August 25 – Cornice Ridge Trail
I was poking around online maps in the morning trying to figure out a day trip destination and I found mention of the Cornice Ridge Trail starting at the Bridal Lake rest area. I briefly glanced at the information page (https://www.crestonvalleytrails.ca/trails/cornice-ridge/) before heading out to check it out, though I highly recommend actually reading it as I did miss some critical information about where the trail forks. Luckily I ran into a couple just finishing the hike who let me know the trail splits, otherwise I probably would have ended up in the wrong direction. I also assumed the trail ends at the first peak but it looks like you can continue following the ridge further. The trail is fairly rocky and sometimes hard to see but is otherwise no problem with a good set of shoes.
There’s plenty of parking in the rest area by the washrooms, or you can park on the other side of the lake and likely meet up with the trail from the other direction. This is where the trail starts on the left at the lake cabin.
The trail goes through some areas of wild flowers and continues up like this for a little bit.
This is where the trail forks off to the left, which is where you want to go. There is a trail flag on the small tree to the right but otherwise there is no signage. I believe if you follow the trail straight it’ll take you around the lake to the alternate parking lot.
As you get into the rocky areas you should be able to see the trail most of the time.
Other times the trail might be harder to spot, especially if you leave the trail to get a better view of the surrounding area. I lost the trail at least once so I just continued upward until I found it again.
When you see the avalanche control tower, this means you’re close to the top of the first peak.
This is the view from the first peak looking down in the direction of where I parked.
From this point you can also see the highway I drove to reach this point.
This last view is the ridge you can continue on, though I’m not sure if there is a clear trail to follow from this point.
I’d like to revisit this trail with more time and try going along that ridge.