22 BEAUTIFUL Kananaskis Hikes To Tackle (2024)

Our past summers have been filled with a plethora of spectacular Kananaskis hikes. Every day we can, we leave our home in Canmore and explore the fantastic provincial park in our backyard. Many beautiful memories have been made around Kananaskis Country.

I want to share our favorite Kananaskis hikes from our summers in the Canadian Rockies. We will continue to update this list yearly as we get out more. Here are the best hikes in Kananaskis, in no particular order. See the detailed post mentioned for more information on the hikes and trails.

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When Is The Best Time To Hike In Kananaskis?

The best time to go hiking in Kananaskis is July and August. During these months, most of the snow on high-elevation hikes in the area has disappeared. Of course, every season is different. The snow disappears early in some years; in others, it holds until the last week of summer. However, the “Front Range” is the driest section of the Canadian Rockies.

Snow is only a factor on the most prominent mountain summits like Mount Sarrail or Mist Mountain. It’s best to aim for these mountains late in the summer. That said, the hiking season in Kananaskis *officially* starts in mid-May (for us, anyway), as this is when the ski season ends, and our brains immediately switch to hiking and biking.

In May, you’ll be able to get out on lower elevation Kananaskis hikes like the Prairie View Trail in Kananaskis without the risk of snow. As the summer progresses, your choice of hikes will expand, and you can work your way up to the higher elevation hikes. The Tent Ridge or Rimwall Summit hikes are a great option by early June.

Access is limited to a few hikes that are off the section of Highway 40, known as Highwood Pass. When the pass opens around mid-June, it supplies access to these trails and peaks, some of the most popular in Kananaskis, such as Mist Mountain, Arethusa Cirque, and Pocatera Ridge.

The hiking season typically lasts well into September (larch season!) and the first few weeks of October, depending on the year. This is not to say that you cannot hike in the winter because there are plenty of fun trails. You’ll just have to hike with winter conditions and temperatures in mind, and of course, micro spikes and hiking poles never hurt. See some of our favorite winter hiking trails in Kananaskis.

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The Best Kananaskis Hikes (Our Favorite Trails!)

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Smutwood Peak

The first hour or so of this Kananaskis hike is straightforward, with no elevation gain. You’ll pass an incredible waterfall, and once you get into the alpine meadow, the views are amazing. Your first taste of steepness is going into Smuts Pass, where it’s relentless uphill for 2 km or so but then lightens up again as you first lay your eyes on Mount Birdwood.

It’s a popular trail, but most hikers top at the pass or saddle and enjoy the two small lakes. The route from the saddle of Mount Birdwood (the most notable peak in the photos) up to the top of Smutwood Peak looks daunting, but it’s easier and shorter than it seems.

The view from the false summit of Birdwood is great, but continue on to the true summit for 360 views. This is where the route gets a bit scrambly and slightly exposed. A fall here certainly wouldn’t be good, but it’s not certain death. Smutwood Peak took our group 6 hours with a 45-minute summit break. I would readily do it again!

How to: Hike Smutwood Peak in Kananaskis

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A few steep pitches will have you panting, but it’s rated as hard because of the scramble up (or down, depending on which way you go) from the ridge. We saw all ages and skill levels on the trail, and the scramble was slightly exposed in two sections but not too sketchy.

This trail is best between June and October, though I’ve seen photos in the winter, and the images are gorgeous. If you do a shoulder-season hike, ensure you have gaiters, crampons, and poles. You should also have proper Avalanche training; deaths have occurred back here due to avalanche terrain. We hiked this trail on Canada Day weekend (July 1st). There were a few spots with slushy snow, but it was a dry trail for the most part.

How to Hike Tent Ridge Horseshoe in Kananaskis

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However, just because East End of Rundle (or EEOR, or “Eeyore” as locals call it) is close to town doesn’t mean it’s an easy climb up to the summit. The ascent makes several switchbacks, followed by a few rocky sections, followed by relentless scree, before several rocky sections that may require a handhold. It’s nothing complicated, and any hiker should handle the terrain, but it is steep all the way to the summit.

