Hikes in Kananaskis Country
Where to Hike in Kananaskis Country
Activities in Kananaskis Country
We love hiking in Kananaskis Country. There is so much hiking in The Kananaskis that we have broken the region into four smaller regions. These regions are based around major access roads into the Kananaskis. You can see the regions in the icons below.
Located south of Banff National Park, Kananaskis Country (also known as K-country or The Kananaskis) is a stunning collection of provincial parks that is still largely undiscovered by tourists. This means you can usually expect fewer crowds on hikes in the Kananaskis compared to hikes in Banff National Park.
The main access road into the Kananaskis is along Highway 40, also known as Kananaskis Trail. We also include the hikes around the Kananaskis Lakes in this region. The best hikes along Highway 40 includes hikes in Bow Valley Wildland Provincial Park and Elbow-Sheep Wildland Provincial Park. There is a summer-only area at the southern end of Highway 40 known as the Highwood, which has some incredible family-friendly hikes.
The other major access road into the Kananaskis is Highway 742 (Smith Dorrien Trail). The best hikes along the Smith Dorrien includes hikes in Spray Valley Provincial Park and hikes in Peter Lougheed Provincial Park.
Finally, there are two main access roads that go from east to west into Kananaskis. The first road is Highway 66, which includes great hikes around Bragg Creek and out on Highway 66 towards Little Elbow, and is adjacent to Don Getty Wildland Park. The second road is Highway 546, which leads to hikes in Sheep River Provincial Park and Bluerock Wildland Provincial Park. These hikes along the Sheep River and combined in a region with hikes
Displaying 45 of 97 routes
Route guides for Hiking in Kananaskis Country
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Tent Ridge Horseshoe Route Guide
The Tent Ridge hike is spectacular. Tent Ridge is the location for many of the incredible photos you regularly see on social media, showing stunning peaks over the Spray Lakes. Tent Ridge is a wonderful hike, though there is a bit of a scramble on the way up Tent Ridge that some hikers don’t like, which is why we rate this as a 4/5 instead of a 3/5.
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Lillian and Galatea Lakes Route Guide
The hike to Galatea Lakes is spectacular. The first bit to Lillian Lake is through forest, the route above Lillian Lake is outstanding, especially the circuit around Lower Galatea Lake. This hike takes in Lillian Lake, Lower Galatea Lake and Upper Galatea Lake.
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Burstall Pass Route Guide
The hike to Burstall Pass is an iconic Canmore route for good reason – it's stunning! Although a great trail for intermediates, those with energy can scramble up Snow Peak for one of the best views in the Rockies. And in autumn, the sights of the larches are incredible!
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Sarrail Ridge Hike via Rawson Lake Route Guide
The hike to Sarrail Ridge offers some of the most stunning views in the Canadian Rockies, it is truly spectacular. The final push up Sarrail Ridge is also perhaps the steepest hike we share in the Canadian Rockies. The informal route is degraded and challenging, and not one we’d do when icy or wet.
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Pocaterra Ridge Hike Route Guide
This wonderful hike along Pocaterra Ridge is a stunner! A challenging hike, but with spectacular views, we love hiking Pocaterra Ridge in autumn with the beautiful fall colours. Pocaterra Ridge is known as one of the best places to hike among the autumn larch trees in Alberta.
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Chester Lake Hike Route Guide
The Chester Lake hike is a great family route in Canmore, complete with a stunning alpine meadow and glistening lake nestled among towering peaks. The walk is perfect for multiple seasons, whether you come to snowshoe or take a ski tour in winter, or to see the larches change color in autumn. The trail is closed from May to late-June each year to prevent trail damage.
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Rawson Lake Route Guide
The hike to Rawson Lake is one of the most popular in the Kananaskis Lakes area. It’s a pleasant path through the forest up to Rawson Lake, but the hike around the side of the water’s edgeis what truly makes this a spectacular hike.
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Troll Falls Hike Route Guide
Troll Falls is a classic, family-friendly hike near Nakiska, that’s popular year-round. While Troll Falls is certainly a pretty view, our favourite part of the walk is the return journey through Hay Meadow, where you walk along the Kananaskis River and take in wonderful views.
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Cox Hill Hike Route Guide
Hiking Cox Hill Ridge is a great way to spend a half-day in the summer. Save this one for wildflower season, and you won’t be disappointed. The multi-use trail can get busy with bikers, hikers, and runners, so be prepared to run into some speedy trail users.
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Eagle Hill Trail Route Guide
The Eagle Hill trail climbs the foothills of Kananaskis Country to reach a ridge that looks out into the Prairies. It is an easy-to-follow, gradual trail that is the perfect day trip from Sibbald Lake Campground. There are no technical sections on this trail, making it excellent for hikers of various abilities.
