To The Mountains I Go: Grassi Lakes (Winter Time)

Half Day Hike
Distance: 3.8km (there and back)
Elevation Gain: 200m
Time: 2 hours
Difficulty: Easy

Access:
Get into Canmore and follow the signs to the Canmore Nordic Center, but drive pass the turn off to the Nordic Center and the next left has a sign pointing to the Grassi Lakes Parking Lot.

Experience:
So I woke up in the morning with a strong desire to get out into the woods. I wanted to do a hike before the weather started to get really cold. The trouble was that I have no experience with hiking out in the snow. I sat and researched a bit and I found that Grassi Lakes was going to be a safe bet.

I wasn't expecting much from the hike. I was guessing that the lakes would have been frozen over and it would be a very boring scene, but I was definitely surprised. We got to the parking lot just fine and there is bathrooms there which is always nice. So my Dad and I started our adventure up to the lakes. If you do this hike you will reach a point where a sign says easy or difficult. We went the easy way! I did not want to put in a lot of effort especially right after the Christmas season.

We went on our way talking and seeing very chubby squirrels. It was very pleasant and easy, and all of a sudden we were at the lakes! We didn't really see them at first but as we got closer we saw its beauty. The lakes were a bit iced over but we could still see the lovely greens, turquoises, and browns in the water. There was no wind either so the water was completely still so there was perfect reflections in the water. A nice thing about doing this hike in the winter is that it isn't so busy. Usually Grassi Lakes is very popular but this time of year there isn't that many people to ruin the peaceful quiet sanctuary. We took our time and took nice photos. There is also a waterfall in the area but we were unable to see it because the rocks were very slippery, so we decided to be safe and just come back in the summer, hopefully with more family members as well.

All and all it was well worth it!