Western Road Trip – The Milk River and Writing-on-Stone

After a good night’s sleep, I woke early to cool temperatures and a steady downpour of rain. Thankfully, the Lee Creek campsite offered excellent hot showers, and a nearby A&W provided a quick and easy breakfast and large coffee so in no time at all I was on the road heading southeast on 501 out of Cardston and towards the Milk River and Writing-on-Stone Provincial Park.

My first stop, a short distance out of town, was at the bridge over the St. Mary River. As I walked onto the bridge in early morning light, several hundred cliff swallows rose from beneath the bridge to zoom and swirl over the river and above me, likely as a protection measure for nests beneath the bridge. It was an amazing sight, and one that was repeated many times over in the next few weeks each time I walked over a bridge for river views.

Soon, Highway 501 veered due East and I continued along happily on the wide open road. There was no other traffic, the sky was beginning to clear ahead of me, and hawks soared over the fields to my left and my right, hunting for their breakfast.

Soon, the Milk River Ridge was visible in the distance. At a modest elevation of only 400 metres above the prairie, this ridge is known as the Hudson Bay Divide because waters north of the ridge flow into the Saskatchewan River Basin and then on to Hudson Bay, while waters south of this ridge, including the Milk River, flow into the Missouri River Basin and from there into the Mississippi and finally into the Gulf of Mexico. The Milk River is one of only three Canadian rivers that make that long journey southeast across our continent to the Gulf.

The Milk River Ridge was once the southern rim of a lake that was formed towards the end of the last ice age when water from melting glaciers in the Rocky Mountains to the west was blocked by a thick sheet of continental ice in the east.

The road then travelled through a narrow break in the ridge. This break, Whiskey Gap, and several others like it, including Emigrant Gap further west (part of the Old Mormon Trail), provided north/south access through the ridge for easier travel between Montana and Canada. Whiskey Gap was notorious for the illegal transport of whiskey from Fort Benton in Montana to forts north of the border where it was traded for buffalo robes and furs. The illicit “rotgut whiskey” sometimes consisted of raw alcohol coloured with caramelised sugar or chewing tobacco, or it could be a concoction of watered-down American whiskey, ginger, molasses, red pepper, black chewing tobacco and a splash of red ink. This substance was highly destructive to the health, families, and culture of local indigenous people and its illegal trade and other smuggling activities led to the establishment of a North West Mounted Police garrison at Fort Macleod, as well as several smaller police outposts located along the border.

Highway 501 curves towards and then down through Whiskey Gap in the distance.

Once home to a settlement that included homes, a church, businesses, a CP Rail branch line and three grain elevators, now only the church (converted into a private home) is left, as well as several placards marking the historical and geological significance of Whisky Gap. (Liquor also flowed north to south from Alberta into the U.S. during the prohibition years.)

Shortly after passing through Whiskey Gap, I got my first view of the Milk River as Highway 501 crossed its North Fork. More swirling swallows and a curious mule deer were there to welcome me.

Next, at the crossroads with Highway 62, I stopped for a few moments in the teeny tiny town of Del Bonita. The two buildings in the photo on the left were moved here from Whiskey Gap.

Multiple iconic prairie scenes compelled me to stop regularly to take photos as I travelled along 501. It was turning into a beautiful day!

Next, Highway 501 crossed the South Fork of the Milk River and I was greeted yet again by a mass of swallows showing off their aerial acrobatics and urging me to get off of their bridge!

Continuing east, I saw my first Pronghorn antelope of this trip,

my first field of canola blooming glorious yellow,

and my first sightings of the Sweet Grass Hills to the south over the border in Montana. Covered in pine forests, these hills are sacred to the Blackfoot and were a prime hunting ground for deer, moose, and other game animals.

For some distance, Highway 501 parallels the Milk River to the south, but the river remains out of view below the prairie as it flows east/west in its wide meltwater valley. To access the river, I decided to make a rectangular loop by first heading south on Range Road 134 to arrive at the Weir Bridge.

Next, I travelled west on Secondary Highway 500, and turned north onto Range Road 150 to cross the river again at the Coffin Bridge, below. Canoeists and kayakers often put in here and travel downriver to the Weir Bridge or further on to Writing-on-Stone. Travelling on the river would be a very special way to experience the landscape, plants, and wildlife of the Milk River valley and its native prairie grasslands.

Enroute to the Coffin Bridge, I encountered another lone pronghorn, and then the first of several small herds. The pronghorn is the fastest land mammal in the Western Hemisphere and can reach up to 55 miles per hour. They are such beautiful animals!

