge…

Going underground.

Colour the Underpass – hey Jack!

Seen earlier.

The stuff of nightmares…

There used to be a train bridge here.

The boat dock along the Mirror Lake Loop section.

Super chilled wine!

Mirror Lake & Stoney Creek Loops – star=start.