| OTTERTAIL LAKE via Van Horne Fire Road (Kicking Horse Trail to Porcupine Fire Road) Trail not Maintained ~ Marshy terrain, lake and ponds, ospreys, bald eagles, and great blue herons ~ Distance 9.0 km (5.6 mi) to Ottertail Lake Trailhead Follow the Emerald Lake Road for 1.5 km (0.9 mi) to the Natural Bridge junction and cross the road here to the gravel road to the west. Go 1.8 km (1.1 mi) to the end and park at the Amiskwi Fire Circle. Beyond the picnic area there are two fire roads. You want the Otterhead Fire Road which is the nearer one to your left as you cross the bridge over the Amiskwi River. In 1988 this road had no trail sign. (The other fire road is clearly marked to Amiskwi Pass.) Alternately, start from Chancellor Peak Campground near the west end of the Park. Options Beyond Ottertail Lake you can continue travelling across Porcupine Creek, down a fire road to Chancellor Peak Campground and beyond to the Trans-Canada Highway. Just before Otterhead bridge, left of the road, is the site of Otter Camp where Austrian immigrants, mostly Ukrainians, were interned from 1915 to 1916 during World War I. Many of the prisoners had come to Canada to avoid conscription in the Austrian army, but some politicians perceived them as a threat to our country. The camp was named, not for the nearby river, but for General Sir William D. Otter, director of Canada's internment operations. A considerable portion of the route passes close to mosquito infested marshes. Expect boggy patches and uncut slash (a nuisance when the leaves are wet). Tree roots and holes are occasional hazards. In August, 1988, as I returned from Porcupine Creek, I noticed the clouds building up ominously in the east. As I hastened my pace, I saw bear scats and tracks which had not been there an hour earlier. At least it was a black bear! I reached the swamp where earlier a great blue heron had shrieked; it did so again, but even though I expected it, the unearthly scream caused my pulse to jump as I worried about bear and storm. When I passed Ottertail Lake, I heard a bear climbing a tree. I hoped it wasn't a cub; a minute later, I saw it was. Then I saw the mother scurrying back and forth, rearing on her hind legs and making an agitated huffing sound. On either side of the trail there was marsh and tangled deadfall, and I feared that if I left the trail, I would never know where the bear was. Either I had to advance between the mother and the tree the cub had climbed, or else take my chances with the menacing storm. I spoke to the bear in as calm a voice as I could command and advanced slowly. The bear bounded 2 m up a giant Douglas fir, then came down again. Continuing to use my friendliest tone, I advanced a little closer, and this time she scampered 10 m up the branchless trunk which I passed. I could still hear her huffing when I reached my bike 300 m ahead. The rain, beginning before I reached my vehicle, became fierce when I reached my campsite. Although I sat under a large tarpaulin, I got splashed by water bouncing off the ground and whipped by the wind. That night the railway, the Trans-Canada Highway, and the Yoho Valley Road were washed out. Trail The fire road is level and in good condition as far as the Otterhead River bridge at 5.1 km. Remember to go left at the unmarked junction where the main road turns away from the disused road to Tocher Ridge at 4.2 km. At km 5.1 you cross the Otterhead River beyond which the road deteriorates. The road ends abruptly at an avalanche slope 8.5 km from the start. You should leave your bike here. The ongoing trail immediately becomes so rough that the bicycle becomes a hindrance. The spot of most interest, Ottertail Lake, lies just 10 minutes ahead. Here the trail crosses above deserted beaver houses on the shoreline. You pass three more marshes en route to Porcupine Creek. The only real climb on this trail begins 1.5 km before Porcupine Creek. On the last stretch of trail expect incessant highway noise. Just before Porcupine Creek, the trail runs into a grassy road cut. Because the trail is not cleared beyond this junction you should take this road which leads to a metal gate near Porcupine Creek. The bridge has been washed away but a felled Douglas fir upstream or the railway bridge downstream can be used. The old fire road continues to the Chancellor Peak Campground and the Trans-Canada Highway 6.8 km ahead. Trail Section
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