But your views aren't going to change much after the first flat section until the very top. It contains 4 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms. Once youre in the trees, its not long until the trail turns left and then starts ascending up a small hill. Though youre about 30-60 minutes to the summit of Pocaterra Ridge. It was a beautiful hike woth some pretty steep uphills at the end. Pretty moderate until the last km then its an uphill grind. If this is your first time hiking in the Rockies take a conservative approach. The road to Highwood Pass is closed to cars until June 15th. Something else? You can even look down into the valley between Mount Pocaterra and Pocaterra Ridge. From high on Pocaterra Ridge Trail youll get a 360 degree view of rocky mountain peaks and forested valleys. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. Take the exit for Highway 40 and continue for 67.0 km until you reach the Highwood Pass parking lot. I find a ball cap or brim hat with a chin strap invaluable in the rain or on a hot, in your face sunny day. I always pack a buff as its a multi-purpose piece of cloth with a hundred uses yet it takes up almost no room. Arcteryx Cerium is our pick for the best down jacket. Visitors are required to hold a Kananaskis Conservation Pass. This spectacular view keeps getting better the higher you go up the ridge. After passing the creek, the rocky trail turns right and then left (at the time of this writing there was some flagging tape around a tree trunk to show the way). Take bear spray and plenty of water. Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Pinterest. To continue along the ridge youll have to descend a steep section from the first summit, but once you get past this, the rest is relatively easy, ascending and descending multiple summits. But it was beautiful, and there were no people! This article may contain affiliate links. Youll soon end up at a small pond. 47.0 km Beautiful, sunny fall day. Wow. My recommendation is to start at the Highwood Pass parking lot and finish at Little Highwood Pass as youll save yourself 280 m of elevation gain. Trail. Beautiful views once up there. Pocaterra Ridge Kananaskis Country Time: 4.5 hours Distance: 8 km (return) Elevation Gain: 500 m How To Get There: From the TransCanada highway follow Highway 40 south. Some people may feel more comfortable using hiking poles. It certainly is a stunner! South Pocaterra is a moderate trail about 9 km return and approximately 700m elevation gain. You may even notice what looks like a small cave in the mountainside. The ridge is off to the right (north). This post includes some affiliate links. This trail is made as a point-to-point hike. Go straight here (theres a sign saying Fragile Area). The views are incredible. From the creek, the trail makes a few zig-zags up the bottom of the hill then straightens out. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. Located in the Kananaskis Region, Alberta. Although if you can try and avoid weekends, especially during weekends its a busy hike! 12.5K subscribers South Pocaterra Ridge was one of the best hikes in the Canadian Rockies in terms of difficulty vs. reward. Thanks to its thousands of larches in the valley, when the needles start to turn yellow this is one of the first places you should head. Pocaterra Ridge is an 11km (7 miles) relocation hike in Kananaskis Country. The trail is obvious fora good chunk of the descent. Gorgeous weather, larches are still out. Hiking poles are recommended for the steep ridge trail. Continuing on Pocaterra Ridge Trail, youll come to a creek at the end of the meadow. When we finished the hike by 11am, the parking lot and highway was bananas. Wasnt to busy for the holiday Monday. The low end of the times in this post is a constant fast pace uphill with little to no breaks and a brisk pace downhill. Pocaterra Ridge Hike Where: Pocaterra Ridge When: September 28, 2021 Who: Ed, Dave, Phil, Erin, Rod, Bauer, Ian Trailhead: take Highway 1 west and turn south onto Highway 40 follow Highway 40 for 67 km to the top of the Highwood Pass park in the lot on the right (west) side of the highway the trailhead is out of the north end of the parking lot A hike with kids to a lovely but lesser-visited cirque just across the highway from one of K-country's most heavily trafficked trails. July and August is a good time to hike Pocaterra Ridge Trail, but its most beautiful during the last two weeks of September when the larch needles turn golden yellow. To do this as a point to point park your cars correctly or stash bikes if you cant get a car shuttle. After exiting the woods, make your way through Highwood Meadows and back to the parking lot at the trailhead. Traveling to Europe after 2021, A Complete Guide to Camping in Kananaskis, A Stay at Historic Reesor Ranch in Saskatchewan, Mountain Hardware PCT 70 L Backpack Review, 2022 Outdoor Lovers Spring Products Guide, Discover Canada: 100 Inspiring Outdoor Adventures, Grizzly Ridge