Alderson

Height: 8,832ft
View-o-meter: 4/5
Scrambling Difficulty: Easy
Total Trip Difficulty: Moderate, but lots of walking
Best Feature: Views to Alderson lake down the sheer north face
Worst Part: The slog down the Alderson lake trail back to the townsite



Standard Route
This is usually done as a way one trip, so either plan a shuttle, or buy a ticket from Tamarack Outdoor Outfitters. Drive up the Akamina Highway to Cameron lake. Follow the trailhead the leaves to the southeast (left) of the boat rentals. After some flat walking you will start to quickly gain elevation as you approach Summit Lake. From summit lake, head uphill along a very popular trail. The views here are nice. Bring lots of water if it is a hot day. Once you gain the saddle, drop down the other side.

Hike to Carthew lakes either from the Waterton townsite or Cameron lake. If you approach from the townsite, hike to lower Carthew lake (the easten most lake). Once at lower Carthew lake, hike to the south-eastern side of the lake. From here wander up the talus slope for a few hours to gain the peak. There is no scrambling on this route. If you are approaching from Cameron lake along the Carthew-Alderson-Summit, you do not need to drop all the way down to Carthew lakes. Instead, hook up to the prominent red ridge to the right (east) of the lakes as high as possible.



Other Route Descriptions

www.trailpeak.com

From the Clubtread forum - a short trip report with lots of pictures of the circuit from Alderson, Carthew and Buchanan.