10 of the Best Hiking Trails in Kananaskis Country
It’s hard to narrow down over 4,000 square kilometres of foothills and Rocky Mountain front ranges into two handfuls of hikes. Kananaskis Country is so vast, it umbrellas five provincial parks and four wildland provincial parks under one name (fondly shortened to K-Country by locals). Including Canmore, large chunks of wilderness west of Calgary and stretching all the way south to the Old Man River, it’s an elongated area that encompasses scenery ranging from peaks rivalling Banff’s beauty to rolling hills sprinkled with meadows and aspen groves.
There are several entry points into Kananaskis Country, most of which are barricaded down the road from December until May so wildlife can head to lower elevations during the winter without the hazard of road traffic. Access the Bow Valley and Kananaskis Lakes and Valley through Canmore. The Elbow area can be accessed through Calgary and Bragg Creek. Highways running through Millarville and Turner Valley both end up in the Sheep area, and Longview is the gateway to the Highwood area.
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Many of the hike lists you’ll find online focus on the areas near Banff and Canmore, but this list includes hikes throughout K-Country and represents the variety of landscapes and areas you’ll find within Kananaskis.
Make sure to purchase a Kananaskis Conservation Pass (works via license plate, no physical pass required) before parking and heading out on the trail. One pass is required per vehicle.
Forget Me Not Ridge
Sylvia Dekker
Length: 10.9 km
Elevation Gain: 778 m
Time: 4.5 hours
This is a windy stunner, although some wind may be a theme throughout the Rockies. The trail begins through the forest and involves a river crossing, so go during lower waters. Prepare for knockout views of the river winding through rocky riverbeds and green valleys disappearing in between peaks quickly appearing as you hike upwards. See you up there, we will be doing this one again!
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Junction Lake
Sylvia Dekker
Length: 17.8 km
Elevation Gain: 625 m
Time: 5-6 hours
You must cross Sheep River to hit this trail, so go later in summer or fall. The first half is flat and easy, up to the turn off (straight will take you to Junction Falls). Floods washed out the trail that used to be up on the creek bank, so now only bits remain, broken up by slides and steep areas that are hard to cross and result in a lot of unnecessary elevation gains and losses. To avoid this, follow a sometimes hard-to-find trail marked with cairns and pink tape mostly up the creek bed. Past a larger waterfall (the creek has multiple small ones) the trail becomes well-marked and heads up another valley to the lake. It’s secluded and beautiful!
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Foran Grade
Sylvia Dekker
Length: 6.9 km
Elevation Gain: 314 m
Time: 2 hours
If you’re looking for a more relaxing hike, this trail travels up and down through a mix of meadows, a treed ridge and aspen forests. It’s a very pleasant trail to explore in any season, as it is doable in the winter and shaded in the summer, but my favourite time so far has been in the fall. The bright yellow aspen leaves fluttering overhead and underfoot makes it one that’ll satisfy all your senses. It is near Bighorn Lookout, which is an easy and pretty walk with vista views and a good chance of seeing bighorn sheep browsing the meadows.
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Grass Pass
Sylvia Dekker
Length: 6.4 km
Elevation Gain: 420 m
Time: 2-3 hours
This trail delivers on beauty in winter, spring or summer, with views steadily appearing behind you as you break through the trees and hike up through grassy wildflower meadows. Reach the pass and several stunning peaks greet you. There are plenty of good spots to sit and enjoy the view and a snack. Keep going to Boundary Pine Peninsula or loop around via Bull Creek Hills.
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Nihahi Ridge
Sylvia Dekker
Length: 10.2 km
Elevation Gain: 415 m
Time: 4 hours
This is one of my favorite repeat (and will likely do again) hikes. It’s not too hard (did while pregnant) but still offers some exercise and is breathtaking. The views from the ridge of the peaks and green valleys, rivers glistening below, live in my head rent-free. Customize to do some scrambling and hit the upper ridge or even summit, or just see how far you get. Either way, you’ll be easily content with the views the whole way.
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Prairie Mountain
Sylvia Dekker
Length: 6.6 km
Elevation Gain: 666 m
Time: 3-4 hours
You might get passed on your way up by locals who do this mountain regularly for exercise (don’t worry, they’re friendly about it), but the wind-swept, wide-open top with city and mountain views is worth the burn. If you’re going in the winter, take micro spikes, because the trail can get slippery with use and incline, especially in the trees. There’s a good photo opportunity at the summit.
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Warspite Lake/Black Prince Cirque
Sylvia Dekker
Length: 4.3 km/9.5 km
Elevation Gain: 95 m/598 m
Time: 1.5 hours/5 hours
This hike has a special place in my heart, probably because it was the first hike I did with my newborn son. It’s an easy, steady but not steep hike to the lake. It wasn’t a lake when we went, though, so go during high water if you want to see it full with the stunning peaks reflected in it. The lake itself is perfect for families, but you can continue on the trail on the right side of the lake which will eventually cut steeply up the slope to the cirque. We never did reach the cirque as the fresh snow made things a little slippery to attempt with a newborn, but I’ll be back!
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Mesa Butte
Sylvia Dekker
Length: 1.7 km
Elevation Gain: 236 m
Time: 1-2 hours
Pleasant in all seasons, if you’re looking for a relatively quick trot through meadows and aspen groves while taking in views of the prairie and mountains, this trail delivers. There are some log benches and a fire pit (if open fires are allowed) at the top; it’s a perfect place to sit and hang out in the protection of some trees.
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Dyson Falls
Sylvia Dekker
Length: 8.4 km
Elevation Gain: 277 m
Time: 2.5 hours
If Sheep Falls is busy, which it can get on weekends, and you need some waterfall therapy, opt for an easy walk through forest and meadows off the Indian Oils Day Use parking lot and across the bridge (turn left immediately after) to get to this pretty falls. Bring bear spray, as I’ve seen some nice black bear tracks heading down this trail in the spring.
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Shunga-la-she
Sylvia Dekker
Length: 16 km
Elevation Gain: 1,289 m
Time: 5-6 hours
Start with four kilometres of road walking, easily done in the dark. A steep, no-nonsense trail, flagged with pink ribbon a couple hundred metres past the bridge, takes you left up off the road and through the trees in no time. When in doubt at the first cliff band, go left to find an opening. The rest of the trail is a fun mix of some route finding, moderate scrambling (coming from someone who is a little scared of heights and has little upper body strength), ridge walks and 360-degree views of the varied peak shapes and valleys of the Rockies. The trail can be sketchy in winter if icy, so bring crampons/ice axes, plus keep an eye on incoming storms if you don’t want to have to make three separate attempts to bag the peak like we did.
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