Lupe entered Canada via Hwy 17 on the afternoon of July 16, 2014, the 2nd day of her 2014 Dingo Vacation to the Canadian Rockies & Beartooths. She was already in Waterton Lakes National Park, and the first order of business was to go see the lake itself. Lupe soon arrived in the small community and tourist town of Waterton Park, which is located on the NW shore at the N end of Upper Waterton Lake. SPHP found a place to park near the S end of town near the lake.
Lupe on the rocky beach at Upper Waterton Lake, Canada
It was a hot day. According to the G6 it was 90 °F. Not exactly the weather Lupe and SPHP had been anticipating in Canada, but certainly a good day to check out the beach. The beach was rocky, with rounded rocks of various sizes. A breeze was blowing and there was some moderate wave action. Lupe was hot and was eager to wade in the lake to cool off. Lupe doesn’t like to swim, but she loves to wade and lay down in the water. She was clearly glad to have the opportunity to get wet and cool down.
Upper Waterton Lake was quite beautiful. The deeper water was a brilliant and very appealing blue color, while the shallower water near the shore took on the gray color of the rocks on the bottom of the lake. Unfortunately, the scene was not quite as beautiful as it normally would have been due to considerable smoke in the air. The smoke was from wildfires somewhere, but SPHP never really found out where the fires were. The smoke was thick enough to detract from the view.
There are actually three Waterton Lakes. Lupe and SPHP had driven by Lower Waterton Lake on the way to Waterton Park. The lower lake is good-sized at a couple of km long, but is the smallest of the three lakes. Upper Waterton Lake is the largest and goes all the way S into Glacier National Park in the United States. Middle Waterton Lake is 4 km long and actually at the same level as Upper Waterton Lake, since the two lakes are connected by a narrow straight called the Bosporus. However, Middle Waterton Lake lies outside the long canyon flanked by dramatic peaks Upper Waterton Lake lies within.
Lupe at the Prince of Wales Hotel in Waterton Lakes National Park, Alberta, Canada
After Lupe had cooled off in the lake, SPHP thought it might be fun to go take a look at the lake from the grounds of the Prince of Wales Hotel up on a hill at the very N end of Upper Waterton Lakes. This involved a drive back through the town of Waterton Park, but it wasn’t far and didn’t take long despite all the tourist traffic. The views from the grounds of the Prince of Wales Hotel were quite grand, but still just as smoky. Quite a few people were around, and Lupe made a few new acquaintances.
Looking S towards Upper Waterton Lake from the grounds of the Prince of Wales Hotel. The community of Waterton Park can be seen on the flat ground at the right side of the photo.Lupe and the Prince of Wales 7-16-14The Bosporus strait connecting Middle Waterton Lake (L) and Upper Waterton Lake (R). The mountain is Vimy Peak(7,805 ft.).
After the jaunt up to the Prince of Wales Hotel, Lupe and SPHP returned to the shore of Upper Waterton Lake near the S end of Waterton Park. Lupe and SPHP wandered SW along the shore of the lake and came to a trail that heads S along the W shore of Upper Waterton Lakes. A map near the start of the trail showed another trail about 1.5 km S to Bertha Lake. Bertha Lake was located up a steep side canyon to the W. The whole trip to Bertha Lake was about 5 km long and involved an elevation gain of 475 meters or over 1,500 feet. SPHP thought that a trip to Bertha Lake looked like an interesting thing to do. Lupe was happy to be on a trail again.
For the first 1.5 km heading S, the trail climbed gradually. Upper Waterton Lake was always in view extending away to the S sandwiched in between jagged mountains to the E & W. There were bushes 2 or 3 feet high on both sides of the trail, so most of the time Lupe probably didn’t have much of a view. Even though it was getting to be late in the afternoon, it was still very warm out.
There were lots of hikers heading back towards Waterton Park. There were even more mosquitoes and flies feasting upon them, Lupe & SPHP. The bugs weren’t too bad though along this first stretch, as it was easy to just keep moving and avoid most of the swarm. SPHP chatted briefly with some of the returning hikers. Quite a few had been up to Bertha Lake and all declared the trek to be worthwhile.
Shortly before reaching the side trail to Bertha Lake, there was a very short spur trail to a little point. At the point was a bench situated looking S to have beautiful view of Upper Waterton Lake. Lupe and SPHP paused here for maybe 10 minutes to relish the scene. There was a bit of a breeze up on the point to help ward off the bugs. It was a great view. SPHP wished there wasn’t so much smoke around, but there was nothing to be done about it.
