CANADA > 10. Bugaboo Provincial Park, British Columbia
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Copyright 2001 by Tom
Dempsey. Photographs may not be copied without permission. I last modified
this page on March 5, 2010.
Above Right: Orange light of sunrise strikes Snowpatch Spire (10,050 feet) and reflects in
a tarn (alpine pond).
Bugaboo Provincial Park lies in the Purcell Mountain Range south of
Golden, British Columbia. The ancient Purcell Mountains formed 1.5
billion
years ago, a time on earth when only algae grew. Not until the age of
the
dinosaurs did the much younger Rockies appear to the east. Near the end
of the Rocky Mountains creation 70 million years ago, masses of molten
rock pierced the old metamorphic rocks of the Purcells. Glaciers and
water
chiseled away weak overlying rock and revealed spectacular granite
spires
in the Bugaboo region.
Left: Fields of fireweed leaves turn red in the fall. The
Bugaboo Glacier
tumbles around the Hound's Tooth (9,250 feet) granite spire.
Below right: Conrad Kain Hut and Bugaboo Spire (10,420 feet).
Left: Carol climbs a ladder on the trail to Kain Hut, which
is steep and
exposed. This trail is not recommended if you suffer from fear of
heights.
Mining peaked in nearby Bugaboo Falls around
1906
and apparently, the name Bugaboo came from the use of that word
by miners to describe a deadend mineral lead.
Today, the stunning beauty of the Bugaboos attracts climbers (and
hikers)
from around the world.
In late September, Bugaboo Park is lightly visited and has
the best fall colors. Most
potential
visitors are justifiably distracted by the many other nearby Canadian
Rocky Mountain parks and never make it up the rough gravel logging
road to the Bugaboo Park trail head. From Spillimacheen or Brisco, you drive west 30 miles in 1.5
hours
on a gravel road (very rough for the last few miles), to a
parking
lot with a great view of peaks & glaciers. Curiously, you will
find every vehicle in the parking area barricaded with chicken wire
fencing.
Apparently, local porcupines have developed a taste for wiring and
anti-freeze
fluid!
The view gets better and better as you hike the trail 2400 feet
in 3 miles towards Kain Hut, which has a breathtaking view of the
Bugaboo
Glacier, soaring granite spires, and the sedimentary Rocky Mountains.
This
trail makes a fantastic day hike or awesome overnight hike, with
convenient
shelter in Kain Hut (which for a fee, provides propane stoves and
space that can be reserved for people with a sleeping bag).
Below right: The parking lot at Bugaboo Provincial Park provides
wire fencing
to protect your car from porcupines, which have developed a taste here
for plastic wiring and anti-freeze fluid.
Left: Sextet Ridge Glacier and larch trees in the fall.
Below: Red fireweed emerges from other colorful foliage.
Above: Needles of larch trees turn a beautiful yellow in the fall
alongside the spectacular Bugaboo Glacier.
Left: Vertical image of fireweed leaves, the
Bugaboo Glacier, and the Hound's Tooth (9,250 feet).
Below: Snowpatch Spire (10,050 feet) looms as you approach Kain Hut.
Below right: Anemone seed head.
Left: Red fireweed emerges from other colorful foliage.
Below: Howser Spires (11,150 feet) reflected in a pretty tarn
(mountain
pond).
Left: Bugaboo Glacier tumbles around the
granite spire of the Hound's Tooth
(9,250 feet).
Below: Tarns (alpine ponds) above Kain Hut.
Left: The wild Purcell Mountains, seen from Bugaboo Provincial Park.
Below: Snowpatch Spire rises 1200 feet above Crescent Glacier.
Left: Carol climbs a ladder on the trail to Kain Hut.
Below: Bugaboo Glacier flows around the
granite spire of the Hound's Tooth
(9,250 feet).
Below right: Sunset light on the Rocky Mountains seen from Conrad Kain
Hut, Bugaboo Provincial Park.
Copyright 2001 by Tom
Dempsey. Photographs may not be copied without permission.
CANADA > 10. Bugaboo Provincial Park, British Columbia
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