Hike in Kananaskis Country - Hike Bike Travel, Alternatives to Banff National Park in Summer - Hike Bike Travel, Arethusa Cirque Hike in Kananaskis Country - Hike Bike Travel, Elbow Lake Hike & Rae Glacier, Kananaskis - Hike Bike Travel, Highwood Pass Loop - One of Canada's Best Drives - Hike Bike Travel, Larch Hikes in Alberta - A Guide to the Best Places - Hike Bike Travel, King Creek Ridge Hike in Kananaskis Country - Hike Bike Travel, Pickle Jar Lakes Hike in Kananaskis Country - Hike Bike Travel, Ptarmigan Cirque Hike in Kananaskis Country - Hike Bike Travel, Taylor Lake Hike in Banff National Park - Hike Bike Travel. From this point on youll be making a steady ascent up the south end of Pocaterra Ridge. Enjoy this fabulous hike. To get going leave the north end of the Highwood Pass parking lot and follow the interpretive trail until it starts climbing. The trail in this section is an absolute mess as scores of people going off-trail have caused this trail to become extremely braided and confusing to navigate. Everything Ive seen about Alberta makes me think I need to take a trip there, but not in the winter! This popular Kananaskis hike offers hikers a wide variety of Kananaskis scenery, ranging from a walk through a mountain cirque, to rushing streams to a spectacular ridge hike with jaw-dropping Rocky Mountain views. Awesome trail. Generally considered a moderately challenging route, it takes an average of 3 h 47 min to complete. Park at the Little Highwood Pass parking lot. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. We saw all sorts of people on this trail old and young. After youve climbed the fourth summit you can look forward to a steep descent to the Little Highwood Pass parking lot visible in the photo you see below. At Adventure Alberta, youll find locally written guides to Albertas outdoor recreation areas. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously. Keep following the path up the hill until it meets up with the other trail. It's muddy all the time here. Beautiful hike all the way through. You may also enjoy these other trails in Kananaskis: For your convenience, here is a list ofHOTELS IN CANMOREandKANANASKIS. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Your email address will not be published. Once youre out of the woods you can count on following a more defined trail all the way through to the descent to the Little Highwood Pass parking lot. Muddy for the first few kms, slippery roots. . South Pocaterra Ridge hard (1322) Peter Lougheed Provincial Park Photos (2,231) Directions Print/PDF Map Explore this 5.2-mile out-and-back trail near Kananaskis Improvement, Alberta. Early on in the season you might need sandals to avoid getting your feet wet. Arrived 930am to get one of last spots in parking lot. Generally considered a challenging route, it takes an average of 3 h 47 min to complete. If you are lucky enough to be here in late September take lots of photos. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. On the other side, the path arrives at a wide open meadow overlooked by Mount Pocaterra and Pocaterra Ridge. Adventure sports, activities, and non-supervised activities come with inherent risks, please take necessary precautions. I definitely had multiple moments I thought I was just going to quit because I didn't want to come back down that way. A true adventurer, Leigh prefers wilderness experiences, camping and glamping in unique locations, long hikes, multi-day bike rides and paddling trips where few people go. This hike was pretty BUT it felt like Albertas local Everest. Getting to the Pocaterra Ridge Trailhead: From Highway 1, turn south onto Highway 40 (Kananaskis Trail) and follow it all the way to Highwood Meadows Day Use Area at Highwood Pass. The wind can be ferocious at times. If you use a hiking app, download your trail map ahead of time since theres no cell service. The descent to Little Highwood Pass from Pocaterra Ridge, 5 things that come with me on almost every hike. Pocaterra Ridge is known for being one of the best larch hikes in Alberta to see the famous larch trees in the fall. Everyone should carry bear spray. Beautiful day but winter hiking is definitely here on this trail. Pocaterra Ridge is typically done as a point-to-point hike, so if you have two cars I would definitely try to do it this way. Excellent day despite the crowds. Dont forget: Purchase a Kananaskis Conservation Pass. I would suggest parking one car near Little Highwood Pass and starting the drive further up Highway 40 at the Highwood Pass Day Use Parking Lot and starting here. Do the ridge as a one way hike so you can dawdle on the ridge itself. Snow was mid-shin in places. If the lot is full, youll likely see vehicles parked on the sides of the road. I swear by my almost weightless seat cushion as its makes a lunch time stop that much more comfortable. Overall, as a beginner hiker whos barely ever hiked before, I would give this a strong 4 out of 5 and definitely rate this as moderate. As nice as it was to hike in close proximity to the larch trees, its just as much fun to see them from above. Would love to hike the entire ridge when the north parking area is open again. 