The trail to the peak is relatively easy to follow, with small pieces of tape, painted rocks, and cairns. However, getting off trail is easy if you stop paying attention—especially on the way down. Goats love the area, and there are a ton of trails that lead off to the edge of cliffs.

The climb to the summit is considered a scramble as the last section of the trail requires ascending a small headwall. It involves using hands, and we recommend a helmet on busy summer days due to the risk of rockfall from parties above. After the scramble and you’ve reached the summit, enjoy the views of Canmore!

How to climb the East End of Rundle

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The first hour or so of Read’s Tower winds through the forest. Get used to going uphill, as it never lets up once you start. Fight the rock slide and slabs uphill until it opens up. You’ll get a great view of Mount Sparrowhawk and Reads Tower from there. The trail forks for the summit of Read’s Tower or Mount Sparrowhawk. The latter is a 3000-meter mountain with a much larger objective and involves more scrambling and a full day.

If you choose just Read’s Tower, it’s another 45-minute to an hour scree climb to the summit. Going up the treadmill of scree can be brutal, but the scree run down is fun and quick! Read’s Tower is a rewarding hike with low exposure and minimal scrambling effort. To make it a full day, consider scrambling up the much larger and more challenging Mount Sparrowhawk (1,342 m gain/ 9.2 km)

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From the pass, the climb up to the summit of Windtower takes about another hour. It involves some light scrambling as you negotiate a few cliff bands, but it is very simple and involves a moderate incline to the summit. We recommend you possess good route-finding skills and GPX tracks to ensure you do not stray from the summit. On our hike, we watched two men stray far from the route and miss their summit attempt as they got lost.

The summit offers wonderful views over Spray Lake, the Bow Valley, and Mount Lougheed. If you fear heights, be mindful of the edge, as it is a sheer cliff on the Bow Valley side. We made it a sunset hike and had an incredible evening on the summit as we descended into the Spray Valley. The descent follows the same route up. The hike took us four hours to complete.

How to Hike Windtower in Kananaskis

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The hot springs, with their lovely natural setting, are the attraction that draws most hikers. The hike up to the saddle and surrounding meadows is great and worth completing, even if you’re not after the summit. However, the hot springs are a bit of a letdown outside their photogenic location. There’s only enough space for 4-5 people in the hot springs at once, and they are more like lukewarm springs, which are not exactly ideal in the Canadian Rockies.

However, for a tough day and a sense of accomplishment, set your goals on summiting Mist Mountain. There are several routes up to the peak of Mist Mountain, with many varying degrees of difficulty. The most straightforward and enjoyable ascent is via the south face and east ridge.

This was our choice, as we decided to skip over the Lipsett Col, which has high exposure levels on loose rock. The views from 3,140 meters are pretty great, too! The technical aspects and short approach make the mountain accessible to many able-bodied hikers, so it’s easy to understand its popularity.

How to Scramble Mist Mountain and Soak in the Hot Springs After

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However, once at the peak of Grizzly, you can see endlessly over Kananaskis Valley and even Upper and Lower Kananaskis Lakes. This hike took us four hours round trip and was perfect for a half-day, regardless of the leg burn. Poles are ideal for the steep downhill climb on loose rock atop packed dirt trails. It would be very easy to slip and slide down the trail.

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Like Grizzly, it’s a steep climb, but the views from the summit are superb. This hike took us four hours round trip, but you can take on all of Opal Ridge for a more challenging day. There’s plenty of opportunity for an extended summit. Once you reach the south summit, you can traverse back to where you reached the ridge and go left to check out the North view just a couple hundred meters up (scrambling involved).

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The hike from the car park is a steady but easy incline up from the valley and would return the same way. The views start here and never end. Most people stop when they reach the ridge, but it’s worth it to keep pushing and go for the summit of Mount Allan. It’s easy until the final push and well worth the views across Kananaskis and Canmore.

