Lake Minnewanka Shoreline Trail

Lake Minnewanka Shoreline Trail is a rolling lakeshore out-and-back from Lake Minnewanka Day-use Area to the Mt. Inglismaldie backcountry campground, LM11. The longest official option is 11.1 km one way, 22.2 km (13.8 miles) there and back; allow seven to nine hours with breaks. Two shorter official turnarounds are Aylmer Pass Junction (LM8, 7.8 km one way) and Aylmer Canyon (LM9, 9 km one way). This is a long backcountry day, not the short bridge walk.

The approach begins with about 800 m of paved road through the day-use area, past the dock and picnic area, then changes to a hard natural trail. Parts are exposed, and rocky, rooty footing starts about a kilometre in. At roughly 1.6 km, Stewart Canyon Bridge crosses the Cascade River where it enters the lake. The shorter Stewart Canyon outing turns around here; for the shoreline trail, cross the bridge and continue along the lake.

Beyond the bridge the path climbs about 46 m through forest regrowing after a controlled burn in 2003, then rolls over rocky ground with repeated short ups and downs. The trees thin enough in places for broad views of Cascade Mountain and the opposite shore. A beach spur near LM8 makes a natural earlier stop; continuing brings you past LM9 to LM11 at 11.1 km. The campgrounds are useful goals for the shoreline route, and the measured length here stops at LM11 rather than including routes farther into the backcountry. Turn around there and retrace the same path.

Lake Minnewanka is nearly 24 km long and 142 m deep. Dams raised its water level and submerged Minnewanka Landing, once a resort town on the shore. The view across to Mt. Inglismaldie is a good reason to pause on the early lakeside stretch; include some rocky shore in a photo so the broad lake has scale.