Grassi Lakes
Two Small Turquoise Lakes In A Limestone Hollow Above Canmore, Reached By A Short And Popular Trail Past A Waterfall And A Rock Climbing Area, With An Easy And A Hard Route. A Very Popular Family Walk, Busy In Summer And Often Icy In Spring · Canmore, Alberta
Grassi Lakes are two small, brilliantly turquoise lakes in a limestone hollow on the slope above Canmore, reached from a signed car park on the Spray Lakes Road about 5 km from town and roughly 100 km west of Calgary (confirm distances). The pair is named for Lawrence Grassi, an Italian-born miner who built many trails in the valley, and the colour comes from fine rock powder carried in the water that drains off the mountain (confirm). Two routes climb about 130 m to the lakes (confirm): an easy, wide gravel track and a steeper path of stone steps that passes a waterfall and a cliff where climbers work. Both are about 2 km each way and end at the same shore. It is one of the most visited short walks in the Bow Valley, so summer weekends are crowded and the small car park fills early. In spring the shaded track often holds hard ice after the car park is bare. A pass rule may apply at the car park (confirm).
Grassi Lakes, two small turquoise lakes above Canmore reached by a short trail from the Spray Lakes Road, about 100 km west of Calgary; coordinates approximate, Canmore, Alberta, Canada
The trail has no gate and can be walked at any hour, but the car park on the Spray Lakes Road is best used in daylight, and the walk is shortest to enjoy between late May and early October when the track is clear. Spring brings mud and hard ice in shaded stretches, often into early May, and winter brings packed snow and ice that need traction. Summer weekends fill the small car park by mid morning, so confirm any parking or pass rule with Alberta Parks before going.