A wide variety of services and activities are available to you in the Nordegg and David Thompson area. Recreational activities include horseback riding, trail rides, hay wagon rides, hiking, caving, rock climbing, golfing and white water canoeing to name just a few.
The town of Nordegg offers most amenities icluding a restaurant, bar, hotel, liquor store, post office, gas station, baseball field, museum, gift store, cafe and a nine-hole golf course. For further details on Nordegg, David Thompson and other areas near the Goldeye Centre, please ask for brochures at the office.
STROLLING AND SIGHTSEEING AROUND GOLDEYE
AROUND GOLDEYE LAKE (walk 2.7 km)
A graveled and boardwalk path completely circles the lake. Simply walk down the staircase to the lake and turn either left or right. It’s your choice and it's the same distance either way!
SHANKS LAKE (hike 4 - 5 km)
Shanks Lake is a small lake visible from the highway about 1 km east of the Goldeye Lake Road. Two other small lakes are not noticeable from the highway. You can easily hike back to one of these lakes following the entrance road out to the edge of the highway right-of-way. (You can also take a shortcut along the power line). Climb the bank to the sign board at the edge of the forest. A few meters inside the forest line you will find an old road with a path made by the deer, elk and moose leading to a lily pond. Upon returning to the Goldeye Lake Road, you can take the right-hand fork and follow our staff road back to the east end of our property back to the Centre.
OLD LOGGING ROAD (hike 8 - 10 km)
An old road runs from the north east corner of the Centre’s lease for approximately 8-10 km north. This road is closed to vehicles. About 3/4 of a mile further, at the top of a long hill, a cutline intersects the road allowing a view of Black Mountain to the west and Mount Baldy to the east. An old road forks off just north of the small lake skirting the brow of the hill and rejoining the newer road about 1.5 km further.
MOUNT BALDY AND COLESIUM MOUNTAINS (drive 9 km and hike 5 - 15 km)
If mountain climbing is your forte, these mountains are easily accessible by old supply roads (not possible for car or truck). Go east on Highway #11 about 8 km from Goldeye Lake Road. Turn left at Shunda Road and go about 1 km. Turn right at Tamarack Trail and go about 1 km to the campsite. Leave your vehicle and follow the old supply road to the top of the main ridge of Coliseum Mountain (about 5 km). Enjoy the view from here or continue on to the top of the Coliseum.
To get to Mount Baldy from the highway, you must turn off on Shunda Road and drive until you come to a fork. Go right on Baldy Road until you come to another fork (about 2.5 km from the highway). Take the right fork and follow it about 5 km to a gate. Leave your vehicle and follow the road for another 2.5 km to the top of the mountain. There is a Forestry Lookout Tower on top of Mount Baldy where you can stop and have a chat with the attendant.
BIGHORN DAM AND LAKE ABRAHAM (drive 18.5 km)
About 16 km west of the Goldeye Lake Road is the turnoff to the Bighorn Dam. About 1.5 km from the highway you cross the spillway and if you go 1 km further it brings you to the fork in the road leading to the viewpoint. Take the right fork and follow it to the viewpoint. Here you can see the dam and the cairns erected to dedicate the Bighorn Dam and Lake Abraham. Returning to the fork in the road you can turn right and drive down into the North Saskatchewan River valley to the powerhouse. Here TransAlta Utilities have a display house which illustrates the operation of the dam and the powerhouse. The display house is open daily from May 15 to Sept 15. Returning to Highway #11 you can follow the lake shore west for more than 30 km.
CRESCENT FALLS (drive 21.5 km and hike 3 km)
These beautiful falls on the Bighorn River are about 18 km west of Goldeye. The turnoff to the falls from the highway is about 10 km west of the Goldeye Lake Road. About 3.5 km after leaving the highway is a parking area at a viewpoint over-looking the Bighorn Gorge. From this viewpoint a hiking trail leads upstream to Crescent Falls for approximately 3 km. About 2/3 of the way to the falls, from the top of a small ridge you can see a set of three unnamed falls in the distance. About 1/2 km east of Crescent Falls, from the edge of a hill, one has a breathtaking view west up the Bighorn Valley with Crescent Falls in the foreground. From this hill the trail continues down to the top of the falls. It is possible to drive on from the viewpoint another 2.5 km to a parking lot just above the falls. There is a picnic and camping area a few meters above the falls.
KOOTENAY PLAINS (drive 37 km)
Kootenay Plains is a natural scenic area 37 km west of Goldeye Centre on Highway #11. The area is the site of the native religious pow-wows every year. Please do not disturb anything on this site. The residents of the Nordegg area refer to the plains as “Our desert in the Mountains”.
INDIAN SUNDANCE LODGES (drive 38 km)
Just to the south of the Kootenay Plains Group Campsite, you turn right off Highway #11 and follow a prairie trail about 1 km to the Indian Sundance Grounds. You will be able to see the remains of this and previous years Sundance Lodges. This is a sacred area to the Indians as the Sundance is a religious ceremony. Please do not deface or destroy this sacred area. Do not remove anything from the Sundance Lodges. If the Indians are celebrating a Sundance, please leave and visit the site on your next trip.
CLINE RIVER AND CORAL CREEK CANYONS (drive 40 km and overnight hike 48 - 56 km)
Drive to the Cline River bridge about 40 km west of Goldeye Centre. Leave your car at the parking area just before crossing the bridge and take the hiking trail west along the Cline River to the spot where Coral Creek enters the Cline River. From the junction of the Cline River and Coral Creek a trail follows along the top of the Coral Creek Canyon. The scenery inside this canyon is especially beautiful. A hiking and pack trail leads from the Cline River bridge back into Pinto Lake which is headwater of the Cline River. This trail to Pinto Lake is about 40 km (at least an overnight hike). The Cline River and Coral Creek junction is about 3 km and one can follow Coral Creek for another 5 - 8 km.
HISTORIC SITE (drive 57 km)
You will cross Two O’Clock Creek about 57 km west of Goldeye Centre on Highway #11. Just after crossing the creek, turn left and at the first fork turn right to get to the Historic Site. In this area are the Indian Burial Grounds containing the graves moved from the Abraham Lake area when the Bighorn Dam was built. Nearby are some of the original buildings from the Wilson Ranch. These buildings were also moved from the lake area. Just to the south of these buildings you can find the foundations of the Barnes Ranch buildings.
SIFFLEUR RIVER CANYON AND FALLS (drive 59 km and walk 4 km)
Drive west on Highway #11 for about 59 km to the Kootenay Plains Group Campsite. Leave your car at the parking lot on the left side of the highway and proceed to the blue suspension bridge over the North Saskatchewan River. Cross this bridge and follow the trail east to the Siffleur River. Cross the next bridge over the river and turn right to follow the very scenic path along the river to the Siffleur Falls. You may continue on up the river to the second falls. A very beautiful walk about 4 km to the first falls.