There were two waterfalls on Bertha Creek on the way to Bertha Lake. The first one was reached 1.4 km from the main trail along Upper Waterton Lake. The trail to this point was gaining elevation faster than along Upper Waterton Lake, but still at a generally modest pace. The trail crossed to the S of Bertha Creek just below the lower Bertha Creek falls. Once past the falls, the trail began a long relentless ascent up the forested S side of the side canyon Bertha Lake is in.
The switchbacks lasted nearly the entire 2.8 km from the lower falls to Bertha Lake. They seemed endless. It was still hot. SPHP was sweating. The heat drained away energy. Even Lupe plodded along dispiritedly behind SPHP. It was a tough grind. SPHP felt out of shape. At each stop for a breather, though, flies and mosquitoes descended instantly and drove SPHP and Lupe onward. The trail never got close to the upper falls on Bertha Creek, and didn’t start to level out until nearly at Bertha Lake.
Bertha Lake, Waterton Lakes National Park, Canada
Bertha Lake was very pretty in the early evening light. There was a campground on the NW shore. Lupe and SPHP crossed Bertha Creek again to get over to the campground. SPHP was surprised to find the campground was completely abandoned. Peakbagger.com shows a trail completely around Bertha Lake. Lupe and SPHP continued SW on the trail leaving the campground behind. SPHP intended to circumnavigate the lake, but about 2/3 of the way to the SW end of Bertha Lake the trail was blocked by thick deadfall timber.
It was too late to consider forcing a way through the deadfall. Lupe and SPHP turned back. The way back down the trail to Upper Waterton Lake was much more fun than the climb up had been. With gravity now a friend, it was easy to keep going and outpace most of the flies and mosquitoes that were still around. With the sun low enough so Lupe and SPHP were in the shadow of the mountain, it had cooled off a bit by now, too. Lupe trotted along looking lively again. There were spectacular views of the N side of the canyon, and eventually out to the E towards Upper Waterton Lake. SPHP hadn’t noticed them much on the struggle up.
Lupe and SPHP had only seen one person on the way up to Bertha Lake after passing the lower falls, and saw no one at all on the way back down until below the lower falls again. There were still some people on the main trail back to Waterton Park, even a few just starting out. This far N, it was later than SPHP had realized. Although it was still light out, it was 9:30 PM by the time Lupe reached the G6. Time for a bit of dinner and then a good snooze!
Upper Waterton Lake from the Prince of Wales Hotel. Looks like a great place to own a boat! Short guided tours of the lake can be booked in Waterton Park aboard cruise boats.
Lupe continued her peakbagging along the E edge of the limestone plateau country in the western Black Hills on Expedition No. 133, but somewhat farther N than on Expedition No. 132. It was 9:57 AM and 69°F under mostly clear skies when SPHP parked the G6 at the first pullout along Castle Creek beyond the intersection of Deerfield and South Rochford roads. Lupe immediately crossed the road and started heading NE up through forests and meadows toward the S end of South Castle Rock.
Lupe at the start of the day near Castle Creek.
South Castle Rock(6,840 ft.) was Lupe’s first peakbagging goal of the day and the one that would require the most elevation gain since Lupe started from down by Castle Creek. The other four peakbagging points were all at similar elevations along the E edge of the limestone plateau country. Some elevation had to be lost between each of the peaks, but not nearly as much as Lupe would gain just getting to South Castle Rock.
Lupe approaches South Castle Rock from the SSW.
Lupe had done essentially this same peakbagging trek once before on Expedition No. 90 on 5-24-14, so SPHP knew pretty much what to expect. The best views from South Castle Rock are not at the summit, but from the limestone cliffs at the SE end of the mountain. Lupe stopped here first for some photos. There were beautiful views of the E edge of the limestone plateau country to the S and Reynolds Prairie to the E. Parts of Deerfield Lake were visible too. Heading N through the forest, Lupe also got her picture taken on the highest boulder at a false summit a short distance S of the true summit.
Lupe at the cliffs at the S end of South Castle Rock. Green Mountain(7,164 ft.) is the highest ridge in the distance above her head. The lower ridge just to the left is Copper Mountain(6,920 ft.) where Lupe was on Expedition No. 132. A small section of Deerfield Lake is visible.Another view of Lupe at the cliffs at the S end of South Castle Rock. She hasn’t moved from where she was in the previous photo.Lupe still near the S end of South Castle Rock. This photo looks N towards the ridge that is Castle Rock.This photo shows some of the S end of Reynolds Prairie and a bit more of Deerfield Lake.At the false summit S of the true summit of South Castle Rock.
