Coral Creek Canyon Hike close to Abraham Lake

If you happen to’re on the lookout for a scenic half day journey you’d do effectively to decide on the Cline River Canyon and Coral Creek Canyon hike with easy accessibility from the David Thompson Freeway. It’s a ravishing space near Abraham Lake that isn’t fairly on par with Maligne Canyon in Jasper Nationwide Park – nevertheless it sees a fraction of the individuals so it’s a really peaceable expertise. On a Sunday, we didn’t see a soul on your complete Coral Creek Canyon hike!

The turquoise-coloured Cline River is the star of the hike – and the upper the canyon partitions get, the extra drama you’ll uncover. Coral Creek doesn’t provide the drama of the Cline River, nevertheless it’s nonetheless picturesque and the views up the valley are beautiful. For a half day hike, it checks all of the containers – train, magnificence, enjoyable with a contact of hazard (so keep again from the canyon edge), and quiet in comparison with trails in Banff, Jasper and Kananaskis.

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Coral Creek Canyon hike particulars

Distance: 7.7 km (4.8 miles) roundtrip – with the choice to stroll additional up the Coral River or do a full day hike up Coral Ridge

Elevation achieve: Roughly 155 m (509 toes).

Stage of problem: Simple to reasonable. Folks fearful of heights will need to keep effectively again from the cliff edge. Preserve younger youngsters very shut by.

Kind of path: Lollipop or loop – your alternative.

Finest time to hike: April by means of September or early October.

Time wanted: 2.5 – 4 hours, relying on what number of stops you make (a lot nice surroundings) and the way far you proceed on a path parallel to the Coral Creek.

Trailhead: Coral Creek Path parking space – instantly north of the Cline River Bridge.

Canines allowed: Sure – and hold them on a leash alongside the clifftop path.

• Take duty to your personal security.
• You should definitely pack the mountaineering necessities.
• Verify the climate forecast earlier than you go.
• Don’t overlook the bear spray as you’re touring by means of bear nation. I like to hold it in a bear spray holster so I don’t set it off by accident.

Coral Creek Canyon trailhead location

If you happen to’re touring from Saskatchewan River Crossing, drive east on Freeway 11 for 42 km. Flip left instantly after the Cline River Bridge into a big car parking zone with washrooms and picnic tables. From Nordegg, drive 47 km south to the signed car parking zone in your proper, simply earlier than the Cline River Bridge.

Coral Creek Canyon hike description

From the Coral Creek Path parking space search for the signed path heading southwest. Take it and briefly order (below 75 m) cross a small stream on a brand new bridge. The path climbs gently after which branches – with the bigger path on the correct used for horses. If you happen to do the Coral Canyon path as a loop hike you’ll return right here in a number of hours. However for now, search for narrower path heading steeply all the way down to the left into the bushes in the direction of the Cline River. From the car parking zone up to now, it’ll take you at most 10 minutes.

Proceed mountaineering by means of the woods for just a few hundred metres to succeed in a T-junction with the Cline River. Flip proper and hike upstream on a path that skirts the sting of the embankment above the Cline River. 

Proceed mountaineering up the Cline River because it the surroundings will get extra spectacular as the dimensions of the canyon partitions grows. Look down on the broiling rapids – each a daunting and awe-inspiring sight. Keep effectively again from the sting.

Weave your method up the Cline River for not less than one other half-hour, relying on what number of overlooks you go to, periodically going into the woods and round corners to get one more marvelous vista. 

Once you ultimately go away the Cline River behind, you’ll find yourself on a brief path by means of the woods that lands you at one other T-junction. Go left and in about 75 metres you’ll get away into an open space showcasing the Coral Creek Gorge surroundings. 

As you hike previous the beginning of the Coral Creek Canyon, you’ll find yourself making a pointy right-hand flip onto a path that turns into a lot wider as it’s meant to be shared with horses developing from McKenzie’s Trails West. You’ll see one massive signal saying Coral Creek – and a large horse path heading again in the direction of the car parking zone. That is the place you need to come again to on the hike out from Coral Creek Canyon.

A little bit additional up the path attain one other skinnier path in your proper. It is going to additionally take you again to the horse path on the best way out, nevertheless it’s acquired extra up and down and is far narrower.

It’s a few kilometre to succeed in the point of view overlooking the Coral Creek Gorge from the place you first see it. You may keep excessive on the principle path after which drop down on the plain path or crosscut on one more path to succeed in the point of view – all very apparent while you’ve acquired boots on the bottom. We discovered it windy out on the overlook, so we backtracked to the bushes to take pleasure in our lunch.

After you’ve loved your lunch with a view head again to the principle path. Flip left and proceed mountaineering on the Coral Creek path by means of the forest – previous a turnoff to Coral Ridge – a full day hike/scramble – all the best way all the way down to a campsite overlooking Coral Creek.

To return to the trailhead, retrace your steps to the horse path sporting the massive signal that claims Coral Creek. Flip left and comply with the vast path all the best way again to the car parking zone, giving any horses you see the correct of method. It’s not practically so fascinating because the hike up Cline River Canyon, so try to be again on the automotive when you begin on this part of horse path inside 30 – 40 minutes.