Beaverdam Creek Ridge And Whaleback Ridge South

BOU AVENUE
Beaverdam Creek Ridge And Whaleback Ridge South

Aga Sokolowska, Zosia Zgolak and I visited Alberta's Bob Creek Wildland Provincial Park on 11 June 2022 and hiked a loop which included unofficially-named Beaverdam Creek Ridge and the southern high point of Whaleback Ridge. We drew most of our inspiration from a trip report by Bob Spirko, but perhaps the most definitive guide to the area is Bob Blaxley's 1997 University of Calgary master's thesis, A Walking Guide for the Whaleback Area: Moving Through a Sacred Space, which was also turned into a now-out-of-print guidebook. The mostly open terrain here is generally easy to navigate and allows for a variety of hiking options depending on available time and energy.

From Highway 22, turn west onto Township Road 101A (2WD gravel), 20.0 kilometres south of the junction with Highway 520 or 25.0 kilometres north of the junction with Highway 3. Township Road 101A is on the north side of the bridge over Oldman River. Almost immediately, veer right (left goes to nearby Maycroft Provincial Recreation Area which has vault toilets) and drive 13.0 kilometres to the trailhead parking lot (no toilets) located within Black Creek Heritage Rangeland.

Starting from the trailhead information kiosk, Aga, Zosia and I walked north along an OHV road for about 130 metres before taking a right turn to cross Bob Creek on some strategically-placed logs. A large herd of cattle noisily fled from us as we followed the continuation of the road for another 500 metres to a second split. Climbing up the right-hand fork, we soon passed a gate and entered a large open meadow. We abandoned the road here to climb up the open south end of Beaverdam Creek Ridge. Aside from some minor dips, we had no issues following the pleasant ridge northward to its high point.

	Aga and Zosia check out the information at the trailhead kiosk.
	Aga watches as Zosia carefully crosses Bob Creek on some strategically-placed logs.

Watch your step around here!

The road continues past the nervous cattle and eventually leads to the south end of Beaverdam Creek Ridge at left.

	This road goes through a gate up ahead and enters a meadow which is the access point for Beaverdam Creek Ridge.
	Aga is overwhelmed by the abundance of balsamroot in the area.
	Some of the trees along the ridge attest to the tremendous winds that often blow through this area.
	The ascent of Beaverdam Creek Ridge is easy and straightforward.
	Fleabane is common throughout the area.
	Zosia, Sonny and Aga hold up a product (sesame snaps) of Łódź, Poland on the high point of Beaverdam Creek Ridge (1687 metres).
	The true high point of Whaleback Ridge stands out about eleven kilometres to the north.
	The southern high point of Whaleback Ridge is right at centre in this view to the southeast. It is about 3.4 kilometres distant as the crow flies.

From the top of Beaverdam Creek Ridge, Aga, Zosia and I dropped down its steep eastern aspect and surprisingly stumbled across a deserted trappers' cabin hidden in the valley. We poked around the cabin for only a few minutes before resuming our trek eastward toward Whaleback Ridge. The climb up to the ridge crest was lengthy and steep, but other than some route-finding to circumvent a short bluff, we encountered few difficulties. Upon gaining the crest of Whaleback Ridge, we turned southward and easily hiked over several intervening bumps to reach the southern high point (the true high point of Whaleback Ridge is near its north end on a spur ridge shared with a feature known as Chimney Rock).

After tagging the southern high point of Whaleback Ridge, Aga, Zosia and I descended grassy slopes to the west and worked our way through some forest and marshy terrain to reach the open flats of Beaverdam Creek. We eventually picked up the same road that we abandoned earlier in the day to climb up Beaverdam Creek Ridge. The ensuing walk back to the trailhead was pleasant and uneventful.

Zosia finds a rusty knife and leather sheath while descending Beaverdam Creek Ridge.

A fantastic photo by Aga.

A tiger swallowtail butterfly nestles in the grass.

Photo courtesy of Aga Sokolowska

	Here is a look back at the eastern slopes of Beaverdam Creek Ridge which Zosia and Aga just descended.
	Zosia and Aga stumble across a deserted trappers' cabin hidden in the valley.
	A clearing partway up Whaleback Ridge grants this view to the southwest of the Livingstone Range. The most prominent peak on the right horizon is Thunder Mountain.
	Zosia and Aga hike along the crest of Whaleback Ridge. The southern high point is the forested bump at distant right.
	Sonny follows a wire fence that runs along the crest of Whaleback Ridge. Photo courtesy of Zosia Zgolak
	This rock outcrop resembles a whale's back. Zosia takes out her newly-discovered knife to stab the "whale" in the "back"!
	Sonny has some fun with a cattle skull found on the ridge. Photo courtesy of Zosia Zgolak
	Aga, Sonny and Zosia make the shape of a whale's tail on the southern high point of Whaleback Ridge (1791 metres).
	The high point of Porcupine Hills is on the left horizon in this view to the east.
	Aga and Zosia descend grassy slopes to the west of Whaleback Ridge's southern high point.
	About to plunge into forest, Aga and Zosia aim for the open flats of Beaverdam Creek at far left with its namesake ridge in the background.
	Here is a last look at Whaleback Ridge's southern high point (left of centre) from the open flats of Beaverdam Creek. Zosia is also chewing on some wild chives.
	At this bridge, Aga and Zosia pick up the same road used for the approach to Beaverdam Creek Ridge.
	Total Distance: 14.7 kilometres Round-Trip Time: 7 hours 48 minutes Cumulative Elevation Gain: 883 metres GPX Data