How to Hike to BEAUTIFUL Grassi Lakes Near Canmore

The Grassi Lakes hike is perfect for friends and families and a great way to pass a few hours. It’s an easy Canmore trail with a wide path that leads through the forest up to two sparkling turquoise lakes. This is a classic if you’re looking for a quick hike near Canmore!

However, because of its ease and accessibility, the trail is often crowded, especially on weekends during the summer. Nevertheless, Grassi Lakes is a great hike everyone should take once during their trip to the Canadian Rockies. Let’s break down what to expect!

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Grassi Lakes Hike Guide

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Key Points

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When is the Best Time To Hike Grassi Lakes?

It is possible to hike to Grassi Lakes year-round, but attention must be paid to avalanche cycles in winter/spring. Avalanche control work is regularly done on Mt Rundle, and hikes in the area during these periods.

You can stay up to date on avalanche work in the winter on Alberta Parks website. It’s also worth noting that the lakes will often freeze in late fall and thaw in the early spring. Still we find Grassi Lakes a great year round hiking destination in the Rockies.

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About the Grassi Lakes Trail

The trailhead for Grassi Lakes is 2 km past the Canmore Nordic Center at the Canmore Reservoir. There is a decent-sized parking lot with enough room for about 100 vehicles, but this parking lot fills up quickly on the weekends.

When the parking lot is full on weekends, you’ll find rows of cars along the road and uphill parked on the Smith Dorrien Highway, and there’s also an extra parking area at the end of Ken Ritchie Way. If both these lots are busy, we’d recommend hiking somewhere else around Canmore or Kananaskis, but it’s hard to deny the appeal of the Grassi Lakes trail, especially for the ease. It’s truly an accessible year-round trail that is perfect for families.

From the parking lot, a wide, well-maintained gravel trail leads up to the lakes. It’s a gradual uphill climb that is easy for most. However, it is almost a 200-meter climb, so don’t be surprised if you start to warm up as you make your way to the lakes.

There are two routes to lakes: an easy main trail and a “hard” trail that moves away from the main trail. Both trails, in our opinion, are easy. However, the hard trail is not passable in the winter and spring as it’s too icy. There is usually caution tape to discourage hikers from using the hard trail, as people have slipped to their deaths in the winter. The hard trail should only be used by ice climbers in the winter. In the summer, the hard trail is quieter but challenging to pass slow-moving parties and can become congested.

For most, we recommend sticking to the easy trail, as it’s well-graded and maintained. However, we prefer the hard trail, as it has far better views and only a section at the end, which is steeper than the easy path.

The first section of the trail is a nice walk in the woods and doesn’t offer much for views. That doesn’t last for long, and eventually, the trail opens up to some lovely views down to the Bow Valley and Ha Ling Peak above. On the way up to the two shallow lakes, a few viewpoints offer wonderful panoramic views of the town of Canmore down below.

The best viewpoint is just before you reach Grassi Lakes, so make sure not to miss it, even though the lakes may be tempting. The sparkling lakes nestled below Ha Ling Peak and the East End of Rundle (another famed hike— advanced level) are a wonderful sight to be seen by all visitors.

Both lakes have a trail that circumnavigates them, so we like to walk around in a figure-eight loop. Several trails branch off from the main trail. One leads up towards Whiteman’s Pond and the Smith Dorrien Highway. It provides some views over the lakes and more views of the Bow Valley.

For the more adventurous and locals, several rock faces are popular for rock climbing. Routes are pretty easy to find with a large number of bolts in place. However, please take this area seriously. A woman lost her life ta few years ago bouldering.

Unless you’re confident in your skill set, we’d advise you to stay away from the rock walls as there is always the risk of rockfall from overhead. Another word of warning, be careful in your exploration and avoid the Riders of Rohan trail, as it’s for downhill mountain biking.

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Trail Duration

The hike is a short 2km (4km round trip) jaunt that climbs a slight hill at an elevation of 250m. You should expect to take around 1.5 – 3 hours total for the round trip hike, as the lakes are gorgeous and nice to explore for a little while. However, if you’re really moving and not stopping for photos, etc., the Grassi Lakes hike could easily be done in 1 to 1.5 hours (round trip).  

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Gear We Recommend for Hiking in the Rockies

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Trailhead Info

The trailhead begins off Spray Lakes Road, on Ken Ritchie Way, around 2 km past the Canmore Nordic Center. As you’re driving from Canmore, 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. I’ve dropped the GPS coordinates where you need to take a left coming from Canmore.

