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.
Mirror Lake & Stoney Creek Loops Camrose – doing it in-town. A Chris & Connie outdoor adventure.
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.
Scroll down for photos and to comment.
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.
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).
(A long read) After twelve years it's time to put a face to the name and come clean on something. That's rarely-seen Chris in the photo, one half of Team BIGDoer, my best friend for almost thirty years and orchestrator of everything you see here. For his entire adult life, he's battled a deep depression.
Mostly it's manageable, but there are extended bouts where it's crippling and his life comes to a grinding halt. Sometimes there are days or weeks where he's lost. Sleep does not come easy at this time and further aggravates the issue. As he ages, it's worsening and seems intent on destroying him from the inside.
If you see a lack of posts here, or ones poorly worded, confusing or simply off, it's from one of these periods.
Through all this, he remains as kind, thoughtful and loving as ever, but is somewhere else. To the family, it's just Chris and accepted as it should be. The kids and grandkids adore him no less. Until today, however, this has been hidden from the outside world, although closer friends and some readers were probably already suspect of his condition. I hope admitting this does not break the site.
He finds clarity when we're out and doing things, hiking or documenting something historic and it's only THE reason this page and our website exists. It's therapy. Then he's a new and passionate person, but the monster as he calls it always returns. The Beer Parlour Project has brought out a side I've never seen and when out in the field he's never been so on point and confident.
This post is not for sympathy but to inform. Just so you know where he is and here's what you can do to help (a last ditch request)...
If you see a missed comma or oddly worded sentence in a post, please be kind. You'll probably see his uncertainty when he's off and be nice there too. But if you like what you see, even if the write up could be presented better, post your encouragement. Say something and say it loud...it's important and will keep him sharing. Help Chris get better by cheering him on.
Other than some photos that are mine, everything else comes from him. All the tiring research and the writing (he admits he's NOT a writer), are his.
Chris puts every dollar he makes into this "project of a lifetime", and it's supplemented by donations from readers who enjoy the content. If you want to help...
Admittedly he was not thrilled with the idea of posting this but agrees it probably should be said, even if it makes him uneasy. He doesn't like appearing in photos either. He's so shy, thinks he looks goofy and hates his husky eyes. I love them and they're windows into a wonderful, complex and quiet, but tortured soul. It breaks my heart when he's in a bad space.
This image comes thanks to photographer Arturo Pianzola and was captured while exploring the historic Riverview Mental Hospital in Coquitlam BC. Chris thought since he was in the area last year, he'd stop by to visit with a grandfather he never really knew, who spent his last years at the facility and is buried on the grounds.
Thanks for listening and your understanding. Hopefully we'll see you next week. Johanna (Connie).
Journey of Natty Gann (Disney 1985) and the same location in the Crowsnest Pass 2014. We're visiting the Pass over the new year, as we often do, and this time we'll be staying at a house that appears (briefly) in the film. How cool, eh? Chris has decided it's time on this visit to reshoot this and other Natty Gann comparison shots we did from ten years ago. Stay tuned!
This scene was shot in historic downtown Coleman and shows the former Holyk's Grocery. It was built in the early 1900s and the store closed in the '60s. _______
Exploring history with Chris & Connie from Off the Beaten Path. Thanks, Johanna (Connie).
From 2015. Rob Pohl and his strange old-style view camera joined us in documenting the Laing House (with permission). Head down to the comments to see an amazing coincidence with something I found inside.
From the Crossley slides, it's an undated view of Towers School, out near Cluny Alberta. It was originally called Swastika School but that's before the word and symbol were ruined by negative connotations. Built 1922. Gone? _______
Exploring history with Chris & Connie from Off the Beaten Path. Thanks, Chris.
The same alley in downtown Calgary's west end, in the 1970s & today. You have to look hard to see the connection! The area was quite run down back then and is in stark contrast to all the shiny condo towers seen present day. Calgary Place West, an apartment block, appears in both images although it's barely a sliver in ours. Check the comments for more info.
Photo credit: James Tworow collection. _______
Exploring history with Chris & Connie from Off the Beaten Path. Thanks, Chris.
Lost highways (2022): a section of old #93 in Southeastern BC. That BIGDoer-mobile is gone now but quite famous and had a following of its own. Old mine roads, cow paths, 4x4ing across fields - no problem and people would recognize us out in remote areas just by this car. _______
Exploring history with Chris & Connie from Off the Beaten Path. Thanks, Chris.
Comments are currently turned off