Mt Shark

Route Description for Mt Shark

Mt Shark is a great cross-country ski location, with a variety of trails to suit beginners to experts. Alberta Parks have made finding a suitable trail easier by creating three coloured routes: Green (15.0 km), Blue (2.0 km) and Yellow (10.0 km). You can also ski out to Watridge Lake on the Watridge Lake Trail.

Our favourite route is the Green 15.0 km route, which is shown on this map. The Green route goes back and forth at the start for roughly 4.5 km. This section is narrow with what seems like constant up and down, and some tight turns at the bottoms of some hills, making this a challenging ski for intermediates.

Once you’re done with the back and forth section, our favourite section of the cross-country ski starts, as the route heads out across the valley, crossing over Watridge Creek along the way. The views from this part of the ski are wonderful.

From the far point, ski back towards the Watridge Lake Trail, eventually meeting up with this wide trail. You can go right and ascend a hill, which eventually descends down to Watridge Lake, a pretty lake that is also along the ski route into Mount Assiniboine.

If you don’t go and check out Watridge Lake, then go left and head back along the wide, double track-set XC Ski Trail to your car. Along the way you can try out some of the trails that branch off of the Watridge Lake Trail.

Insider Hints for Mt Shark

• This is usually one of the first cross-country ski trails to open in November.
• Pick a clear, sunny day to maximize your experience on this trip.
• Consider staying at Mount Engadine Lodge, which has cabins, lodge rooms, yurt’s and new glamping tents.