If you’ve been to Calabogie, you’ve probably visited the Eagles Nest Lookout. But did you know that some of the lookouts on the opposite side of the mountain are just as beautiful?
Recently my husband and I took a day for ourselves and stayed at the Somewhere Inn in Calabogie (it was beautiful, and the property itself is great for spending time outdoors). Of course, we wanted to get in a hike while we were there, so we decided on the Lost Valley Loop, so that we could check out the Juniper Ridge Lookout as we’d never seen it before!
This hike is just under 5 km, with a few good hills thrown in to get the blood pumping. Much of it is forested, and the lookout over Calabogie Lake is lovely. The only thing that might make it better is having a spot to sit and rest at the lookout, as there’s not anywhere for that currently.
Still, absolutely worth the hike, especially if you’re looking for something a little less crowded than Eagles Nest.
The view from the Juniper Ridge Lookout.
Quick Facts
Length: 4.7 km
Difficulty: Moderate. (On a scale of easy-moderate-hard)
Trailhead Coordinates: 45.274779, -76.779957
Washroom at Trailhead: No
Dogs Allowed: Yes
Cell Reception: Spotty
Wheelchair Accessible: No
Parking: Right at the trailhead.
Cost: Free
Open in Winter: Yes
Getting There
The trailhead for the Lost Valley Loop starts right behind the Calabogie Peaks resort, so we parked in their parking lot. This might be trickier in the winter when the peaks are busy, but when we went in the fall there was almost no one there!
Heading behind the resort, we weren’t quite sure what we were looking for, but soon spotted the large, posted map that’s at every trailhead on this network. We crossed the short bridge over the pond behind the resort to get there.
Trail marking was a bit unpredictable along this route.
The Trailhead
The trail began just to the left of the map. This first section of trail was the Bear Claw Trail. It’s a skinny footpath that winds uphill through a stand of grass before getting into the forest. Along the way were a few trees painted with red trail markers. After 300 metres we arrived at a trail split familiar to us. At the end of Mary Joanne Drive there’s a big circle that’s good for parking, another map, and the Skywalk Loop Trail heading off to our right, up towards the ski hill. Having taken that trail before, I can tell you it’s STEEP.
We continued straight, to keep on the Bear Claw Trail and look for the Lost Valley Loop Trail. The trail marking through this next section wasn’t great, and there were still old signs warning of logging in the area… but they’ve been up for the past 3 years so we figured we were all clear.
Uphill!
We found ourselves walking parallel to the road leading to the Cabinscape properties, and when we reached the turn in the road for the second property, we assumed we were at another trail split. Ahead of us was a wider trail, and we figured that this would be the Bear Claw Trail continuing on straight. To our right, and up a steep hill, was a very skinny footpath that was well worn into the earth.
Where we turned to stay on the Lost Valley Loop.
The entrance to the path was grassy, but as we continued to ascend we found ourselves hiking through thorny bushes (raspberry bushes are my best guess). There was still absolutely no signage to be seen, but the footpath was so well worn that we just assumed we were heading in the right direction.
As the bushes ended we began to spot our first few signs that clearly indicate that we were in fact on the Lost Valley Loop.
Squeezing through the raspberry bushes.
The trail continued uphill through the forest, with one section on the side of a hill that acted a bit like a ridgeline. A ton of leaves collected on the path here and so it was hard to see where the edge of the trail was. We stepped carefully to avoid tumbling down the side of the hill.
Also around this section there were a few rocky/rooty spots on the trail that were a bit more technical than what we had seen previously.
This spot doesn’t look as tricky in pictures as it felt. I was happy to have my hiking poles!
The Main Trail Split
When we had hiked just over a kilometre- uphill the whole way- we arrived at the trail split that would form the looped section of the trail. We decided to go see the lookout first, although I think if I were to hike this trail again I’d hike the loop counterclockwise instead and leave the lookout until later in the hike.
Continuing uphill, we found ourselves at the split for the lookout around the 1.5 km mark. We turned to our left and walked just a few hundred metres before finding a rope alongside the trail to assist us up the last few feet.
The Lookout
The lookout over Calabogie Lake was gorgeous and stretched on for miles. It was a bit unfortunate that there was nowhere to sit and enjoy the view. Not even a rock! So, we didn’t stay too long, heading back the way we had come.
On the way back we enjoyed a slight downhill until around the 2.5 km mark when we had to go up again. There were a few more rocky, rooty sections on the western part of the loop, but for the most part it was fairly easy hiking.
We carefully made our way back across the false ridge in the forest and down the hill that (now) came after it. And which seemed much steeper going down than coming up. The hill was also covered in leaves which also makes me feel less confident in my footing, so I took it very slowly.
Trail Thoughts
By the time we had arrived back at the trailhead, we had hiked about 4.7 km. It had taken us an hour and a half, and we were really happy to have had the chance to stretch our legs and hike up some hills!
The Lost Valley Loop is perfect as a slightly longer, but WAY quieter alternative to the trails leading to the Eagles Nest Lookout! Not to mention that you could combine this loop with other trails in this section of the network and see a few more beautiful views.
The options at Calabogie Peaks truly are endless. It’s awesome!
Map and Elevation Gain
Our GPS tracked route along the Lost Valley Loop.
Elevation gain along the trail.