Past the ridge, it’s another 1.5 hours to the true summit. Along the way, you’ll see huge pinnacles that look unworldly. These features make this hike one for the books alone. From here, you can keep going on to Dead Man’s Flats or turn around for an easy and enjoyable hike down. The summit of Mount Allan sits at 2819 meters, making it the highest maintained trail in the Rockies, and it is very well maintained!

How to Hike Mount Allan Near Nakiska

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It’s exceptional in late September when the larches turn golden. I would suggest taking this loop trail clockwise. One very steep and loose section is better to ascend than descend – especially with children or older hikers.

How to Hike Arethusa Cirque

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Wasootch Ridge starts hard at the beginning with a leg-burning climb right out of the parking lot. The trail through the woods is not technical, with plenty of traction on dirt. Once you come out of the forest, which takes twenty to thirty minutes, you’ll be treated to some fantastic views of Barrier Lake to the North and Nakiska to the South.

The hike continues along the ridge for several kilometers, where you’ll climb up and down a series of five peaks. Towards the final and tallest peak, the ridge turns into a scramble. The scramble is complex, with several moves that are high exposure. Most hikers either turn around before this point or at the beginning of the scramble.

How to Hike Wasootch Ridge

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The ascent is pretty easy to the ridge. Once to the ridge, you can stop and enjoy the views. We saw many parties doing this. However, I highly recommend continuing to the true summit (we didn’t see many others doing this). The views get better and better, and the crowds clear out. If you choose to push on, there is a short, easy scramble section to navigate before getting to the end, marked by a cairn.

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From the start of the trailhead it’s 10km to the lake with 850 meters of elevation gain. There are few views, but it’s exceptionally dull until about the 8 km section. The good news is you can bike the first section of the hike. Bring a bike chain if that’s your plan and attach to a tree. It makes for a quick day and a much more thrilling time back to the trailhead.

From the 8 km mark the hiking opens up to beautiful views and is a pretty steady climb on a scree trail. The final section to the lake requires ascending a rockwall that has several waterfalls. It’s mild scrambling and the steepest section has chain to assist with the ascent. It is something to think about if you plan to camp with a heavy hiking backpack and gear.

After gaining the rockwall hikers arrive to the lake and can find a small section on the opposite side with small trees that offer a nice refuge for campers. The cirque up above the lake offers phenomenal views and does add more elevation gain to the hike. Prepare for a big day of hiking if visiting as a day hike, and a water crossing near the start of the hike.

How to Hike to Carnarvon Lake

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Piper Pass

• Length: 20.4km
• Duration: 4 – 7 hours
• Elevation Gain: 994 meters
• Difficulty: Moderate because of the length
• Scrambling Involved? No
• Best Time To Go: July – September
• Parking: Elbow Lake Trailhead

Piper Pass was once a relatively unhead of pass and cirque that branched out from the popular Elbow Lake Trail. The cirque and meadows that lead up the pass are exceptionally beautiful with plenty of wildflowers and prime habitat for wildlife. You should definitely be bear aware on the trail in particular near the streams and thick woods below the meadow.

We did not see any bears, but did see a large herd of bighorn sheep. Due to the passes relative obscurity we also were able to enjoy the trail to ourselves as the sole visitors the day of our hike in July. The trail braids off from Elbow Lakes and does require some route finding across a number of creeks and through overgrown trails. The route was marked with small orange flags through the woods on our hike.

The trail eventually reaches a wonderful valley below Mount Elpoca, Tombstone Mountain and Mount Schlee. The trail goes along for a while through wildflower filled meadows before reaching the pass. Which is a steep 300 meter tall scree slope that is a grind, but can be done fairly quick. It’s well worth the ascent as the views from the top are spectacular.

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Pocaterra Ridge is best done as a point-to-point hike, so I would definitely try to do it this way if you have two cars. If you only have one car, you can still do it as an out and back hike called South Pocaterra Ridge and get amazing views. The turnaround for it would be at the summit of Pocaterra Ridge. The out and back would put your day at 9.3 km and 745 meters of gain.

