Rawson Lake

Rawson Lake is a beautiful green lake sitting below the sheer cliffs of Mt. Sarrail in Kananaskis Country. The trail starts at the upper Kananaskis Lake, or known simply as Upper Lake, parking area and leads west along the lake shore. The hike allows for beautiful views of Upper Lake before forking left up a steep grade for about 1.5 miles. The trail eases up about a half kilometre before you get to Rawson, where you encounter a boardwalk, literally logs cut in half touching end to end. This ain't no Atlantic City Boardwalk! Then the rest is an easy hike to the lake. Once there, you can walk around to the far end of the lake and hike up to Rawson Ridge for views of Upper and Lower Kananaskis Lakes, or you can chicken out half way up like I did. The unofficial trail, and I mean unofficial, heads up a steep, strenuous dog run of a trail gaining 1200 feet in .8 miles. It was raining and the trail was slick. We climbed in a gully most of the way. About half way up, we encountered a rock overhang that we needed to get around. The only to do it was on hands and knees crawling through mud and rocks. If you missed a step and fell backwards.....well let's just say I wouldn't be writing this blog today. That's where I called it quits. Still had some beautiful views of Rawson Lake though.

My second moose sighting while driving to the trail head. 

Jim drinking water straight from the source of the stream. He didn't feel too good the next day.

Sarrail Creek waterfall

Rawson Lake

Crossing the stream before heading up the cirque.

Yours truly. That's some crazy hair.

A view across Lake Rawson

Jim is pointing to where I chickened out, half way up the gully.

A view of Upper Lake.

Hiking lass sitting below the gully we hiked at the top of the frame.

Clouds rolling over Rawson Ridge.

So beautiful!

See the red arrow half way up? That's where we turned around.

There are two unofficial trails, one that goes through the pink flowers and one that goes along the gully between the two stands of trees.