There are several fawns in this grouping!

I arrived at Writing-on-Stone Provincial Park in the early afternoon, after a morning filled with wildlife sightings and beautiful scenery. Wow! You drive to the edge of the prairie and then suddenly the river is visible below, lined on both sides by sandstone cliffs and hundreds of sculpted hoodoos. Writing-on-Stone is a very very special place, you can feel it in an instant. It is sacred to the Blackfoot and other aboriginal tribes and features the largest collection of aboriginal rock art in Canada. Etched into golden sandstone bluffs are over a thousand images including scenes of humans, animals, bows, arrows, hunting parties, battles, and entities from the spirit world. Archaeological evidence shows 10,000 years of occupation and use of this place by aboriginal groups as the riverside environment and adjacent coulees provided water, wood, shelter and plentiful game and berries. I would learn so much here!

The campground at Writing-on-Stone is excellent and sites must be reserved. I had only been able to book one night ahead of time, but luckily there was a recent cancellation and I was able to stay an extra night! I would have stayed even more nights if it was possible.

After having secured my campsite and visited a bit with my bunny neighbour, I drove back up to prairie level to make a first, brief visit to the excellent and architecturally beautiful visitors center. But, the hoodoos were calling me so I returned outside to spend time in the Hoodoo Exploration Area where visitors are allowed to follow multiple paths and climb all around and over the hoodoos. The park literature asks visitors to tread lightly.

This view, from prairie level, overlooks the hoodoos and the riverside campground below. Shaded by tall cottonwoods, and surrounded on three sides by a loop of the Milk River, you can see why this would be a very special gathering place for the Blackfoot.

This view shows the Milk River with its swimming beach. Swimming here was the highlight of my entire prairies trip! The river loops around the campground so you can walk across the campground, enter the river and then float downstream to exit at the beach below and then do it all over, again and again!

Looking east at the long line of hoodoos on both sides of the Milk River. The stand of cottonwoods in the distance is on privately owned ranch land.

From the top of the hill, I descended to the hoodoos and began to scramble on, over, and around the unique formations, mindful to watch and listen for any rattlesnake that might be either sunning itself around a corner or hiding in the shade of a rock crevice.

Here is a view looking back and up towards the Visitors Center. The structures on the right are shade shelters with picnic tables – a great place to dine with a view!

Scattered here and there among the hoodoos were tiny pockets of flowering plants that are adapted to survive in this rocky, exposed, and sunbaked place.

It was so fun to scramble here, with interesting views all around of the sculpted hoodoos, river, sky, hills, and flowers.

After climbing amongst the hoodoos I returned to camp, put on my bathing suit, and went to the river for a swim. The temperature was perfect! The silt-laden river was not deep at this time of year in mid June (about chest deep in the center, and over my head closer to the far shore) and the strength of the current was perfect for a fun ride downstream, an exit, and then a walk up the beach to walk in and do another run. The second day here, I swam again and this time I crossed the campground to enter the river further upstream in order to float downstream perhaps 400 m before exiting at the beach and then doing it all over again. As I remarked above, swimming here, with the blue sky above and the golden cliffs and hoodoos, was the highlight of my entire prairie trip!

The main beach area in the early evening light, looking downstream towards the hill-top visitors center and then upstream.

Amazingly, my rather full and wonderful day was not yet over. After dinner, as the early evening light began to glow golden, I drove once more up the hill to take more photos amongst the hoodoos.

And then I drove to the nearby Rodeo Grounds, located just outside the park, to see the river there. On the way, I saw three handsome bachelors peeking at me behind a fence. They were shy though, and ran off when I tried to get a closer picture.

Here is the Milk River near the Rodeo Grounds.

Then, on the way back, there were even more special sightings – curlews feeding in a field and a view of the Sweet Grass Hills bathed in the orange glow of a setting sun.

Finally, as I returned to the park, I decided to make a quick stop at the hilltop viewing area beside the visitor center just as the sun was setting. Lo and behold, a line of pelicans were flying above the river, their bellies glowing with the orange light that was reflected by the river and rocks below. I was filled with elation at the sight and felt like I was flying too. What a day!

My second day at Writing-on-Stone was wonderful as well! I attended a morning interpretive program to see and learn about some of the ancient rock art that is protected in the park. The program was hosted by a Blackfoot elder who was a skilled presenter and often humorous. He held our group spellbound as he told many stories and explained the meanings and symbolism of the rock carvings and their relationship and significance to aspects of the Blackfoot culture and way of life, both ancient and modern.

