Cataract Creek Snowmobile Area Thread for 2014/15

[JZ1]

Anyone go out to Cataract/Etherington in the last couple of days - or planning to head out there today/tomorrow?

I wanted to get out this past weekend but couldn't find anyone to go with. Everyone I know has put their sleds away for the season. I was going to go alone but decided not to, with my luck I would have broke down and would have had to spend the night in the back country.

hoping to possibly go tomorrow

 

[Highfly]

I did more damage to my sled one time on a early season trip than I had in two years of sledding. I told myself not worth it, wait for snow. This area unless it has snowed 2 feet (and has some base) IMO is done for the season. Sux because I only got out once.....

 

[JZ1]

I did more damage to my sled one time on a early season trip than I had in two years of sledding. I told myself not worth it, wait for snow. This area unless it has snowed 2 feet (and has some base) IMO is done for the season. Sux because I only got out once.....

When was the last time you were there?

i was there 2 weeks ago and the only chitty trail I found was the one from etherington staging area to the baril loop/raspberry interaction. The raspberry pass trail was hit n miss but all the other trails had lots of snow.

 

[Highfly]

parking lot had snow???

 

[JZ1]

I'm sure it has snow again after all the snow that reportedly fell the last few days.

when I was there 2 Friday's ago it had snow. It had started to melt fairly fast by Saturday afternoon though. Like I said, the first few miles of trail where a little chitty but there was more than enough past baril loop/raspberry intersection.

The only tracks I saw were from etherington parking lot to baril loop trail head. I assume those sled tracks were heading over the pass cause i didn't see a single track the rest of my time out there. Cummings and skyline had bumper deep snow. One spot on Cummings where the bridge is washed out was a birch to cross but it can be done

 

[JZ1]

Parking lot 2 weeks ago. ​

 

[JZ1]

Actually I lied I saw some more sled tracks on loggers trail, tracks went to end of loggers and turned around. The bridge where loggers meets etherington is washed out but you can still get across if you weasel through the trees. The guys that turned around on loggers must not have seen the trail through the trees cause this picture is on the other side f washed out bridge

 

[JZ1]

Here is a map for reference as to what I was talking about in regards to trails


this was at the furtherest south of map

 

[JZ1]

I'm not sure what it's like today but I'm sure it is definitely ridable. If i don't work tomorrow I will going for sure.

 

[Highfly]

If you don't work tomorrow let me know. My daughter and I will join you.

 

[JZ1]

If you don't work tomorrow let me know. My daughter and I will join you.

How old is your daughter? Was thinking of bringing mine, she has only ever rode on the river around home so this would be a big step up for her

 

[Highfly]

How old is your daughter? Was thinking of bringing mine, she has only ever rode on the river around home so this would be a big step up for her

She is 17 .

 

[Highfly]

PM sent

 

[calgarysledguy]

8 to 10 inches at Etherington parking lot at 8 30am. It will melt fast as it settled alot already.

 

[Kaz Dog]

8 to 10 inches at Etherington parking lot at 8 30am. It will melt fast as it settled alot already.

I am curious, the snow down low on Etherington Trail and Baril Loop, was it melted totally off by the time you came out? Or was most of it, if not all, still there?

 

[calgarysledguy]

I am curious, the snow down low on Etherington Trail and Baril Loop, was it melted totally off by the time you came out? Or was most of it, if not all, still there?

Trails were totally covered when we came out at 5. You could feel the odd rock on skies on way out as the new snow had no base and shrunk alot . I'm sure the last two and a half days have melted the stuff in the sun pretty good. The snow on fording side got sticky buy about 3 pm. If your looking for pow I wouldn't bother going there.

Monday was the day to be there

 

[Kaz Dog]

Trails were totally covered when we came out at 5. You could feel the odd rock on skies on way out as the new snow had no base and shrunk alot . I'm sure the last two and a half days have melted the stuff in the sun pretty good. The snow on fording side got sticky buy about 3 pm. If your looking for pow I wouldn't bother going there.

Monday was the day to be there

Thanks for the update, much appreciated.

 

[Highfly]

Katie and I had an amazing day, (JZ1 couldn't make it out :-( Some of the snow was over base as mentioned and some you could tell was all dirt before the latest dump came.
We tried staging at Cateract but its all open water and running at the parking lot so we went back to Etherington.
We rode Ehterington up loggers to the end, down to cataract loop, down fallers on to the main road to Skyline turn off. Katie was getting tired so we headed back the main road and had to get crafty getting over where the bridge is out at Cataratc and cummings creek. Luckily there is an ice dam 50 feet or so up stream and we snuck across there or we would have had to go all the way back around. We then went back on Raspberry pass. We broke trail ALL day!!! Put on approx 40 miles. Where the snow was not on base we touched a few times. The places we did double back on at the end of the day you could see dirt where the runners of the skies made contact with the dirt, it expanded (from melting) about 3/4" of an inch so you could see a stripe of dirt.

 

[Kaz Dog]

Excellent trails report!

We are scheduled to pull the ramp out of the Cataract Creek Parking Lot on Saturday, May 2, but it sounds like it could be done now..... At the same time, we will be pulling back/removing the ramp installed along Cataract Creek trail, in anticipation of spring run-off.

Katie and I had an amazing day, (JZ1 couldn't make it out :-( Some of the snow was over base as mentioned and some you could tell was all dirt before the latest dump came.
We tried staging at Cateract but its all open water and running at the parking lot so we went back to Etherington.
We rode Ehterington up loggers to the end, down to cataract loop, down fallers on to the main road to Skyline turn off. Katie was getting tired so we headed back the main road and had to get crafty getting over where the bridge is out at Cataratc and cummings creek. Luckily there is an ice dam 50 feet or so up stream and we snuck across there or we would have had to go all the way back around. We then went back on Raspberry pass. We broke trail ALL day!!! Put on approx 40 miles. Where the snow was not on base we touched a few times. The places we did double back on at the end of the day you could see dirt where the runners of the skies made contact with the dirt, it expanded (from melting) about 3/4" of an inch so you could see a stripe of dirt.

 

[Kaz Dog]

So this happened this past week at the Cataract Creel Parking Lot/Cataract Creek Snowmobile Trailhead: