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Originally Posted by Runamuk
Me and three friends attempted fortress lake last weekend. Two of them had packrafts, unfortunately me and one other did not. The Athabasca crossing was impassable on foot. I bushwhacked 3 km up the river looking for a spot to cross but the rapids got worse. Best place to even attempt was at the confluence with the Chaba. I waded in up to my knees but the current started to wash my feet out from under me.
The two that made it across in the packrafts said they wouldn’t be doing it again unless they did it over 5 days. Both are experienced hikers. The trail after the crossing was overgrown in sections and washed out in others. Lots of wading. To top the trip off it was difficult for them to find fish.
It’s 15 kms to the athabasca crossing. Good single track mountain bike trail. About 2.5h to bike and 4.5h to walk. A few downed trees but very manageable.
The hike from athabasca to fortress is more like 12 kms instead of 9 like the signage says. And it took them about 6 hours to complete that section.
If the water level drops significantly over the next couple weeks you might make it but fishing from shore will not be easy.
Of course I will attempt it again in the spring but I will be gearing up with a packraft.
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I’m curious , did they not find the correct trail ? Did they just follow the Chaba upstream or something ? I’ve done this trail numerous times and from the crossing to fortress doesn’t take 6 hours, unless of course they were just taking their time and lots and lots of breaks . Last year it took us 7 hours total to get in from the trail head , and that was to fortress creek. A packraft is a must for the trip, not just for the river crossing in high flows , but to get around on the lake