The true summit of South Castle Rock is on top of a large section of limestone sitting mostly 10-20 feet above the surrounding area. The best way up and down is from the SW. The whole area is forested, including the summit. Due to the trees, there really aren’t any great views from the summit of South Castle Rock. SPHP did take one photo of Lupe on the summit with nearby Castle Rock in the background. CastleRock(6,783 ft.) and South Castle Rock are all basically part of the same mountain. South Castle Rock is actually the highest point on the mountain. Lupe lost a little elevation on the way to Castle Rock.
Lupe on the true summit of South Castle Rock. Photo looks N at Castle Rock.
The summit of Castle Rock is with 100 feet of the E end of the ridge. The summit is forested, but there are some good views near the edges of the ridge. Lupe posed for a few photos, including one looking N towards her next two objectives, Nipple Butte(6,800 ft.) and Flag Mountain. After the photo session, Lupe headed back W along the Castle Rock ridge. When she got to the main N/S ridge line coming from South Castle Rock, she turned N onto a ridge SPHP dubbed “Skinny Ridge”.
Lupe at the E end of Castle Rock less than 100′ E of the actual summit. Photo looks SSE towards Reynolds Prairie and Deerfield Lake.South Castle Rock from the S rim of Castle Rock. The true summit of South Castle Rock is seen at the right of this photo. Better views are attainable, however, from the cliffs toward the very left edge.Nipple Butte (left center) and Flag Mountain (center) beyond are Lupe’s next peakbagging goals. Photo looks N from the N rim of Castle Rock. The road is USFS Road No. 189.
Skinny Ridge heads N from the main portion of Castle Rock. It is not all that skinny until it reaches its N end, but is skinnier than the main E/W ridge of Castle Rock. Skinny Ridge is actually broad and flat. There will be some really great views of the huge valley to the W of Castle Rock from Skinny Ridge someday when the dead pine trees along the ridge finally fall over. On Lupe’s prior adventure here on Black Hills, SD Expedition No. 90, SPHP had learned that following Skinny Ridge to the N eventually leads to a dead end with cliffs on all sides. The easiest way around Skinny Ridge is to descend to the E near the start (S end) of the ridge.
Lupe on Skinny Ridge which projects N from Castle Rock. Nipple Butte is seen in front of Flag Mountain.
So Lupe headed N on the way to Nipple Butte below and to the E of Skinny Ridge. Lupe started encountering some large yellow flowers in this area that were attracting bumblebees. There was a fair amount of deadfall timber in this area, but it wasn’t too bad. When Lupe got past the N end of Skinny Ridge, she went on up to the saddle between Castle Rock and Nipple Butte. She gained some elevation approaching Nipple Butte from the S. The easiest route to the summit, however, is on the WNW slope. Lupe swung around to the W side of the mountain before making the final ascent.
Lupe among the pretty yellow flowers N of Castle Mountain and Skinny Ridge.Don’t sniff too closely – those flowers are full of bumblebees!
A short steep scramble is required to get up to the summit of Nipple Butte. No equipment at all is required to reach the top. The platform at the top of Nipple Butte is not very large. There was a small area Lupe and SPHP could walk around on, but cliffs were never more than a few feet away. The cliffs aren’t all that tall, but they are still cliffs. One limestone boulder at the very top with orange lichens growing on it is presumably the nipple of Nipple Butte. There aren’t any trees up on top of Nipple Butte, so there were great views in every direction.
Lupe on the W side approach to the top of Nipple Butte.Lupe stands on the nipple at Nipple Butte.N end of Reynolds Prairie from Nipple Butte.Happy Carolina Dog on Nipple Butte. Photo looks SW.Looking S at Castle Rock from Nipple Butte.Looking N at Flag Mountain from Nipple Butte. Flag Mountain was Lupe’s 4th and next peakbagging objective of the day.Another look N at Flag Mountain from Nipple Butte. The road is USFS Road No. 189.Lupe and the nipple on Nipple Butte.“OK SPHP, so how do I get down, without having to trust you not to be a total klutz and dropping me over the cliff?” Lupe actually made it down just fine after some hesitation. She took a route down by the bushes in the center of the photo.