After the program, it was high noon and the sun was too strong for a swim so I spent several hours at the excellent visitor’s center reading every information board, observing every artifact, and listening to recorded stories and legends. I was very moved by one recording, voiced by an elder, which beautifully explains the significance of Aisinai’pi (Writing-on-Stone) to the Blackfoot. With a small amount of paraphrasing from me, the recording was as follows:

The people of this land, the Niitsitapi, the Blackfoot, have always known this place, Aisinai’pi, to be sacred. We know it in our minds, in our hearts. We heard it from our ancestors who called out to us from the spirit world. Their voices are clear and strong here at Aisinai’pi.

And they leave messages, messages on the rocks. The spirit beings come here and they live here, and we come here. We have always come here. We have come here to lay our dead to rest. We have come here to dream, to seek guidance, and to pass from childhood. We have come here to leave gifts, to fast and pray, to connect to the spirit world. We have come here to show our respect to the Creator.

Our parents passed along the stories to us, we give them to our children. We know Aisinai’pi is one part of a larger sacred landscape… We know it’s all connected to something bigger. In all of these places, the Creator brings together the land with the ancestors to create sacred landscapes as a gift to us. We receive it with reverence and awe.

After my time at the visitors center, I decided to take a quick drive to visit one more bridge over the Milk River, the Deer Creek Bridge. I parked and walked out to the middle of the bridge, ready to take my customary pictures both upstream and downstream but as I stepped up towards the raised board at the edge of the bridge, I heard the distinctive rattle of a rattle snake just below me and a little to the left! I stepped quickly back several feet and then could see that a rattlesnake was stretched out in a long straight line, perfectly camouflaged in a narrow space between bridge planks that was just wide enough and deep enough to fit him or her. I considered getting a little closer for a picture but quickly decided that I had already had a lucky call and there was no point in tempting fate!

Back at the campsite, I swam and swam, had dinner, and then drove up to prairie level to the Lewis Coulee and Police Coulee Viewpoints where there were many interpretive boards about the geology, flora and fauna of the park as well as of the people associated with this place: the Blackfoot who have been here for millennia as well as the settlers who arrived in the late 1800s and early 1900s to make homes on the surrounding prairie. There was information also about the Northwest Mounted Police officers who manned an outpost here between 1887 and 1918 . Their buildings still remain below on the opposite side of the river at the end of Police Coulee.

A couple who were cycling by offered to take my picture.

I stayed up on the hill until the sun began to set over the prairie, the river, and the Sweet Grass Hills, first in hues of pink,

and then in hues of gold.

I returned to camp, tired and happy, and walked one last time to the river to take a final photo of this extraordinary place. Thank you Milk River and Writing-on-Stone.

Western Road Trip – A Wonderful Day of Exploration in Southwestern Alberta

During my night at Payne Lake campsite I must have slept very soundly because in the morning I woke to see that a large truck and trailer combo had moved in right beside me and blocked my view of the lake! But, it was an easy fix to just drive to the nearby day use area and enjoy my breakfast there, overlooking the lake, with views of the Rocky Mountains in the distance and with the company of a lone American pelican swimming just off shore.

Shortly after leaving Payne Lake, there was an excellent view of Chief Mountain directly to the south of me (it is located just over the border in Montana).

Returning to Highway 5, I first travelled east and then turned southeast on to 501 and then south onto Range Road 270A to arrive at Police Outpost Provincial Park which is located just barely north of the American border (my cell phone thought that I was in the U.S.) . Lying in a transition zone between grasslands and aspen parkland, this isolated spot was home to a Northwest Mounted Police detachment of four men between 1891 and 1898. Here, they patrolled a wide area on the Canadian side of the border to guard against cattle rustlers and whisky smugglers.

Here is a view overlooking Outpost Lake with its small island. The campground is tucked into a small aspen forest located just uphill from the lake (in the center of the photo).

I checked out the campground and then visited the boat ramp area, popular with fishers in small boats and kayaks. A trail led from there around the edge of the lake to a bridge leading out to a small island.

The walk was lovely, green and peaceful, with a few splashes of colour.

I walked over the quite wonderful wooden bridge and then around the island on a looped trail that featured multiple viewing spots complete with benches.

Here is the view of majestic Chief Mountain from the beginning of the bridge!

On my return trip over the bridge, I met a father and son who were getting ready to cast for trout and the dad kindly took my picture.