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Opal Ridge Route Guide
The hike along Opal Ridge is a wonderful hike. This steep hike requires the use of hands to steady you on the way up to Opal Ridge, however the views from the top are spectacular. We love the hike to Opal Ridge.
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West Wind Pass Route Guide
West Wind Pass is a great hike! It’s not too busy and is a perfect hike for people who want to get stunning views without a ton of elevation gain. We love the vista back to the Spray Lakes Reservoir as well as at the views from West Wind Pass itself.
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Wasootch Ridge Route Guide
Wasootch Ridge is an easy choice as one of the best hikes near Canmore. Once you are up on the ridgeline, the valley feels isolated, with no other sounds or trails visible. This is a great day out!
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Picklejar Lakes Route Guide
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.
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Rummel Pass Route Guide
The hike to Rummel Pass is spectacular, and not nearly as popular as it should be. While hiking to Rummel Lake is a Kananaskis classic, pushing to Rummel Pass is completely worth it, offering interesting terrain and stunning views from Rummel Pass.
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Upper Kananaskis Lake Trail Route Guide
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.
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Guinn’s Pass Route Guide
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.
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Buller Pass Route Guide
The hike to Buller Pass is one of the most spectacular in Canmore. It’s perfect for intermediate hikers, and despite the region still recovering from a forest fire, there are beautiful views and wildflowers throughout the trail. Once above treeline enjoy stunning views all the way to the pass!
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Windtower Route Guide
A hike up Windtower is an underappreciated gem of the Canadian Rockies. First take in West Wind pass and then find the path up Windtower for spectacular views in all directions, especially back towards the Spray Lakes Reservoir. Windtower is one of our favourite hikes in the Kananaskis.
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Rae Glacier Route Guide
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.
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King Creek Ridge Route Guide
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.
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Headwall Lakes Route Guide
The Headwall Lakes hike is not as popular as it should be. This walk takes you up into the alpine to a barren and stunning limestone valley and the beautiful Headwall Lakes. Many people hike through this valley on the way to the summit of The Fortress.
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Pocaterra Cirque Route Guide
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.
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Sibbald Flats Trail Route Guide
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.
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Sparrowhawk Tarns Route Guide
The pretty hike to the Sparrowhawk Tarns is a hard trail to follow, however once you reach the tarns, the beautiful views make up for the route-finding challenges. Don’t wait until autumn, as the tarns dry up and are not as stunning.
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Ptarmigan Cirque Route Guide
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!
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Raspberry Ridge Hike Route Guide
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.
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ForgetMeNot Ridge Route Guide
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.
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Centennial Ridge and Mount Allan Summit Route Guide
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.
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Old Goat Glacier Route Guide
The hike to Old Goat Glacier is a classic Kananaskis hike on the Smith-Dorrien. While not as popular as other trails, this is a fun hike that is great for intermediate hikers who don’t mind a few steep bits. There are great views of the Old Goat Glacier as well as back towards the Spray Lakes Reservoir.
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Black Prince Lakes and Cirque Route Guide
The hike to Black Prince Cirque and then Black Prince Lakes is stunning. This hike takes you to a classic Kananaskis cirque and then the beautiful Black Prince Lakes. It’s hard to believe so few people take the time to hike up to Black Prince Lakes and Black Prince Cirque.
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Elbow Lake Route Guide
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.
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Mount Burke Route Guide
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.
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Arethusa Ridge Route Guide
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
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Black Prince Interpretive Trail / Warspite Lake Route Guide
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.
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Moose Mountain Route Guide
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.
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Nihahi Ridge Route Guide
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.
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Volcano Ridge Route Guide
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.
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Mesa Butte Route Guide
At only 2.2mi 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.
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Powderface Ridge Route Guide
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.
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Foran Grade and Windy Point Route Guide
Foran Grade and Windy Point Ridge are two smallish peaks in the front ranges providing great views of the surrounding ranges to the west and the prairie to the east. The views are gorgeous, especially considering the limited elevation you gain at just over 1000ft.
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Mount Ware Route Guide
This mid-length moderate hike has us summit Mt. Ware. As our final elevation takes us above all the surrounding foothills we are afforded great views of the surrounding area, including the impressive Bluerock Mountain to the west.
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Prairie Mountain Route Guide
While this is not the most scenic of hikes until you reach the summit, it can be done year-round (no avalanche risk) and is one heck of a workout.
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Canyon Creek Ice Caves Route Guide
This hike is more about the destination than the journey. The first 3.7mi is more of a walk along a forestry road before things get good, with a steep 0.6mi hike before we reach the cave.
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Rummel Lake Hike Route Guide
The hike to Rummel Lake is a Kananaskis classic, with people returning year after year. The colours in autumn are spectacular, and if you have the energy push the trip a bit farther up to Rummel Pass for very special views.
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