Canada's Glacier NP: Hiking to Marion Lake

On Monday, July 3, 2017, after having completed our Great Glacier hike, we realized that we might not have enough time to come back up to Rogers Pass another day, so we decided to add a second hike - to Marion Lake.  Only about 3 miles round trip, it was very steep: an elevation gain of over 1,300 feet in 1.5 miles.

The trail didn't mess around and started right uphill, through a dense, green forest:

Mosses and lichens decorated the subalpine terrain:

As we climbed, we got spectacular views of Rogers Pass, with many of the peaks BELOW us:

Just before arriving at Marion Lake, the goal of our hike, we followed a side trail out to a viewpoint, where David munched a bar and took in the incredible view:

Marion Lake itself was a pristine, jade-green alpine kettle pond whose waters were utterly still and mirror-like, graced with a rockslide on the far end:

Looking back toward the south, the trees on the far side of the lake were silhouetted against the afternoon sky:

The lakeshore was still blanketed by snow in most places, but we found a spot to rest and remove our boots for a while.  It had been a long day of hiking.

Returning, at the bottom of the mountain we encountered large stone foundation remains, which became a story in and of themselves:

A March 16, 2012 article in "OK Magazine" summarizes the story of the ruins:

"The Canadian Pacific Railroad had constructed Glacier House in 1886 on their mainline to accommodate the public who wished to stay in the fabulous mountain setting at the base of the Illecillewaet Glacier near Rogers Pass. Built on the model of a Swiss chalet, it opened as a traveller’s dining room, then expanded into a full hotel."










Here is a photo of Glacier House as it looked in its heyday:

The article goes on:


"It is widely regarded as the birthplace of Canadian Mountaineering. In 1899 the CPR brought Swiss guides to the hotel to lead guests to the surrounding summits. Glacier House continued to operate until 1925 losing its business to the Banff Springs Hotel and the Chateau Lake Louise, as well as the retreat of the Illecillewaet Glacier. In the 1880s, the glacier was only a 20 minute hike from Glacier House. In 125 years, the glacier has eroded considerably and is now just at the crest of the mountain.

"After a massive avalanche on March 10, 1910 that killed 58, the CPR admitted defeat to the weather conditions of Rogers Pass and began in 1913 to build a tunnel underneath Mount Carroll (Macdonald) which was called the Connaught Tunnel. This diversion of the railway’s main passenger service to the Tunnel left it considerably removed from the beaten track, and this resort too ceased to operate. It was torn down in 1929, although in the 1990s a trail still led to the site, leaving only the foundations and lingering memories of past glories."

As we hiked from the ruins back out to our trailhead, we noted that we were walking along the former mainline of the Canadian Pacific Railway where it approached the historic Glacier House:

The thoughts of this history added more dimension to the gorgeous scenery all around us.