Hikes in Kananaskis Country

Some Calgarians rate Picklejar Lakes as their absolute favourite hike in the Canadian Rockies. It’s not hard to see why. The hike to Picklejar Lakes is a great intermediate hike, with varied terrain and wonderful views.

The hike on the Black Prince Interpretive Trail is a great family-friendly hike on the Smith-Dorrien. The trip takes you to Warspite Lake on a good path and there are great views once at Warspite Lake.

The Sibbald Flats interpretive trail travels around Sibbald Lake and includes many educational signs. It starts in the central Sibbald Flats Recreation Area, which makes it great for those looking for something quick and easy from a central area.

The hike around Upper Kananaskis Lake offers tremendous views, varied terrain and limited elevation gain – a great trail for all levels of hikers. This is also an especially good option for shoulder season in Canmore, when the route is far less crowded.

The trail to Guinn’s Pass is spectacular, offering stunning views. This hike takes in Lillian Lake, Lower Galatea Lake and then up to Guinn’s Pass, offering views down to Ribbon Lake and over to Buller Pass. This trip is pretty special.

The hike to Elbow Lake is a wonderful, family-friendly hike in the Highwood Area. Adventurous types will want to continue and explore the area beyond Elbow Lake, and we love the hike to the Alpine that explores the Rae Glacier.

The hike up King Creek Ridge is spectacular – offering the chance to get up close with the spectacular Opal Range, views of Mount Wintour and the valley of the Kananaskis Lakes. Although this is a very steep hike in Canmore, it’s absolutely worth it for adventurous, fit hikers.

Pocaterra Cirque may often be passed up for other nearby, well-known hikes, but this little gem is the perfect way to enjoy mountain views with little effort. Passing by Pocaterra Tarn, the trail gives wonderful views of Mount Tyrwhitt, Grizzly Col, and Mount Rae. However, its popularity increases during larch season, so prepare for crowds and a full parking lot. The beauty of the larches makes up for the crowds, though.

Great views without a ton of work? Sign me up! This walk up Forget Me Not Mountain gives great views of the surrounding peaks, the elbow river valley, and gravel fields.

The hike to Ptarmigan Cirque is a family favourite and is especially great for little kids. Starting at Highwood Pass means you are in the alpine almost immediately. Ptarmigan Cirque is locally famous as a great hike to view autumn larches, it is also a fun location for a family photo shoot!

Raspberry Ridge is a great trail to hike if you are staying at Cataract Creek campground. It is located across the street and features a well-graded path through the forest that opens up to great views of the foothills and eventually the rockies. Enjoy this route with the family for a half-day adventure near your campsite.

The Centennial Ridge and Mount Allan Summit is the highest maintained trail in the Canadian Rockies. It’s a true pinnacle with great views and a nice alpine hike along the way. Bring lots of water as you’re exposed most of the day. The Trail is closed from April to late-June each year.

The hike to Elbow Lake is a wonderful, family-friendly hike in the Highwood Area. It’s also the perfect first backpack trip, as Elbow Lake is so close to the trailhead. We do this hike every year with our family.

Mount Burke is an underrated, bigger version of Prairie Mountain that isn’t as well-known. On a sunny weekend, we only ran into one other group, which is very rare considering the trail is good quality and the views are amazing. Get ready to see the foothills, white-topped mountain peaks, the interesting flat Plateau Mountain nearby and the lone abandoned fire watch hut at the very top. However, the views come with a price – hiking up Mount Burke is a real grind.

Arethusa Cirque is a gem of a hike, being an overlooked neighbour to nearby Ptarmigan and Pocaterra Cirques. The views are especially spectacular in larch season, which takes place in

This long but rewarding hike starts in the trees and bring us to the fire lookout at the top of Moose Mountain. This is really popular shoulder season hike just 45 minutes from Calgary.

This hike has it all, starting in the forest before traversing a beautiful grassy meadow then gaining elevation in the alpine as climb the ridge. The views are spectacular throughout the hike.

This is a relative low effort high reward hike up a grass topped foothill of the Rockies just west of turner valley. From the top we have great views as the foothills turn into the towering peaks of the Rockies.

At only 3.5 km round trip this is a short and easy hike that is perfect for after work. Mesa Butte is a mid elevation hill with tremendous views of the surrounding area. The fire pit at the top it also made for a great picnic.

Powderface Ridge is a popular early or late season hike at the end of Highway 66. There are several variations of the trail, all with decent views, making it suitable for a variety of fitness levels.