K-country has stunning hikes – you’ll be lucky if you ever get to see them all.
Lakes, larches, mountain tops – there is not much more you can ask for in these hikes. The road driving out has multiple beautiful viewpoints and stops, and if you are looking for something more simple, stop at the Kananaskis Mountain Lodge which has a scenic paved pathway behind the hotel.
Tips for hiking in Kananaskis:
- You need a Kananaskis park pass for your vehicle before entering and parking or you could risk a ticket. You can easily get this online.
- There is no cell phone service or gas stations once you pass a certain point on the highway, so get gas or petrol ahead of time and download maps for offline viewing. You can do this on AllTrails or your maps, but make sure you have something for directions.
- The hikes are often not marked and don’t have official parking lots. You should read about where the trailhead is, where you should park and any specific route-marking points you need to pay attention to while on the trail.
- You should always hike with a group and hike with bear spray.
- Part of Highway 40 is closed the winter so you can only access the hiking trailheads that are past this point in the summertime.
Sarrail Ridge
Not for the faint of heart, once you pass Rawson Lake it is up from there, and on dirt and rocks. There is barely a trail and no switchbacks so you will be puffing on the way up, and using all your eccentric quad strength on the way down. I would avoid this if it is a rainy.
The views are unmatched at the top looking down on upper and lower Kananaskis lakes. The parking lot is large because there are many hikes and fishing you can do from the trailhead.
Bear spray is a MUST for this one, and hike in a group.
Jumpingpound Summit Trail
To get to the trailhead you have to drive along a gravel road for sometime before arriving at the entry point. This wasn’t a very busy trail, but a couple mountain bikers got to the top! Lots of places to sit and spread out at the summit which was quite windy for us!
Picklejar Lakes
A little bit longer if you want to get to all the lakes (which are all named after pickles!). We passed some campers along the lakeside. A pleasant hike that is also easy to trail run back to the car which makes getting home that much faster!
Important note: the trailhead parking on AllTrails was WRONG for myself and my sister. The correct trailhead was a few kilometers up the road – lots of cars as people park there for multi-day camping trips.
Yates Mountain at Barrier Lake
This is a K-country classic because it is such close driving distance from Calgary. Be warned, the parking lot gets full early on summer days as lots of people spend the day on the lake and rock beaches so go early! It can be done in shoulder season where I recommend spikes and poles as sections of it can get very icy on the way up and down.
There is a false summit with a nice viewpoint but keep going to the rocky top! You can also add on the Fire Lookout from the top, and if you want to add a fun loop and a nice waterfall, at in Jewel Pass which continues on down the mountain and then back along a grassy path.
Mount Lipsett
A gradual hike that takes you to a lovely mountainous viewpoint that is different than many other hikes in K-Country! Lots of space at top for a nice sandwich and lookout.
King Creek Ridge
This one was another amazing view that you don’t get on other hikes! Highly recommend, but get ready for a grind up and a grind down. The path is mostly loose dirt and rocks. The day we went was in the Fall and there was snow and ice on the trail in the morning, which then melted in the Fall sun and was a muddy, slippery mess on the way down – you need a lot of eccentric quad control to not slip and fall in the mud. Poles recommended. A few false summits along the way but it is worth it to go to the very end.
Parking is on the side of the road – it wasn’t too busy early morning but then we saw quite a few people on our way down.
