DIRECTIONS: From Radium, head up Horsethief Creek FSR, the turn right onto Forster Creek FSR. At 36km, turn right at signed junction. Good clearance will get you this far, but for the rough road leading up the final 1.5km to the trailhead, 4x4 and high-clearance is recommended.create
SUMMARY: Easy for the first half, but fairly steep and rocky for the last few km. This gets you up to Lower Welsh Lake, which is the end of the official trail at 2170m. Halfway down the lake is a campsite. From Lower Welsh Lake, you can make a circuit and see Middle Welsh Lake, Upper Welsh Lake, and Aberystwyth Lake, but aside from Lower Wlesh to Middle Welsh, there's only bits of trail, and between Lower Welsh and Aberystwyth, you're required to ascend or descend a very rocky, but stable gully. There's also a pass above Upper Welsh Lake the connects the drainage to Stockdale Creek and there's a few more unnamed lakes and great views up there, but again, there's no set trail. The pass is just shy of 2600m and there's a small summit between the cols that can be easily ascended, bringing you up to about 2650m, with excellent views. There's a plethora of scrambling options in the basin for those considering a multi-day stay.create
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Welsh Lakes
Aug 18, 2009
The trail and spur to the trailhead had just been cleared of brush that day, although they only cleared the first half of the trail. Not sure if there's plans to clear the rest, but aside from a handful of small downed trees, the trail is in great shape now, no bushwhacking at all. Saw no sign of bears. Excellent campsite at Lower Lake. We stayed the night and did the circuit of the lakes, plus the pass between Galway and Alpha Centauri, which I'd highly recommend. You have to head towards the glacier from Upper Welsh, as the col isn't visible until you're practically there. Upper Welsh had the nicest color, but they were all great. Saw a group of day hikers each day. Takes at least 3hrs to do the circuit of all 4 lakes without stopping, starting at Lower Lake. We did them clockwise, but whatever works for you. A word of caution though. After the first half of the official trail, it's mostly rock that you'll be moving on, so if you've got weak ankles, beware!