With so many famous hiking trails around Lake Louise, the Saddleback Mountain hike is often overlooked, which is a shame as it’s a one of the best hikes in Lake Louise.
The Saddleback Pass hike winds its way from the turquoise shores of Lake Louise, up the forested northern slopes of Fairview Mountain to a beautiful open meadow with spectacular views.
If you time it right, the Saddleback Mountain hike is also an excellent opportunity to walk through golden larch trees.
Saddleback Pass Trail – Quick Details
Trailhead: Saddleback Mountain Trailhead
Distance: 7.4 km out and back
Elevation: 595 m elevation gain
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Saddleback Mountain Hike Highlights
The Saddleback Pass trail begins to the left of the Lake Louise photography platform. A lush evergreen forest with a carpet green moss quickly engulfs you. Enjoy a well-groomed hiking trail for the first half-kilometer until you come to a large trail sign and bench.
This is a junction for the short, scenic Fairview Lookout hike (a nice detour on your way back to the car if you have time).
Beyond the junction the forest becomes denser and the trail becomes less groomed. Look up on your right for up-close views of the majestic Fairview Mountain looming overhead.
During occasional breaks in the trees, you’ll also enjoy elevated views of the Bow Valley, Chateau Lake Louise and the Lake Louise ski resort.
Halfway up the Saddleback Pass hike you’ll enter a large forest of larch trees. More on this in the next section…
As you near the Saddleback Pass, you’ll enjoy views of a small glacier nestled in-between the massive peaks of Haddo Peak and Sheol Mountain right front of you and a huge glacier on Mount Temple to the left.
The Saddleback Pass is a great place to soak in the Lake Louise mountain scenery. Pull up a flat rock and enjoy views of Fairview Mountain and Saddle Mountain.
Add-on Hikes to the Saddleback Mountain Hike
If you’re up to it, you can extend your Lake Louise hike beyond the Saddleback Pass.
We chose to hike the Sheol Valley to Paradise Valley Loop. This 11km extension circumnavigates Saddle Mountain, taking you back to the Chateau Lake Louise hotel.
Descend into the beautiful Sheol Valley between Saddle Mountain and Sheol Mountain until you reach the Paradise Valley Trail.
Follow the scenic shores of Paradise Creek until you cut back to the Chateau along an old horse track.
Alternately, you could hike to the summit of Saddle Mountain (a short, and relatively flat 0.5km walk) or to the summit of Fairview Mountain (a grueling 1.1km slog with 400m elevation gain).
Saddleback Mountain Larch Trees
The world-famous Lake Louise Larch Valley hike is a spectacular opportunity to enjoy golden larch trees in fall. But if you find the Larch Valley parking lot full (as is often the case), or you are looking for less crowds, the Saddleback Mountain hike is an excellent alternative to the Larch Valley hike.
You will start encountering larch trees on the Saddleback Pass trail halfway through the hike. At this stage, the larch trees are occasional, but you’ll see a large forest of larches ahead on the northern slopes of Saddle Mountain.
By the 3km mark of the Saddleback Pass trail, you will be surrounded by a true, dense larch forest. The trail winds through the larch trees and their famous golden needles until you reach the end of the hike.
As you near the Saddleback Pass, you are able to look back and see the extent of the larch tree forest below.
I was very impressed by the extent of the larch trees on Saddleback Pass – they were way better than expected. The Saddleback Mountain hike is a really good alternative to the Larch Valley hike.
For additional ideas, check out our list of great larch tree hikes in Alberta.
Saddleback Pass Hike Stats
Distance: The round-trip distance of the Saddleback hiking trail is 7.4km (one-way distance of 3.7km).
Elevation Gain: The total elevation gain you’ll encounter on your way to the Saddleback Pass is 595m (for an average of 161m elevation gain per 1km). The Saddleback Mountain hike starts at 1,740m above sea level and the elevation of the Saddleback Pass is 2,321m.
Difficulty: The incline of the Saddleback Pass hike is reasonably steady from the shores of Lake Louise to the Saddleback Pass. At an average 16% grade, it’s a good workout, but it’s definitely manageable for most hikers.
Parks Canada rates the Saddleback Mountain hike as “difficult”, but we don’t think it’s that hard. We rate the Saddleback hike as “moderate”.
Duration: It should take a typical adult about 1.5 hours to hike the full round-trip distance of the Saddleback Mountain hike.
Saddleback Pass Trail Location
How to Get from Banff to the Saddleback Mountain hike trailhead: The nearest parking lot to the Saddleback Mountain hike trailhead is the main Lake Louise parking lot near the Chateau Lake Louise. This parking lot charges for parking in the summer – if it’s full, try these free Lake Louise parking lots.
The fastest way to get to the Lake Louise parking lot from Banff is to drive west along the TransCanada Highway to the Lake Louise interchange. This very scenic drive should take you approximately 45 minutes from the Town of Banff.
Note that parking is very competitive at Lake Louise and access to the entire area is often completely shut down. If you are planning on visiting Lake Louise on a weekend or during the September larch tree season, get there as early as possible.
A better way of getting to Lake Louise is to book a spot on one of the Parks Canada shuttle buses. We have a full post about the Lake Louise shuttle bus with everything you need to know.
The Chateau Lake Louise is also home to several of the best Lake Louise hikes:
Lake Agnes Trail: A short, steep, and very popular hike to the beautiful Lake Agnes. Be sure to stop at the Lake Agnes Teahouse to reward yourself! Extend your hike with challenging add-ons such as Devils Thumb, the Big Beehive and/or the Little Beehive.