Next, I headed to the nearby Outpost Wetlands Natural Area, a rich birding site, but the marshland trails there were closed due to nesting season, so I left the provincial park and headed back north on Range Road 270A. At the tiny hamlet of Boundary Creek (which was basically one old school building now acting as a community hall), I turned northeast onto TWP 20 NE. I had this road completely to myself, except for one or two passing pickup trucks, as it curved up, down, and around rolling hills that were dotted with cattle farms and tidy ranch enclaves.

The cattle looked healthy and happy feeding on the dark green spring grass and there were many calves to admire. I also saw several groupings of fine-looking mule deer as well as many hawks flying high over the fields.

Soon, the expanse of green was punctuated by a lovely small white pioneer church, the first of many I would see on my prairie journey. This was St. Stephens of Hungary Church, built in 1901 and rebuilt here in 1907 after a severe storm damaged the original church, “with the walls being separated from the floor, the roof was torn open; the windows and doors were broke.”

I enjoyed walking around the building and its adjacent cemetery where purple iris were growing.

I tried the door and it was not locked, as was the case again and again at other small churches I stopped at. The interior was beautiful and obviously well loved and cared for.

I took time to admire the artfully painted stations of the cross, and this handwritten and illustrated history of the founding of the church and parish.

Continuing on TWP 20 NE, I soon arrived at the junction with Highway 2 and turned north towards Cardston, a rather rough-around-the-edges prairie town where I stopped for fuel, ice, and groceries. I checked out the municipal campground located beside Lee Creek and learned that several sites were available at this very nice campground. It was still early in the day so I continued my drive north on Highway 2, and then East on 505 to see the large lake that is the Saint Mary Reservoir. This drive took me through part of the Blood (Kainai) Nation Reserve, the largest and second most populated reserve in Canada. Here is the sweep of road and adjacent prairie on 505, looking back to the west, just before crossing the dam over the Saint Mary River.

Now, I must mention that my routes and my explorations today were inspired and guided by two chapters of Liz Bryan’s excellent book, “Country Roads of Alberta.” I was headed to the Saint Mary Reservoir because she had written of an important archaeological site that had been excavated at Wally’s Beach on the lake. When lake waters were lowered for spillway repairs on the dam, strong winds blew away the sandy lake bed to reveal an ancient mud floor from the Pleistocene age. Footprints of long extinct camels, mammoths, muskoxen and giant bison were found, as well as the bones of prehistoric horses, extinct in Alberta for at least 10,000 years. Archaeologists determined that the bones were from animals hunted and butchered by indigenous peoples. Flint choppers, scrapers, and spear points were found, and they tested positive for the blood of muskox and horse, providing the first proof that early North American people hunted horses for meat. Carbon dating of the bones gave dates of between 11,000 and 11,300 years ago! The excavations at Wally’s Beach were done quickly as there was limited time available before the construction work on the spillway was finished and lake waters reflooded the site. Today, of course, there is nothing left of this significant archaeological site and I felt a little sad as I stood here, at Wally’s Beach, looking out over the beautiful green water that likely hides even more important and evocative evidence of an ancient past.

After my visit to Wally’s Beach, I explored each of the four campsites associated with Saint Mary’s Reservoir, two of which are located in the river canyon below the spillway and all of which were scenic. But, clouds had rolled in, the wind was beginning to pick up, and rain began to fall so I decided to keep on driving east to Spring Coulee and then southwest on Highway 5 back to Cardston and its Lee Creek campsite. I cooked and ate a quick dinner under the welcome cover of a picnic shelter as the rain began to fall in earnest, and then I read for a while in my Highlander. An hour later, the rain had eased up and I was able to do a last walk of the day on a path that followed the creek upstream for a good distance and which featured interpretive boards about the local flora, fauna, and human history of the town and creek-side area. It was a wonderful way to end a full day of exploration in this beautiful and historic southwestern corner of Alberta.

Western Road Trip – Into Southwestern Alberta, mountains and prairie together oh my!

After a good night’s sleep at Yahk Provincial Park, I headed off early for another wonderful day of driving on B.C.’s Highway 3. There was little traffic again and I enjoyed the freedom of the road and the “Beautiful B.C.” scenery of forested hills, valleys, rivers and lakes. On the approach to Cranbrook, I began to see the high jagged peaks of the Lizard Range (I thought they were the Rockies!).

After Cranbrook, Highway 3 turned southeast and followed the wide Kootenay River Valley with the Lizard Range in spectacular view off to my left for quite a distance as I drove.