You follow the trail network until you reach the open valley to do this. Make sure to stay on the trail though. Scores of people going off-trail have caused this trail to become extremely braided and confusing to navigate. Once it opens up, you can continue along Pocaterra Cirque, which only takes you 430 m up and is easier than trying to summit the ridgeline. Once you reach the ridge’s summit, which is about 600 meters up, you can either keep walking the ridge with some easy scrambling or head back down!

How to Hike Pocaterra Ridge

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It can be easy to get turned around when heading up Rimwall. It’s best to download a map to your GPS and study reviews, but take a left well before West Wind Pass. If you get cliffed out, you’ve made a mistake. You will know you are on the right trail when there is a huge scree slope in front of you that feels neverending. It’s steep and unforgiving. I would bring a helmet and gloves, especially on the weekend – this one can get busy.

Once you climb up most of the scree, you’ll think you have made it to the top, but you haven’t. You need to continue along the ridge and hike to your left to the top of Rimwall. Don’t get too close to the edge – it’s a straight cliff. As you near the summit, around 2.8 km, some light scrambling will be involved over cliffs. Don’t try and work your way around it; just take it slow and ask for help from a partner if you need some foot placements. Once you reach the summit, you’ll have stellar views over the Spray Lakes and the back of the Three Sisters.

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Visitors can choose to either enjoy the lakeshore, or go for a moderate hike to the Prairie View lookout point, head up Jewell Pass via the Prairie View trail, or continue up to Yates Mountain and check out the Barrier Lake Fire Lookout. There are a lot of options here!

Hiking up Prairie View Trail is one of the most visually rewarding Kananaskis hikes relative to effort. It’s a smooth well-maintained trail the entire way, with stunning views over Barrier Lake. At just under an hour up, it can quickly be done at sunrise or sunset. It’s also good to go all year round – even in the winter.

How to Hike to Barrier Lake (+ Yates Mountain)

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If the bugs aren’t bad, it’s the perfect spot to enjoy lunch before heading back down. To get the views in the photos above Kananaskis Lakes, you will have to continue on and work for them. If you’re continuing up to Sarrail Ridge, the trail winds around Rawson Lake to the southeast before climbing the ridge to the Northeast. The ridge climb is a bit of a slog and goes straight up avalanche chute and prime grizzly bear habitat.

At the top of the path, you reach the ridge, which provides unreal views. Once you reach the top of the pass, you can look out over Upper and Lower Kananaskis Lakes and Mount Indefatigable. We spent over an hour on the ridge exploring, taking photos, and enjoying the view. Rawson Lake took us just under 45 minutes from the car park, and continuing to Sarrail Ridge took another hour. That was at a pretty good pace with some miles under our legs. This hike can be done in 4-5 hours round trip.

How to Hike to Rawson Lake and Sarrail Ridge

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It caters to hikers with varying levels of intensity preferences, making it an ideal choice for all. The best part is you can hike to just Lillian Lake, or continue to Galatea Lakes if you want an epic day out. For those seeking an extended multi day adventure, consider reserving a campsite at Lillian Lake for an easy backpacking excursion, allowing you to fully immerse yourself in this area. As the Lillian Lake backcountry campground is 6km from the trailhead, and can be reached in a bit over an hour, it’s a great place to camp if you are a newbie camper.

How to Hike to Lillian Lake & Galatea Lakes

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The trail spends several kilometers in the forest before you reach the alluvial fan of the Robertson Glacier. Come prepared for some smart route-finding and waterproof shoes, or perhaps some hiking sandals. The fan spreads across the trail with multiple streams and flooded sections. It wasn’t difficult, but it does take some time to make it across the streams about 500m in length. Some helpful signs mark the trail for hikers to follow across the plain.

After you make your way across the flooded sections of trails, you reach more forest. This is where the trail begins to ascend to an alpine meadow. It’s a steep climb but easy enough for most people to handle without too much of a struggle. It takes around a half-hour to reach a sub-alpine meadow filled with wildflowers.

How to Hike Burstall Pass in Kananaskis Country

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This is where we take any visitor who wants a short and straightforward hike to beautiful lakes. There are two options to see Grassi Lakes – a challenging hike and a more leisurely hike. Take the hard one; it’s not bad. Compared to any other hike on this list, Grassi Lakes (hard or easy) is a walk in the park.