Lupe and SPHP stayed on Nipple Butte for a while to enjoy the scenes. Lupe had some Taste of the Wild and SPHP had an apple. When it was time to leave, Lupe was a bit concerned about how to get down. SPHP had lifted her up a 6 foot wall of rock so she could get up on top, but Lupe wouldn’t let SPHP help her down. Lupe finally took an alternate route down through some bushes that worked just fine. After a trek down the NW slope of Nipple Butte, Lupe came to a little side road leading to USFS Road No. 189. There was a great mud puddle along the side road and Lupe made use of it.
Exiting the mud puddle NW of Nipple Butte after a big drink of mineral water and a mud bath.
From the mud puddle, Lupe followed the side road to USFS Road No. 189, which she simply crossed heading N. Lupe climbed up the ridge continuing N through the forest towards Flag Mountain(6,937 ft.). When she drew near the access road, she turned more to the NNE to stay in the forest. (One can drive to the summit of Flag Mountain via an access road off USFS Road No. 189.) Very near the top, Lupe got on the access road for the final stretch.
Flag Mountain features great views to the N, E and S, plus the remains of the foundation of an old lookout tower. From Flag Mountain, Lupe could get her first glimpse of Peak 6962 and Whitetail Peak to the N. Peak 6962 was Lupe’s 5th and final peakbagging goal of the day. White Tail Peak(6,962 ft.) is also along the E edge of the limestone plateau country, but it was just too far away to be included in Expedition No. 133’s day hike.
Lupe on the ruins of the lookout tower at Flag Mountain. Photo looks N towards Peak 6962 (left ridge) and White Tail Peak (center ridge). Peak 6962 was Lupe’s 5th and final peakbagging goal for Black Hills, SD Expedition No. 133. The road seen below is USFS Road No. 599.Nipple Butte & Castle Rock from Flag Mountain. Photo looks S.Lupe is almost camouflaged to blend in with the ruins of the Flag Mountain lookout tower foundation. She is on the wall just above the backpack.White Tail Peak from Flag Mountain. White Tail Peak will be a future peakbagging goal for Lupe. She has already been there twice before, but it has been over 2 years since she was last there.Instead of going down to the Flag Mountain access road (yes, you can just drive here!), Lupe left headed W along this rocky ridge.
From Flag Mountain, Lupe headed W along the ridges. She crossed the access road to Flag Mountain, but did not follow it. Lupe and SPHP just went through the forest trying to stay on the high ground, while circling around the W end of the canyon between Flag Mountain and Peak 6962. This involved some up and down as various high and low points along the way were reached. Lupe did follow a very short section of USFS Road No. 189 just before heading N and then NE along the ridge to Peak 6962.
SPHP has no idea what kind of plant this is. It was full of bumblebees and looked like it was flourishing. Lupe came across it W of Flag Mountain.
SPHP considers Peak 6962 the most annoying peakbagging mountain in the Black Hills. It really shouldn’t be annoying at all. It is up at the edge of the limestone plateau high country that SPHP finds so appealing. The terrain undulates a bit, but there really isn’t much elevation gain or loss along the ridge extending out to the SW from the summit. This ridge is only a little over a mile long from USFS Road No. 189. There ought to be great views from Peak 6962 looking E and N towards Whitetail Peak. What should be a pleasant easy stroll through the forest along a high ridge with some views to a summit with great views isn’t that way at all.
The main culprit is the mountain pine beetle, which has decimated the forest in the area of Peak 6962. SPHP remembered that Lupe’s last trek to Peak 6962 back on Expedition No. 90 on 5-24-14 featured an annoying amount of deadfall timber. Over a year’s time gone by had only made matters worse, as more dead trees have fallen. It was a very slow march along the ridge on the way to Peak 6962 through all the deadfall timber. Lupe could sometimes use the fallen tree trunks as highways, but the prevailing NW winds had pushed most of the trees over at a 90° angle to the direction Lupe and SPHP needed to go.
Just to make things more aggravating, for the first half of the way along the ridge, there is an utterly useless barbed wire fence that has been broken down in countless places as trees fell on it. SPHP constantly worried that Lupe might get cut by the barbed wire. The best route forward seemed to zigzag repeatedly across the fence line. Despite the number of trees that have fallen, there are still enough dead and living trees still standing to block the views both on the way to Peak 6962 and at the summit. Perhaps there are views at the cliffs at the very S end of the mountain back towards Flag Mountain, but SPHP didn’t consider it worth the struggle to get there.
Nipple Butte from W of Flag Mountain.
