Hikes in Kananaskis – Smith Dorrien
The best hiking in the Kananaskis is along the Smith-Dorrien, the legendary gravel road that runs up the Spray Valley. Not only are these the best hikes in the Kananaskis, the trails around here are some of the best hikes in the Canadian Rockies. The best part is that the high-elevation Smith-Dorrien means shorter ascents and more time spent above treeline.
Kananaskis Country, or K – Country, is an undiscovered gem for outdoor lovers, and has fewer crowds than the adjacent Banff National Park. Often overshadowed by nearby Banff National Park, the Kananaskis is still relatively undiscovered. Here we include some of the best hikes in the Spray Valley Provincial Park and Peter Lougheed Provincial Park. You’re going to love these great hikes in the Kananaskis!
THE TOP 10 HIKES ON THE SMITH-DORRIEN TRAIL
- Burstall Pass (15.0 km, 450 m, 4-6h): This stunning hike is one of the best in all the Kananaskis, if not all of Alberta. This hike ends at the pass with beautiful views. What makes it even better, however, is the route can be extended for experienced hikers to Snow Peak – an absolute wonder.
- Windtower (10.7 km, 1,005 m, 5-7h): A hike up Windtower is a stunning hike in Kananaskis. The route goes past West Wind Pass (another great hike) before a bit of route finding until you ascend to the top of Windtower. We love this hike!
- Buller Pass (15.5 km, 685 m, 5-7h): Buller Pass is another great intermediate hike with impressive views. If you’ve got the energy, it can also be extended over to Guinn’s Pass or Ribbon Lake, both worthy of the trek.
- Tent Ridge (10.4 km, 747 m, 4-6h): The Tent Ridge hike may have the best view in Kananaskis. This is a popular hike, and for good reason. The Tent Ridge hike is incredible. Be warned, there is a bit of scrambling on the way up.
- Headwall Lakes (14.9 km, 535 m, 5-7h): Sharing a trail-head with the popular Chester Lake, the hike to Headwall Lakes is a wonderful day out in Kananaskis. Take in stunning, high alpine lakes on this delightful walk.
- Rummel Pass (17.6 km, 570 m, 5-6.5h): 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.
- Black Prince Lakes and Cirque (13.9 km, 680 m, 4.5-6h): 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.
- Old Goat Glacier (9.6 km, 705 m, 4-6h): The hike to the Old Goat Glacier is the highlight of this walk, with wonderful views all around. The glacier, unfortunately, has seen better days.
- Sparrowhawk Tarns (14.9 km, 720 m, 4.5-6): 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 impressive.
- West Wind Pass (5.0 km, 390 m, 2-3.5h): This unofficial trail to West Wind Pass is an underappreciated gem of a hike in Kananaskis. Great views down the Wind Valley and back to the Spray Valley make this a great intermediate hike.
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Tent Ridge Horseshoe
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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Burstall Pass
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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Chester Lake Hike
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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West Wind Pass
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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Rummel Pass
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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Buller Pass
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
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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Headwall Lakes
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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Sparrowhawk Tarns
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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Old Goat Glacier
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
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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Black Prince Interpretive Trail / Warspite Lake
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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Rummel Lake Hike
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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Blackshale Suspension Bridge
The Blackshale Suspension Bridge Route is an easy, family-friendly trail with fantastic wildflowers, mountain views, and an impressive suspension bridge to cross. Some people make a longer trip of this by accessing it from Black Prince Trail, but this short loop is for those who just want to enjoy the bridge.
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Little Lawson Hike
The Little Lawson Peak route (also known as South Lawson) is a straightforward trail that takes users to an incredible viewpoint. The trail travels straight up the ridge from the highway, making it very easy to follow. It is a great option in the early and late season as it isn’t dangerous and it rarely has snow along the ridge during hiking season.
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Tryst Lake Trail
The trail to Tryst Lake is used year-round by many different types of adventurers. The summer trail is easy to follow and very straightforward. The elevation comes gradually and the lake is a great objective for beginner-intermediate hikers.
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Heart Creek Trail
The trail up Heart Creek is a popular access point for rock climbers; however, the canyon is wide open and the trail follows the creek upstream before coming to a turnaround point. There are some small foot bridges and lots of opportunities to explore the area on this trail.
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Frozen Lake Trail
The trail to Frozen Lake follows the Elk Pass and Elk Lake trail for the first 2.6mi. The wide, decommissioned road is easy to follow and passes by some power lines on the way. This is a destination hike, so don’t expect to be wowed along the way, you’ll have to wait until you reach your objective after gaining elevation steadily from Elk Pass.
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Short Upper Kananaskis Lake Hike
The Upper Kananaskis Lake hike is a beautiful way to explore the lake without feeling crowded at the day use area. Hiking along the shore gives new perspectives to the surrounding mountains and has plenty of options to extend your hike.
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Three Isle Lake
The trail to Three Isle Lake leaves from the ever-popular Kananaskis Lakes area. There are many frontcountry and backcountry camp options as well as day-use areas and all types of hiking trails. Three Isle Lake is a stunning trip that is most commonly used by overnighters. There are easier trails in the area, so you won’t need to worry about there being too much traffic along the trail; however, it can get busy in summer months.
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