Then, at Elko, Highway 3 turned sharply northeast again and followed the full and fast-flowing Elk River all the way to Fernie.

And Fernie was a revelation! Wow! The mountains there take your breath away they are so close and impressive. The following photos are, unfortunately, completely inadequate at capturing the magic and majesty of those mountains. I must learn how to photograph mountains to best effect!

Looking southwest from the town of Fernie to the northeastern slopes of the Lizard Range.

Mount Fernie, taken from the bridge over the Elk River in Fernie.

My plan (later, sadly, unrealized) was to stay in Fernie for several days on my return trip to enjoy the popular town and surrounding hikes, so after only a brief stop I carried on, headed for more wow moments as Highway 3 approached its namesake, the Crowsnest Pass. At an elevation of 1358 meters, the pass crosses both the Continental Divide of the Rockies and the border between British Columbia and Alberta. How exciting to arrive here!

I stopped at the pass (there was a very brisk cold breeze!) and again several times later to photograph the surrounding mountains but the results are, again, somewhat disappointing – nothing at all like the real thing! The following photos, taken just after the pass and then another five kilometers or so into Alberta and looking back at the Rockies, are somewhat more satisfactory.

Taken just after the pass, Crowsnest Ridge is on the left and beautiful Mt. Tecumseh is in the distance.

Highway 3 stayed high in the foothills through the old coal mining communities of Blairmore, Coleman, Frank, and Bellevue, now popular with mountain bikers, hikers, and passing tourists. The Frank slide was rather shocking to see and drive through. Such a huge area of devastation, a massive jumble of boulders piled up 150 meters deep in places and a kilometer wide. In 1903, 110 million tonnes of rock fell from Turtle Mountain, burying part of the town of Frank, the CPR line, and a coal mine. It was one of the largest landslides in Canadian history and the deadliest, with 70-90 people buried and lost forever under the rock.

Soon, Highway 3 descended onto the Alberta prairie with grand and far-reaching views to the east and south. At Pincher Station, I said goodbye to my good friend Highway 3, turned south onto Highway 6, and continued to enjoy those prairie views to my left and the majestic Rockies and their foothills (some topped with energetic windmills) to my right.

Black metal silhouettes on the approach into Pincher Creek were quite eye-catching!

I had planned to stay in Pincher Creek for the night and tour the Kootenai Pioneer Village there but unfortunately the pleasant riverside municipal campground was full. I found my way to the local public pool for a very nice swim and shower, and then decided to camp at the Police Outpost Provincial Park to the southeast and down near the U.S. border. Leaving town though, I missed my turnoff to head east on 507 and so I decided to continue south on Highway 6 as it was such a wonderful road!

The Rocky Mountains on my right were nothing short of stunning, and the road ahead curved and dipped and rose over the undulating landscape.

The distant mountain seen below on the left was particularly striking. It is called Chief Mountain and I later learned how important the mountain was and is to the Blackfoot who call it Nanaistako.

Some kilometers further south I arrived at an overlook with this magnificent view west into the Waterton Lakes area. Wow! I will definitely return here on another voyage and stay for several days of camping and hiking in the National Park.

Later, there was another viewpoint signed as the “Bison Paddock Overlook”. On my short climb up to the top of the viewing hill I saw my first prairie dog of this trip, a very chattery squirrel, bright pink geraniums, and an official “Alberta Rose”.

This was the view to the south from the hilltop.

And this was the view to the north, zoomed in, of the small herd of bison that are being re-introduced into Waterton National Park.

Just past the bridge over the Waterton River, I stopped at the Maskinonge Overlook for one more beautiful view looking in towards Waterton National Park.

Continuing south to the junction of Highways 6 and 5, I took this last photo of Chief Mountain and its neighbouring peaks before turning east on Highway 5.

It was beginning to get a little late in the day so I decided to stop in at Payne Lake to check out their campground as an alternative to continuing on to the Police Outpost Provincial Park. A lake-view site was available in this family-friendly campground so it was an easy decision to stop here for the night.

I enjoyed a relaxing dinner and then an evening walk in the flower-filled meadows that bordered the lake. I was especially happy to find the lovely Three Flowered Avens, also known as Old Man’s Beard or Prairie Smoke (top three photos). So pretty!

And this was my view heading back along the lake to my campsite, with the sun setting behind the Rocky Mountains. Thank you, Southwest Alberta, for a marvelous day of mountains and prairie together (oh my)!