For rock climbers, there are several rock faces famous for rock climbing. Routes are pretty easy to find, with many bolts in place. The trailhead begins on Spray Lakes Road, around 2kms past the Canmore Nordic Center. You’ll see a small sign that says “No Exit” on the left and a gravel parking lot on the right. Drive down the hill to the parking area and sign for the Grassi Lakes Trail.

How to Hike to Grassi Lakes Near Canmore

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Alberta Parks has invested a lot of money into the trail and infrastructure around the mountain. It includes a large paved paring lot with information and long drop toilets at the top of Goat Valley. Along the with parking the trail to the summit is machine built with grading, switchbacks, steps, and handrails in certain locations.

The improvement has increased the safety of the trail, but make no mistake, it’s still a tough physical challenge for many. Once you enter the trailhead and go through the forest, it’s a constant uphill climb to the summit. Prepare for a full day and a physical challenge if it’s your first summit in the mountains.

How to Hike Ha Ling Peak

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What is a Scramble?

You’ll see some scrambles listed in this hikes guide. While most of the hike is often a steep walk, there may be sections where scrambling is involved. This will be noted in the text.

What is a scramble? Scrambling is a walk up steep terrain involving one’s hands. Three contact points with your body are typically needed to classify a hike as a scramble. I love scrambling as it’s more challenging than hiking, and it’s typically required to summit most of the peaks in the Rockies.

It’s a prevalent sport in the Rockies but should not be confused with hiking. Some scrambles are very dangerous with significant exposure and route finding skills required. They should be approached with respect and require proper safety equipment such as as GPS, poles, and helmet.

Some scrambles are not straightforward and do not have a defined trail, meaning route finding and a sense of adventure are needed. August is the best time to scramble as most snow has melted off the mountain peaks. Everything we’ve listed in this post we would qualify as a beginner scramble.

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Gear We Recommend for These Kananaskis Hikes

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Advice on Hikes

• If this is your first time hiking in the Rockies, take a conservative approach – read our post for beginner hikers too. Pick an adequate hike for your fitness, plan for plenty of time, pack water and food, and don’t be afraid to turn around. If you want to learn more about what to wear hiking in the Rockies we have a great post.
• For long Kananaskis hikes, set a turnaround time at the departure. Any time we set out for an objective, I determine a time we need to turn around to arrive at the parking lot or campsite by dark. I recommend not hiking in the dark as it’s easy to get lost, and it’s not fun in bear country.
• Always carry bear spray if you plan to hike in the park. We carry ours even in our neighborhood, and bears have been known to stroll through town and busy parking lots. When on a trail, always practice wildlife awareness, and please give animals space.
• Dogs are allowed on these Kananaskis hikes but must be kept on a leash for the entire duration of the hike.
• Regarding times, keep in mind your mountain fitness — it’s much different from gym fitness. The low end of the times in this post is a constant fast pace uphill with little to no breaks and a brisk pace downhill. Most hikers should plan for a middle-of-the-road time with the estimated duration.
• It’s also important to know that there are limitations and to come prepared. These are very serious mountains, and it is easy to get in well over your head with life-threatening consequences. That being said, all of these hikes should pose no risk if you stick to the trail.
• Have a form of navigation and study the route before departure. We highly recommend you study the route through trip reports. We have some great ones along with a lot of other avid hikers and mountaineers around the Rockies. Plus have some form of navigation, the easiest option for beginners is Alltrails which provides reliable enough navigation for popular trails.

12 Bear Safety Tips • How To Hike In Bear Country

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Searching for Easier Hikes?

For those after a more leisurely time outdoors, make sure to read on to find some easy hikes in Kananaskis.

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The Best Places to Stay in Kananaskis

One of the best places to stay in all of Kananaskis Mountain Lodge, which also operates the amazing Kananaskis Nordic Spa. If you’re looking to stay in Kananaskis specifically, we highly recommend Mount Engadine Lodge. It’s near to the trailheads of Tent Ridge and Smutwood Peak!

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