Popular Day Hikes Kananaskis Country Gillean Daffern Introduction About Kananaskis Country Seasonal road closures Kananaskis Country (commonly called K Hwy. 40 is closed December 1 to June 14 Country) is located on the eastern slopes between Kananaskis Lakes Trail (road) of the Canadian Rockies, west and south of and Highwood Junction. the Olympic city of Calgary, Alberta. Hwy. 66 is closed December 1 to May In the west near the Great Divide the 14 west of Elbow Falls parking lot. Also scenery is much the same as in the adjoin- closed December 1 to May 14 is Hwy. ing Banff National Park: High limestone 546 west of Sandy McNabb Recreation peaks (up to 3449 m), glaciers, waterfalls, Area, Powderface Trail between Dawson blue-green lakes, boisterous streams, trailhead and Hwy. 66 and all of the Gorge forested valley bottoms of spruce and fir Creek Trail. with larches at treeline. Winter snowfall Facilities can be heavy, so some trails, such as Burstall Pass trail, may not be clear of Calgary, Cochrane, Canmore, Bragg snow until mid July. Creek, Turner Valley, Black Diamond and To the east the friendly foothills are a Longview have all the amenities. mosaic of sandstone bluffs, pine/aspen Hwy. 1A Exshaw: Heart Mountain Store forests and meadows. They dry quickly (cafe, groceries, gas). of snow, making hiking possible from Hwy. 1X Bow Valley Provincial Park: March to November, and sometimes right Small store at Bow Valley campground. through the winter. Off-season closure. In between are the Front Ranges, a complex jumble of arid valleys, rocky Hwy. 1 Dead Man’s Flat: Motel, B&B, gas peaks and interconnecting ridges built of station/small grocery store, a few eateries. both limestones and sandstones. It’s here Hwy. 40 Kananaskis Village and Rib- you’ll find easy peaks to climb and ridges bon Creek: two hotels, one hostel, small to wander over, the Centennial trail up grocery store with snacks, outdoor rental Mt. Allan being a prime example. store, numerous eateries and watering Alpine meadows are sandwiched holes, nordic spa. Fortress Junction: Gas, between forest and rock and coat many good grocery selection and snack bar. good hiking ridges. For too brief a time The following are closed off-season. from late June to mid August, they are Highwood Junction: Gas, some groceries crammed with flowers. In particular, and snacks. Sundance Lodges: camping overseas visitors will be intoxicated by the in teepees, small store. Boundary Ranch: gaudy colours of North America’s Indian trail rides, restaurant. Kananaskis Coun- Paintbrush. I advise all flower buffs to buy try Golf Course: restaurant. a field guide to put in the pack. Kananaskis Lakes Trail Boulton Creek Getting there restaurant /grocery store. Boulton Creek See the map on page 6. Other than Grey- Rental for bikes, canoes and Kayaks. Off- hound buses that run along the Trans- season closure. Canada Highway between Calgary and Canmore, there is no public transporta- Hwy. 742 Mount Engadine Lodge: accom- tion. You need to rent a car. Consider also modation (all meals provided), evening a mountain bike for some trails. Know that meals at 24 hours notice. all the trails in this book are accessible Hwy. 66—on nearby McLean Creek Trail from Calgary as a day trip. (road)—McLean Creek Camper Centre: groceries and snacks. 3 Introduction Weather Elk and moose should also be given a wide Snow can fall in any month of the year in berth, especially in fall during the mating the Canadian Rockies. Having said that, season when males get very ornery. Lately, hiking usually starts in April in eastern K cougars have become a year round worry. Country. In May there is usually a period However, they are rarely seen, as are of warm sunny weather. Rains fall mainly wolves. And don’t get too close to picas, in June–the peak run-off time. During ground squirrels and chipmunks. They July and August temperatures can reach bite and could carry disease. the mid 30s and any rain is often associ- Ticks are lurking about between about ated with late afternoon thunderstorms. March and mid June in areas where there Smoke haze from far off forest fires may is a lot of sheep, such as Teahouse Ridge bother some people. The weather starts on Lady MacDonald. Wear light-coloured cooling off in mid September. Indian sum- clothing—all the better to see them—and mers can occur in late September through do a thorough check of your body and October and are glorious, bringing sunny clothes BEFORE you get into your car! In stable weather. By late October and No- this part of the Rockies, none of the ticks vember temperatures are dipping to the carry Lyme’s Disease. minus 20s and snow that falls