Larch Valley to Paradise Creek via Sentinel Pass
This year Parks Canada closed Moraine Lake Road for private vehicles and the only way to get to the lake and its amazing trail system is their shuttle (as a local, I am not considering other overpriced options like taxi or commercial shuttles, leaving them exclusively for tourists). The first shuttle departs from Lake Louise Ski Resort at 6:30 AM (so in the fall you even can catch the iconic sunrise on Moraine Lake), the last return bus from Moraine Lake at 7:30 PM, from Lake Louise – at 8 PM. You can ask the driver to drop you off at the Paradise Creek, and/or, if you wait at the side of Morain Lake Road right across Lake Annette / Paradise Valley Trailhead and wave when the return shuttle approaches, they will pick you up.
This is very well organized logistics which creates a unique opportunity for all kinds of point-to-point hikes. You don’t have to make a loop to return to you vehicle: you can start at Moraine Lake and finish at Lake Louise, or, if it’s too much, at Paradise Valley Trailhead. For more challenge you can go other way, i.e. start at the Paradise Valley or Lake Louise and finish at Moraine Lake. Keep in mind though that Lake Moraine sits at higher altitude than Lake Louise, and if you go in this direction, you will be mostly ascending. If you start from Moraine Lake and Larch Valley, you’ll be mostly descending, which this time was a more enjoyable option for me. It’s a long hike anyway, and Giant Steps, Fairview, Saddle Mountain, Sheol Valley, Lake Annette, Paradise Creek etc are obvious and optional stops.
Disadvantage of Park’s Canada shuttle is possible lack of time to complete Temple or other long trail in Moraine Lake area. We are considering Mount Temple, but we are slow hikers, and by previous experience may need about 12 hours to summit the Temple and return back. Seems doable, but risky, because if we miss the last return shuttle, I am not sure what the heck we are supposed to do. Any suggestion?
More photos from the Sentinel Pass hike here: