Hiking in K-country is always rewarding.
There are so many options but sometimes you are looking for one that has great views but won’t take you 6-8 hours. Here’s a few of those hikes in Kananaskis! Make sure to always bring bear spray and look up your routes ahead of time – there is no cell service out there and so you need to be sure of your route, as many are unmarked and don’t have signs or obvious parking or trailheads.
West Wind Pass
Distance: 5-5.5km
Elevation: 350-400m
approximate time: 1.5h
Some notes: Not too difficult with a well-tread, dirt path to follow. Some notes on the All Trails website to follow re: which path is better.Lots of area at the top to sit and have snacks. Great views of spray lakes.
Little Lougheed
Distance: 5-5.5km
Elevation: 727m
Approximate Time: Less than 2 hours
Some notes: Read the All Trails notes about the turnoff to the trailhead – we missed this during the hike and ended up walking 2km past the trail, so had to turn back and repeat the 2km, while looking for the hard-to-see marker. The trail itself (once on the correct one) was fairly vertical but a good leg pump!
Grotto Canyon
Distance: 4.5-5km
Elevation: 188-200m
Approximate Time: 1.5h
Some notes: You can do this hike in the fall and winter. Note that in the winter you want the ice to be fully frozen and you NEED to have ice cleats/crampons/spikes to walk along it for safety. The frozen waterfalls are quite epic! In the fall, there is still some water flowing.
Mount Hoffman
Distance: 8.7km
Elevation: 450m
Approximate Time: 2h
Some notes: Not too difficult, opens up to a nice prairie space on top of the mountain with 360 degree views. An amazing river and water fall are at the base of the hike!
Rawson Lake
Distance: 7km
Elevation: 530m
Approximate Time: 1.5h
Some notes: gradual incline to the lake, really nice area at the lake. Often can be closed due to bear activity. Very nice area at the base of the hike at the Upper Kananaskis lake. Can be done in shoulder season, just might want spikes for ice!
Ptarmigan Cirque
Distance: 3.7km
Elevation: 220m
Approximate Time: 1h
Some notes: A really nice trail at all times of the year. This is a kid friendly hike and the parking lot can get SUPER busy in the summer months and on the weekends. Great fall Larch hike, but same thing with the parking lot!
Mist Mountain Hot Springs
Distance: 6.5km
Elevation: 550m
Approximate Time: 2h (but depends on how long you spend at the hot springs)
Some notes: We didn’t climb to the peak of Mist Mountain (would add a lot of elevation). The hot springs were BUSY and we changed into our swimsuits just on the side of the mountain. When we went there was a line to get into the springs, so you didn’t have long in them! Would recommend going early or late to avoid the crowds.
Elbow Lake
Distance: 4-4.5km
Elevation: 120m
Approximate Time: 1h
Some notes: Great at all times of the year. Just a small uphill at the beginning, then a great loop around the lake! The parking lot is large as there is horse parking, and overnight camping parking – but make sure to go early to secure a spot!