Plain of the Six Glaciers Trail: Hike the full length of Lake Louise, then continue into the heart of an incredible mountain amphitheater for an up-close look at some huge Lake Louise glaciers. Soak in the majesty of the Victoria Glacier while enjoying chocolate cake and coffee at the Plain of Six Glaciers Tea House.
Lake Louise Lakefront Trail: This super-easy hiking trail offers a ton of incredible scenery for very little effort.
Fairview Mountain Trail: A hike to the top of Fairview Mountain, which hugs the southern shore of Lake Louise.
Fairview Lookout Trail: An easy walk to a lookout on the north slope of Fairview Mountain. Enjoy excellent views of Lake Louise and the Chateau Lake Louise sitting proudly at its eastern shore.
Chateau Lake Louise parking lot
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The Saddleback Mountain hike made our list – now check out the rest of the Best Hikes in Banff National Park.
Saddleback Pass Hiking Map
The Saddleback Pass hike is really easy to follow; once you find the trailhead (right by the Lake Louise photography platform) simply follow the signs all the way to the Saddleback Pass.
We used the AllTrails app while hiking Saddleback Mountain, but to be honest, we didn’t need it for navigation purposes. We use AllTrails for all our hiking and biking in the Canadian Rockies and around the world. In addition to helping stay on the trails, we like the ability to track our stats (distance, elevation gain, etc.).
To find the Saddleback Mountain hiking trail map in AllTrails, simply click here for the “Saddle Mountain Via Paradise Valley Trail”. You are close enough to Lake Louise village that you should get intermittent cell service on your Saddleback Mountain hike, but just to be safe, download your hiking maps prior to leaving.
A recent App of the Year winner, AllTrails is also one of the best apps for visiting Banff! Enjoy map downloads and many more premium features with a 7-day free trial of AllTrails+!
Hiking Saddleback Pass Trail with Kids
Our kids have grown up in the Canadian Rocky Mountains and at age 5 & 7 are pretty normal kids, but are capable little hikers. They have successfully hiked Wind Ridge (my favorite Kananaskis hike) and the Lost City in Colombia.
We haven’t attempted hiking Saddleback Mountain with our kids yet, but given they accomplished Wind Ridge, I expect they could easily do Saddleback Mountain as well (with enough time and patience, of course).
Before attempting the Saddleback Pass hike with kids, we recommend looking at the Saddleback Pass hike stats above and making sure your kids are capable of the physical exertion.
You’ll be gaining 161m of elevation for every 1km hiked towards the top of the Saddleback Pass hiking trail. This is an average 16% incline – it’s not easy, but most kids in reasonable shape should be ok…
Where to Stop for Lunch or a Break
The best place to stop along this excellent Lake Louise hike is at the top when you reach Saddleback Pass. The Saddleback Pass is a large, open rocky meadow with plenty of rocks to plop down on for a well deserved rest.
From here, you will enjoy excellent views of Fairview Mountain and Saddle Mountain. And yes, in the fall, you can enjoy the surrounding larch trees as well!.
The Saddleback Mountain hike is very close to Lake Louise village, so be sure to reward yourself after this difficult hike at one of the excellent restaurants in Lake Louise.
Wildlife Safety
When hiking in Banff National Park, you are responsible for your own safety. Before hitting the hiking trails we highly recommend you read our Essential Banff Hiking Tips for information about bear safety, trail conditions, wildlife warnings and possible closures.
Saddleback Pass Hike Logistics
On-leash dogs are allowed on the Saddleback trail.
Mountain biking is not allowed.
There are several washrooms in the Lake Louise parking lot. There are no toilets on the Saddleback Mountain trail, but there are lots of trees to duck into if you need to. On weekends and during larch tree season, the crowds will make it harder to go. It’s best if everyone goes before they begin the hike.
There are no drinking water facilities on Saddleback Mountain, so fill your refillable water bottles or hydration packs before you leave.
Lake Louise is a world-famous destination known for its stunning natural beauty and excellent hiking opportunities. Accordingly, the Lake Louise parking lot fills up very early, even on weekdays. When Lake Louise gets too full, Parks Canada will actually put up roadblocks to prevent additional cars from entering. No matter when you come to Lake Louise, get here as early as possible.
You should get intermittent cell service from Lake Louise Village for most of the hike, but never count on it for your safety.
What to Bring on the Saddleback Mountain Hike
As the Saddleback Mountain Trail is a moderate Banff day-hike, you need to be properly prepared for a day of safe hiking in the mountains. Before hitting the trail, please take the time to review our recommended hiking equipment for Banff National Park.
Don’t let all the pictures of larch trees fool you – the Saddleback Mountain hike is beautiful any time of the year. Whenever you go, we hope you enjoy your day hiking in Lake Louise!
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Dan Brewer, a life-long Alberta resident, calls Canmore home along with his wife and two kids. He is the co-owner of Travel Banff Canada, where he gets to share his passion for the Canadian Rocky Mountains. Dan, along with his family, love being outdoors doing one of the many activities they enjoy in the mountains: hiking, mountain biking, paddleboarding, skiing, snowshoeing and cross-country skiing.
When he's not in Canmore enjoying one of his favourite local hikes, you can find him hoping on a plane to explore a new country with his family or working on one of their other two travel sites: Family Can Travel and Baby Can Travel.