Hiking at Lake Abraham

In the early spring, Billy, myself, and two friends of ours went for a day trip in the David Thompson area. If you ask me, it’s one of the most gorgeous areas of Alberta. Since we moved to central Alberta, we have been on several hikes in the region and it’s refreshing to be able have this conversation happen on a regular basis:

“What did you do this weekend?”
Me: “Well, on Saturday we climbed a mountain!”

Heck yes, that feels good!

Usually we head out in the morning after a hearty breakfast, travel by car for 2 hours to Abraham Lake, and we have enough time for a day hike. There are many trails to choose from. I would suggest buying a hiking trail guide for the area. It’s nice to have in our backpack, because there is usually extra historical stories about the area or tips about the trail.

Mountain hike essentials:
-Hiking clothes (yoga pants, jacket in case of rain, t-shirt, hat)
– hiking shoes
– lunch + forks
– water
– sunscreen
– kleenex
– matches
– fully-charged mobile (for photos and safety)

When we arrive, we noticed that Lake Abraham had a very low water level, in fact the lowest I’ve ever seen. Lake Abraham is, in fact, the largest man-made lake in Alberta. It is beside the Bighorn Dam, which is huge and results in the reservoir that is 33 km in length, Lake Abraham. According to my sources, the lake is best to visit in late summer and early fall when the water levels are the highest. In the warm months (May-September) the water can fluctuate up to 40 meters.

This trip we decided to check out the Windy Point hike, which was… windy in spots. This hike is great for those who love a steep, rocky trail with some scrambles. I was very happy that I had my hiking shoes during this hike. I had extra grip climbing and descending in areas that looks a bit precarious. The lookout point gives great views of Mount Abraham and Mount Michener.

Coincidentally, Mount Michener is named for a Governor-General who was born in Lacombe. The mountains earlier name was Phoebe’s Teat, named after a saucy “barmaid” who worked in Rocky Mountain House in the 1930s. The tale says that she would often come to “visit” the miners in Nordegg. If you look closely, one can supposidly see her profile of thrown-back head to her knee. Whoa there…

In any case, it’s a great hike that you will feel accomplished to have done. Get out there and explore! And try to look up some of the history because it’s… colourful.