Welcome to our detailed guide to the hiking trails of Kananaskis Provincial Park. This page will help you in selecting the perfect hiking trails that suit your interests and capabilities. We have split the Kananaskis hiking trails into easy, moderate, or difficult.
However, it’s important to recognize that these classifications are general guides and, depending on your fitness level, you may find some trails easier or more challenging than described.
We encourage you to click through and carefully read each trail’s description, assessing it against your own hiking ability and fitness level, to ensure the most enjoyable experience in Kananaskis Country’s breathtaking landscapes.
Easy Kananaskis Hiking Trails
These easy Kananaskis hikes are perfect for beginners, families with young children, or those looking for a leisurely walk in nature. These trails are generally less than 5 kilometres (about 3 miles) round trip and have minimal elevation gain, usually less than 150 meters (about 500 feet).
The paths are well-maintained, with some of them being paved or flat enough that they are accessible for strollers and sometimes even wheelchair users. These hikes usually take 1-2 hours to complete, offering a pleasant experience without requiring significant physical exertion.
The Grassi Lakes hike is a scenic and family-friendly trail near Canmore, Alberta, leading to two stunning turquoise lakes set against a backdrop of dramatic cliffs and lush forest.
The Heart Creek Trail is an enormously popular Kananaskis hike and for good reason. The Heart Creek hike is fun, easy and beautiful, which makes it one of the best kid-friendly hikes near Canmore.
The Troll Falls hike is one of the best easy hikes in Kananaskis. An easy walk through an evergreen & aspen forest to a beautiful Marmot Creek waterfall, the Troll Falls trail is a real crowd pleaser all year round.
The Ptarmigan Cirque hike is a very popular Kananaskis trail near the Highwood Pass (the highest paved pass in Canada). This fun, kid-friendly Kananaskis hike offers hikers a wide variety of excellent mountain scenery over a relatively short distance.
The Blackshale Suspension Bridge is a super fun outing for kids of all ages in Kananaskis Country. I mean, who doesn’t love crossing a bouncy suspension bridge??
The West Wind Pass is one of our favourite short Kananaskis hikes. A highly enjoyable hike up the side of a river valley to a mountain pass, the West Wind Pass trail packs in a ton of scenery for the effort.
The Flowing Water Trail in Bow Valley Provincial Park is a real hidden gem. A short, easy Kananaskis hike, the Flowing Water Interpretive Trail offers hikers a wide variety of scenery in a short distance.
The Bow River Interpretive Trail in Bow Valley Provincial Park is a very enjoyable, easy Kananaskis hike along the banks of the Bow River. Just 20 minutes from Canmore, the Bow River Interpretive Trail packs a lot of Alberta Rocky Mountain scenery into a short distance.
The Middle Lake Interpretive Trail in Bow Valley Provincial Park is an enjoyable easy Kananaskis hike. Hikers along the Middle Lake Trail will enjoy a variety of landscapes including a mountain lake and a pleasant forest setting.
These moderate hikes in Kananaskis are ideal for those with a fair level of fitness and offer a more challenging hiking experience. Typically, these trails range from 5 to 15 kilometres (3 to 9 miles) round trip, with elevation gains between 150 to 500 meters (500 to 1600 feet).
The terrain might include uneven surfaces, roots, and small rocks, with some steeper sections. Expect these hikes to take about half a day, providing a challenge without being overly strenuous. They are not usually recommended for very young children or those with limited mobility.
We think the Rawson Lake hike is one of the best hikes in Kananaskis as it gives an outsized reward for the effort. It starts beside Upper Kananaskis Lake, climbs steadily through the forest, and finishes at a beautiful alpine lake tucked below the mountains. For a moderate effort, it gives a great payoff.
We love the Chester Lake hike in Kananaskis and keep returning to it over and over. It has a great payoff for a manageable amount of effort, with a wide forested trail, mountain views, a beautiful alpine lake, and the option to continue to the fun and interesting Elephant Rocks if you still have energy … Read more
The Karst Spring Trail is one of our favourite Kananaskis hiking trails, in fact, it’s one of the few Kananaskis hikes we try to make time for each and every year. We love Kananaskis hikes with a payoff, and the Karst Spring hike delivers big-time!
Arethusa Cirque is an extremely scenic short Kananaskis hike near the Highwood Pass. It’s not as well-known as the nearby Ptarmigan Cirque trail or the Pocaterra Ridge hike, but it offers a ton of varied Rocky Mountain scenery for a moderate amount of effort.
The Rummel Lake hike one of our favourite year-round Kananaskis hikes. For a moderate amount of effort, you get to enjoy a beautiful walk through a mountain forest, an open meadow with incredible vistas of the Spray Lakes Valley and a beautiful mountain lake in an intimate setting, with enormous Rocky Mountains looming overhead.
The South Pocaterra Ridge trail is one of the most rewarding and scenic hikes in Kananaskis Country. 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.
The first time we hiked Wasootch Ridge, a popular Kananaskis hike, we were blown away by the views. Being up on the ridge offers hikers panoramic views of the surrounding mountains and all the way down into the valley.
The Yates Mountain Trail is a popular and rewarding Kananaskis hike from the Barrier Lake day use area. One of the best hikes in Kananaskis, the Yates Mountain Trail offers outstanding views of Barrier Lake and the stunning Rocky Mountains of Kananaskis Valley.
The difficult hikes listed here are designed for experienced hikers seeking a challenging and rewarding adventure. These trails often extend more than 15 kilometres (over 9 miles) round trip and feature significant elevation gains of over 500 meters (1600 feet). Hikers will encounter steep gradients, rough and potentially hazardous terrain including loose rocks, stream crossings, and exposed sections.
Completing these hikes can take most of a day or longer, requiring good preparation and a high level of fitness. These trails are not suitable for inexperienced hikers, young children, or anyone with health or mobility issues.
There are plenty of great hikes near Canmore, but the Wind Ridge Hike is one we keep coming back to. As Canmore locals, we’ve done a lot of hiking in Kananaskis Country, and the Wind Ridge Trail remains one of our favourite hikes in Kananaskis Country for its amazing mountain views, wildflowers and great payoff … Read more
For experienced hikers who are comfortable with exposure, the Tent Ridge Horseshoe Trail is one of the best hikes in Kananaskis Country, and perhaps in all of the Canadian Rockies. With an amazing location near the southern end of the Spray Lakes, the horseshoe-shaped Tent Ridge hike provides experienced hikers a wide variety of epic … Read more
The Ha Ling Peak hike is a popular day hike with Canmore and Banff locals. It’s a short, but very steep slog up the north-western slope of Ha Ling Peak, a dramatic mountain nestled just minutes outside the Town of Canmore.
The Miners Peak hike is an excellent alternative or add-on to the very popular Ha Ling Peak hike near Canmore, Alberta. Miners Peak and Ha Ling follow the same steep hiking trail up Ha Ling Peak but they diverge at a T-intersection at The Saddle.
The East End of Rundle hike is a popular day hike with Canmore and Banff locals. EEOR (pronounced “Eeyore”) is a short, but very steep slog up the eastern ridge of Mount Rundle, a huge mountain separating the 12km between the Town of Banff and Canmore.
Mount Yamnuska (officially known as Mount John Laurie) is one of the best hikes in Kananaskis Country. The Mount Yamnuska hike has many iterations, ranging from a traditional hike through a beautiful forest to a challenging scramble along the backside to the summit.
If you are a seasoned hiker in good shape and crave some of the best scenery in the Canadian Rocky Mountains, you should add the Sarrail Ridge hike to your list of must-do Kananaskis hikes.
