ABRAHAM LAKE WORTH THE TRIP WITH OR WITHOUT ICE BUBBLES
Pockets of methane gas frozen in layers creates quite a visual, writes Debbie Olsen
Abraham Lake is described on a well-known travel website as “an unknown gem in the Canadian Rocky Mountains — readily accessible.” While the part about it being a readily accessible gem is definitely correct, it’s really not as unknown as it used to be. Winter pictures of the lake and its stunning ice bubbles have been making their way around social media sites, including the Smithsonian.com. Each winter, pockets of methane gas freeze in layers in the ice that coats the lake and when the sun shines just right, they look like jewels glistening under the surface. Put those jewels in the foreground and the Rocky Mountains in the background and you get an incredible photo op.
Ever since I saw the first ice bubble photos on Instagram, I’ve wanted to go see the spectacle for myself. One of the things holding me back was not knowing exactly where to find them.
Abraham Lake is a man-made lake connected to the Bighorn Dam and some access points, where water flows in or out, can have unstable ice. It’s also one of the biggest lakes in the Rockies and I didn’t want to drive all the way out there and not know the best spots for finding ice bubbles.
For a lot of different reasons, a guided tour seemed like the way to go, so I joined Pursuit Adventures on a day tour. “We’re the only tour operator offering regularly scheduled tours to this area, so we know the safe access points,” explained JP Fortin, company founder and owner. “People often show us pictures on their phones and ask us where they have to go to see the bubbles.”
On a snowy February morning, we met at the Pursuit Adventures Basecamp & Cafe in Red Deer and I ordered some breakfast to take on the bus. As we made our way out to David Thompson Country, Fortin told us about the history and ecology of this unique region of Alberta.
As it turns out, the name, David Thompson Country, is a recent development. It’s a new tourism region that was incorporated in 2017 and covers more than 18,000 square kilometres, including Rocky Mountain House, Caroline, Clearwater County and attractions like Abraham Lake, Crimson Lake and the Bighorn Backcountry. British-Canadian fur trader and surveyor David Thompson was instrumental in mapping much of this part of Alberta and, for that reason, the highway that passes through here and the new tourism region bear his name.
Our first stop was a hike in to Crescent Falls. Equipped with ice cleats, our small group made our way to an overlook area and then followed a steep trail down below the frozen falls.
One short section had an anchored rope that assisted us with the descent. As beautiful as the falls are in the summer, they become spectacular in winter — almost like a winter wonderland scene from the Chronicles of Narnia.
After lunch, we got back on the road to Abraham Lake, with a couple of short stops due to bighorn sheep licking salt off the road.
One of the best access points to the lake is near the sign for Hoodoo Creek. Our small tour bus joined a few cars parked along the edge of the road and we made our way to the lake’s edge to look for bubbles.
Fortin explained that methane gas bubbles are formed when bacteria breaks down organic matter at the bottom of the lake. Bubbles can be found in other Rocky Mountain lakes, but they are typically more visible in Abraham Lake where winds blowing across the lake surface keep the ice clear of snow.
Unfortunately for us, it had snowed the day before our visit and the winds hadn’t had time to clear the ice. We found a few clear spots, cleared off a few more ourselves and managed to get a good look at the bubbles and snap a few photos, but it wasn’t a perfect day for capturing bubble shots.
We stopped at a second spot near Preacher’s Point and enjoyed hot chocolate and treats while we walked around in our ice cleats looking at more fascinating ice formations. With or without bubbles, the scenery was breathtaking. And even though I didn’t capture the perfect ice bubble shot, I know just where to go when I want to go back on my own.
Details: Pursuit Adventures offers full-day winter hiking tours from Red Deer, Rocky Mountain House and Nordegg for $95 per person.
More Winter Fun in David Thomp- son Country: Enjoy some free family fun at Crimson Lake Provincial Park’s Snowy Saturdays events this winter.