A relatively gentle ascent to the alpine at McKirdy Meadows, branching off the Selwyn Traverse on a bench just southeast of McKirdy Creek and passing through secluded glades and along sunlit ridges of the McKirdy Creek drainage basin directly east of Valemount. The sound of rushing mountain water accompanies the hiker for much of the route. Ascends McKirdy Creek Basin to a small gully at about the 5200 foot level, where it branches in two directions: to the right you can access the McKirdy/Swift Creek Pass at 6,500 feet elevation. The left branch loops to a private lodge at McKirdy Lake and then continues around to the right to join the right branch at the treeline, forming a good loop hike (but with about 150m. of boulder-covered ground to cross - see below). The trail is machine-built beginning at a private access point near the trailhead, up the left branch to the edge of a rockslide slightly beyond the private lodge. On the other side of the rockslide, the left branch continues as a hand-built trail that rejoins the right branch at the treeline in the McKirdy/Swift pass. The two branches traverse the hillside in opposite directions from the lip of the pass at the edge of extensive alpine meadows.

Small aluminum signs on trees mark junctions with the McKirdy Mountain Summit trail and other routes.

To visit McKirdy Lake, take the left branch of the McKirdy Creek Trail and turn left off the trail in a flat meadow about 100m before the private lodge. The lake (a small subalpine tarn with the biggest fairy shrimp I have ever seen - about 1" long) is about 175m across the meadow. A particularly convenient loop hike is possible at this point by heading southwest from McKirdy Lake to the upper end of the McKirdy Lake trail. Descending the McKirdy Lake trail will bring you back to the Selwyn Traverse not far from where you began your ascent to the alpine.

As for McKirdy Lake Trail, above. This trail leaves the Selwyn Traverse about 1 km southeast of the McKirdy Lake Trail and on the opposite side of McKirdy Creek. A small aluminum sign marks the trailhead on the Selwyn Traverse.

Allow 4 to 6 hours round trip to McKirdy Meadows, plus time to wander and/or take alternate trails on the descent. To this add 1 to 1 1/2 hours for the traverse across the Selwyn Traverse to the start of the McKirdy Creek Trail.