359.32 m Down. The fresh snow hides the true grade, especially for the first kilometer as the trail runs along the side of the Highwood Ridge. This is also where the Pocaterra Cirque and Pocaterra Ridge hikes begin, even though the sign doesnt indicate that. Soon the trail exits the trees and youll be walking alongside the edge of a larch forest as the path starts to gradually gain a bit of elevation. Would definitely recommend. Lastly, a GPS tracker could save your life its one of thosebackpacking essentialsI like to have on me just in case I need to hit SOS. Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. Same for the rocks- very slippery. 19 Harbor Ridge Rd, S Burlington, VT is a single family home that contains 2,604 sq ft and was built in 1984. Here are some more photos taken while hiking to the ridges south summit via Pocaterra Cirque Trail and Pocaterra Ridge Trail. Click on the photo to bookmark to your Pinterest boards. Youll pass through an area of small larch trees then descend on a dirt trail above the slope. This helps protect the fragile alpine environment and prevents trail braiding. Great hike. Pocaterra Ridge South Peak winter hike"In seed time learn, in harvest teach, in winter enjoy." - William BlakePocaterra Ridge (South Peak) is a popular class. 359.5 m Up You will eventually reach a creek you must cross. Now we live in Canmore and spend as much time as possible exploring and hiking around Banff. The hike itself was definitely a harder one and I recommend hiking poles for sure. We literally finished the hike beside a bush marked with flagging tape directly across from the entrance to the parking lot. I parked at Highwood Pass parking area. I wish we could all remember that we are guests in the wilderness and need to behave with respect. Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features. Pocaterra Ridge Trail is easy to follow, even though its not marked with signs, and isnt physically taxing until you get to the ridge. Leigh McAdam is an award-winning photographer and three-time author. View workspaces for rent. If it looks daunting, dont worry, it goes by pretty fast. You dont gain much elevation until the Pocaterra Ridge summit, and even that is pretty short. Your email address will not be published. Soon into the climb youll notice that the path splits- one side turns right into the trees while the other goes straight, keeping near the edge of a slope. As you walk through the trees, youll be able to enjoy some glimpses of South Pocaterra Ridge and the summit that is the final destination of this hike. The hike up to the ridge is easy, walking up the ridge is also easy, its not that steep, however, coming down is pretty tough so make sure you have poles and hiking boots. Always carry bear spray if you plan to hike in the park. Taking other people's content (text, photos, etc) without permission is a copyright violation and Amazing views at the top!! All support is much appreciated! Its not much of a scramble and anything that is hands-on scrambling on the ridge can be avoided if necessary. No more digging in the backpack! Got to the parking lot on Sunday at 8:30am and it had just filled up so we had to park by the Highwood Highway sign (past the no parking signs). Always carry the 10 hiking essentials. You can also purchase a pass at the Kananaskis Visitor Information Centre on Highway 40 (in person or by using the WiFi). After passing the turn off for Mount Tyrwhitt, I was breaking trail the whole way and really had no idea where the actual trail was most of the time. The trek up to the ridge took about 35 minutes and was challenging at some parts as the loose rock and dirt is slippery but the views made it worth it! The trailhead beside the parking lot is marked with a sign saying Highwood Meadows Trail to Ptarmigan Cirque Trail. Whether it be buying a coffee or (even better) purchasing a unique print for your home from The Banff Print Shop all purchases help with the upkeep of this site that is updated daily. There is some trail braiding, so try to stay on the most trodden route and keep a lookout for flagging tape on trees marking the way. directions Driving Directions file_download GPX/KML 6.2 mi Distance 2 hrs 40 min Time terrain 2,464 ft Elev Gain Overview This is a moderate one way trail in Peter Lougheed Provincial Park. Pocaterra Ridge Hike in Kananaskis All You Need to KNOW, Lastly, a GPS tracker could save your life. 30 EASY Hikes In Banff For The Whole Family, Banff in October: Heres All You Need to Know, check out our shop for unique prints and souvenirs, Johnston Canyon Hike: 10 Essential Things to Know, Visiting Banff in November? On the left near the start of the meadow theres a trail that goes to Grizzly Col and then up Mount Tyrwhitt.
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