stays over A few rules to know about the winter. But all is not lost. During this • No registration is necessary. However, period chinook winds can roar in and raise for your safety, registration books are the temperatures by 20 degrees in an hour. available at information centres. This occurs mainly in eastern K Country • Respect trail closures, open fire bans. where is it sometimes possible to hike all • Dogs must be on a leash. the year round. Generally, low cloud is not the problem Safety Tips it is in other wetter ranges of the world and • It is safer to travel with company. If you navigating by compass in K Country is an travel alone, let someone know where unusual event. you are going and when you expect to Drinking Water return. • Unless you are a seasoned hiker who Most locals drink from the creeks. How- knows the area well, going off trail can ever, there is a chance the water, especially be fraught with dangers. Rock is usually the water in the eastern foothills, may friable and rockfall common. be contaminated by Giardia lamblia, a • Start early, especially during the sum- parasite that can cause severe gastroin- mer thunderstorm season. Carry a testinal distress. It is best to at least start flashlight or headlamp when the days off carrying water from your home, hotel become shorter. or campground. • Carry bear repellent and read up on what Wildlife Concerns to do if you encounter a bear/cougar. K At all times be aware of bears, both Grizzly Country information centres carry leaf- and Black bears, particularly in spring or lets on the subject. in the early fall when the berries ripen. It’s • Hunting is allowed everywhere except a good idea to check K Country’s website in provincial parks and provincial rec- to see if there have been any sightings in reation areas. September to November the area you are going to. K Country will is the time to dress in red. Know that often close a trail until a bear has moved hunting is not allowed on Sundays. out of the area. • Carry a cellphone or satellite phone. 4 Using this book How the trails were chosen Except after rain or during run-off, minor For their popularity, first of all. You are creek crossings can usually be jumped or not likely to be alone. They are easily crossed on rocks. accessible from a road, start from parking lots for the most part that usually have Distances toilets and picnic tables, have no major Distances are usually round trip. river crossings and are well-marked. To Sketch Maps give variety trails in each area range from Red lines indicate main trails. Red-dashed short to long and from easy to strenuous. lines are options: Going Farther, Side Because of the constraints, this selection Trips, Detours and Optional Returns. does not mean they are my favourite trails, Black-dashed lines are other trails and are or even that they are the best trails. generally only shown where they intersect the red trails. Trails in the second edition Some trails from the first edition have Do I need other Maps? been omitted because of 2013 flood dam- While it’s possible to hike the trails us- age, and others trails, that have since come ing the maps in this book, why not take to the forefront of popularity have been in- along a 1:50000 recreation map by Gem serted. Well-marked trails have signposts Trek? They are available at most outdoor of the “You are here” variety at junctions, stores, bookstores and gas stations in the and coloured markers or arrows on trees region. The four that cover the trails in and posts in between junctions. Above this book are: treeline watch for cairns, paint splodges Canmore and Kananaskis Village or metal tags on rocks. Other trails, while Kananaskis Lakes not marked in any way apart from cairns or Highwood and Cataract Creek flagging are well used and obvious. Some Bragg Creek and Elbow Falls trails are shared with mountain bikers and equestrians, most often those in the What to wear for the trails east Elbow. Be prepared for fast weather changes and pack raingear. For walks and scrambles Options above treeline, particularly in the off Type in blue indicates Going Farther, Side season, take a wind jacket, long pants and trips, Bypasses, Detours and Optional extra warm clothing like hat and gloves. Returns. A few of the Optional Returns During the heat of summer a sun hat, sun require a second vehicle or a bicycle. cream and mosquito repellent are must- Numbers in Text takes. Light hiking boots suffice for all the trails in this book. For clarity the text is written in short numbered paragraphs. Numbers in the Doing More photo captions refer back to the paragraph If you have enjoyed the trails in this book numbers.