Giant Cleft Trail
In Cathedral Provincial Park. start from Quiniscoe Lake, take the Pyramid Lake Trail and continue to climb to Ladyslipper Lake. Wildlfowers cover the meadowed slopes around these plateau lakes. The lake is a beautiful blue color and larch trees add a magical quality to these high cirques. Climb the ridge to the rim, following cairns. Views continue to be impressive, and you should bring your camera to record all the rock features along the rim:
- Dinnerplate Ridge
- Stone City
- Smokey the Bear
- The Giant Hamburger
- Devil's Woodpile
- The Giant Cleft
Follow the rim south to the Giant Cleft. With a bit of scrambling, you can take a photo through the cleft. Take the time to hike past a short ways further along the ridge to see Grimface Mountain and the ragged peaks beyond. Follow the route back, then go north on the ridge as far as the side trail to Pyramid Mountain. We have enjoyed the side trail to the viewpoint on Pyramid. Continue on and come down on the Glacier Lake Trail, completing the "Stone Circuit."
We have seen bighorn sheep grazing on the high ridges and we have come to ptarmigan camouflaged in rocky alcoves. The usual pikas and marmots peep and whistle as we wound our way up or down the trail. Cathedral Park invites us back for return trips.