Mount Lipsett: Our Favorite Easy Peak to Bag

Mount Lipsett is an attainable peak that provides sweeping views, spectacular wildflowers, and a short approach that makes for a tremendous hike. It’s perhaps one of the easiest summits you can bag in the Canadian Rockies as well! It’s been one of our favourite hikes in Kananaskis Country and is a well-known summit objective for Albertans.

The route up to the peak’s summit has a gradual established trail that climbs through forest into a broad alpine ridge before a panoramic summit. It helps that the trailhead is just below Highwood Pass, Canada’s highest paved road, so a lot of the legwork to the summit is done by car. Mount Lipsett is truly a gem of a hike in Kananaskis Country, which offers wildflowers in July and larches in September.

Mount Lipsett Route Description

There is no official day use area at the start of the hike, but there is a rather large gravel pull-off that offers a good number of parking spaces. There are no facilities at the trailhead. From the parking lot, the trail dips away into the brush and forest next to an old bear warning sign.

From there, the route up to the ridge begins along an old forest service road that is wide and fairly smooth sailing. Outside, a few sections have washed out or where the undergrowth is starting to overtake, it’s a very easy trail. This continues for around 5 km, slowly gaining elevation along the way.

You occasionally glimpse the surrounding peaks, and wildflowers line the trail in sections with ample sunlight. We’d never classify the first section of the trail as steep, largely because it was a well-graded road at one point. At 4.5 km, the forest begins to thin, granting views of the surrounding peaks.

Around 5 km, the trail reaches the broad ridge where you’ll find yourself in the large rolling alpine meadow carpeted in wildflowers in July and August. It’s one of the best sections of wildflowers we’ve seen in Kananaskis, as the trail is flanked by a sea of lupines, paintbrush, arnica, and fleabane.

The wildflowers alone are worth the effort, but they’re also equalled by the wonderful mountain views of the Elbow Valley and the Continental Divide across the horizon. The broad section of the ridge lasts for about a kilometer until it begins to gain a steeper section on the way to the summit.

From the meadows, the trail moves along Mount Lipsett’s broad shoulder and subpeak to its true summit. This section of the trail is on a steep shoulder where a fall could be hazardous, but we would not describe it as exposure.

From the shoulder, the final push up to the summit is the steepest section of the trail and gains the bump that is the summit. It’s a mixture of grass and rock that is not the most dramatic peak we’ve ever stood on, but its views are very astounding. It offers a wild 360-degree view of the surrounding mountain range. Most notable is the summit of Mist Mountain just to the Northwest.

The route returns the same way you came. Unlike many routes, we found it to move quickly after the high of stunning wildflowers and mountain summit views. We can confidently say Mount Lipsett is a hike to add to your list, especially if you would like to say you summited a mountain in the Canadian Rockies!

Trailhead Info

The trailhead can be found on Highway 40 between the Mist Mountain Trailhead and the Picklejar Lakes Trailhead. This section of highway is snowbound and closed between December and June 1st.

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Trail Duration

My watch clocked 15.53 km round trip with 680 meters of elevation gain. This one is short and sweet as far as summits in the Canadian Rockies go. With just 700 meters of elevation gain spanned across 7 km it might take you less than 2 hours to reach the summit. We completed this hike on a round trip of under 4 hours, taking plenty of time to enjoy the summit views and wildflowers. We recommended planning to be on the trail between 4 and 6 hours, depending on your pace and fitness.

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When is the Best Time to Tackle Mount Lipsett

Due to the road closure, this trail is best hiked between June 1st and November 30th! We enjoyed hiking it at the end of July when the wildflowers were really popping. During larch season (last week of September to early October) would also be a great time.

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How Hard is the Trail?

We rate the Mount Lipsett trail as a moderate hike. There is nothing technical about this hike and there is no scrambling to reach the summit – a rarity in the Canadian Rockies. Most of the trail involved gradually climbing, with the final push to the summit being the most difficult. Most hikers of average fitness should be able to enjoy this mountain summit.