Grassi Lakes becomes very popular during the summer, so another parking area is located along Spray Lakes Road, just at the end of Ken Ritchie Way.

Recently Roam Transit has launched Roam Route 12 to Grassi Lakes. Launching in mid May, this route will run in the summer only from Fri-Sun and holidays service. The route will take riders and from Downtown Canmore to Quarry Lake, the Canmore Nordic Centre, and Grassi Lakes.

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When Can You Hike It?

On a nice day, Grassi Lakes is one of the most popular hikes in the area, so it’s best to get on the trail early or later in the evening. That way, you have a parking spot and quiet trails in the summer months. In addition, hiking earlier in the day ensures cool temperatures, as daytime temperatures can get pretty warm. 

Seasonally, it’s a go year-round, although the lakes do freeze over in the coldest winter months, and you may need snowshoes or crampons. However, generally, it’s well-trafficked enough to where the snow is packed down and easy to walk along. A good pair of hiking poles should be more than enough. The more advanced hike closes in winter and should open up around late April or early May. 

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How Long Does it Take?

That all depends on you and your pace and how long you hang around at the lakes. I am a pretty fast-paced hiker and can make it up the trailhead in under 30 minutes. This means a round trip quick hike for outdoor time and cardio could easily take one hour. However, if you want to take things slower, take photos, and enjoy your time at the lakes, I would allow two to three hours to fully enjoy.

The last time we went to Grassi Lakes, I took my mother, who is not a hiker. We made it up to Grassi Lakes in under an hour on the hard trail, took plenty of photos, and walked back down on the easy trail in about 2.5 hours.

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How Hard is the Trail?

The Grassi Lakes hike is one of the most accessible hikes in Canmore and Banff. It’s often suggested to beginners, families, and the elderly because it is short, has a slight incline, has an elevation gain of 203 meters, and provides fantastic views. If you’ve done Tunnel Mountain in Banff, you can expect Grassi Lakes to be easier.

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Dogs and Kids on the Trail

Grassi Lakes is ideal for young children, older grandparents, and pets! We’ve even seen people push strollers up the easy trail to Grassi Lakes. Granted it would be difficult as it’s not a smooth path, but if you’re willing, go for it!

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Hike Notes

• Grassi Lakes is one of the busiest trails in Canmore, especially on weekends. Arrive early or later in the day to avoid the crowds in the summer. During the winter, you’ll have no problem spacing out from everyone!
• Be careful of falling rocks. There are many climbing and bouldering routes at Grassi Lakes, so pay attention that you aren’t standing directly under climbers. Plenty of mountain goats and sheep are in the area, that can kick down small rocks. There have been deaths from people getting hit by overhead rockfall, so always pay attention.
• Stay on the trail! There are signs everywhere asking visitors to stay on the trail to protect the environment, but still, we always see lots of people walking off for photos.
• Leave No Trace! Being a busy hike, there is always trash left about. There are no garbage facilities on the trail, only at the trailhead. Make sure to pack out what you bring in and leave the area as pristine as you found it.

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Wildlife Awareness

You should practice good wildlife awareness if you’re on any hikes in the area. The region has frequent sightings of black bears, grizzly bears, moose, coyotes, and cougars. They all present a threat to humans, and we should reduce our impact on their natural lives.

Before any hike or walk in Banff National Park or Kananaskis Country, pack bear spray, check the park websites for wildlife information (Parks Canada and AB Park), and then check again for notices at the trailhead. 

On the trail, make noise by banging hiking poles, talking, whistling, clapping, or singing. This is particularly important around blind bends and corners, although there aren’t many on the Grassi Lake Trail. It’s also a busy trail, so you generally don’t need to make too much noise, but always be bear aware. 

This means staying alert, traveling in a group, minding children and pets, and finally, carrying bear spray and knowing how to use it. If you’ve come to the park without bear spray, Valhalla Pure Outfitters in town sells spray and holders with employees who will demonstrate how to use it properly. 

How To Hike In Bear Country

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What To Wear Hiking

Grassi Lakes is easy and straightforward enough that you can hike up in anything you want, as it’s much more of an uphill walk than a hike. That being said, you should wear proper footwear; in the winter, you’ll need to dress warm!

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