On Expedition No. 90, Lupe had come to an area along the ridge SW of Peak 6920 where there had been a large number of crocus flowers blooming. They were in such gloriously beautiful condition, SPHP had named the area “Perfect Crocus Ridge”. Sadly, there were no crocuses at all on this journey, although there were a few nice dark purple flowers here and there. What was flourishing among all the deadfall timber were low-lying scratchy juniper bushes.
Lupe and SPHP finally reached the summit of Peak 6962. The area was so flat, it was hard to tell where the exact summit might be. It all looked pretty much the same. Lupe and SPHP stopped here for a bit of a break after the battle with the deadfall timber, barbed wire fence and scratchy juniper bushes. Lupe had some more Taste of the Wild. SPHP ate the 2nd and final apple. SPHP was certain the forest looked worse now than in May 2014.
Wow, this view was worth more than a mile scrambling over and around deadfall timber, barbed wire and scratchy juniper bushes! Lupe at the summit of Peak 6962. Successful completion of her 5th peakbagging goal of the day!
After the break, even though more than a year ago Lupe and SPHP had explored some distance to the N along the E edge of Peak 6962 and found no decent viewpoints towards White Tail Peak, SPHP decided to try it again. The results were the same. There were a few places along the E edge of Peak 6962 with partial views to the E, but no views at towards White Tail Peak. On the way back to USFS Road No. 189, SPHP tried leading Lupe a bit to the N of the SW ridge to avoid the worst of the deadfall timber. This helped some and also helped avoid the broken barbed wire fence. It didn’t seem to take quite as long getting back to USFS Road No. 189 as the journey to Peak 6962.
Flag Mountain (L) from the high ridges SW of Peak 6962.
Once back to USFS Road No. 189, Lupe and SPHP started following it back towards Flag Mountain. The almost totally clear skies of the morning had given way to overcast conditions as the day wore on. It began to rain. It rained hard enough for Lupe and SPHP to take cover under a big pine tree. It didn’t last long. After 5 minutes the rain was almost over and Lupe continued on. At a bend in the road, Lupe and SPHP left No. 189 to follow a high ridge to the SW and then S. There was a fence along this area too, but there was little deadfall timber and the fence was in good condition.
Soon the ridge ended and Lupe and SPHP went down through the forest to reach USFS Road No. 239. For a short distance No. 239 climbed and reached a high spot with a very nice view to the S. From then on it lost elevation slowly and steadily. Both Lupe and SPHP liked the secluded valley that No. 239 descended into. There were lots of deer and some squirrels and chipmunks around. Birds were singing and a hawk kept flying around screeching. Everything was lush and green.
The view S from the high point along USFS Road No. 239.
No. 239 went almost straight S for 2 miles and then curved to the E. The road, which had been very good, deteriorated after reaching a wide, flat turn around spot. The road did go on, however, and Lupe and SPHP continued to follow it. The road became a wide grassy trail and started heading NNE. It looked like it might climb up a valley just W of Castle Rock. The road lost elevation though, so Lupe kept on. Before long, the road became a mud hole at a spring. Here Lupe and SPHP left the remnant of No. 239 to head E down to the floor of the valley.
At the bottom a small creek was flowing, which was probably Horsethief Creek. There was a rock wall on the E side of the creek. There was also a green grassy remnant of a road which followed the creek S again. This road was marked by orange diamond-shaped signs on trees or posts. In many places, the road was so close to the creek that it was rather boggy. There wasn’t the least sign for a considerable distance that any vehicles ever actually use this grassy road. Lupe and SPHP followed the creek and the orange diamond grassy road the rest of the way back to the road where the G6 was parked. The G6 was in view as soon as the gravel road was reached.
Lupe along Horsethief Creek.This part of the grassy orange diamond road was filled with wild irises.Sunset back at the G6 near Castle Creek 6-13-15.
It was 8:22 PM and 60°F when Lupe reached the G6. She hopped right in. This time it was SPHP’s turn to linger outside. There was some promise of a nice sunset developing up Castle Creek valley to the NW. It was a gorgeous evening. SPHP took a photo looking NW up Castle Creek valley. The sunset hadn’t quite peaked yet. SPHP drove to a high point not far away just off South Rochford Road, but the sunset couldn’t be seen from there. So it was back to the original pullout along Castle Creek one more time for a final photo. Then it was time to head home. A happy dingo hung its head out the window sniffing the breeze for miles.
Black Hills, SD Expedition of 6-13-15 draws to a close.
