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We will depart Edmonton early on Friday morning, driving directly to Kananaskis Country where we will begin our hike. My suggestion is for groups to leave at 7 AM, allowing us to reach the trailhead at noon, but this plan may be adjusted upon consultation with the group. Travel time (without stops) between Edmonton and our trailhead is approximately 4.5 hours.
Our main hike on Friday, during which we will be carrying our full packs, will be relatively moderate in intensity. The distance between the trailhead and The Forks campsite is 8 km, and there is a slight (65 m) elevation gain along this route. For the first 4 km of the hike we will be hiking alongside Upper Kananaskis Lake, while for the remaining 4 km we will gently rise through the forest.
The benefit of setting up camp at The Forks is that it will be an excellent base camp for further day hiking in the area through the rest of the weekend. Beyond The Forks campground, separate trails lead hikers towards North Kananaskis Pass and South Kananaskis Pass, and the real grunt-work, in terms of elevation gain, is along these stretches of trail. Higher elevation backcountry campsites can also be found at Turbine Canyon (along the trail leading towards North Kananaskis Pass) and Three Isle Lake (along the trail leading to South Kananaskis Pass). While only 3.7 km of trail separates the Three Isle campground from The Forks campground, in order to reach Three Isle Lake hikers must scale a headwall, gaining 400+ m of elevation over that stretch. The trail is beautiful (I can vouch for this myself, as I also led an EOC group that stayed overnight at Three Isle Lake several years ago), but it's a very tough hike to undertake while carrying a full 65L backpack. There are some steep sections as we scale the 300 m headwall (the park has installed stairs to help hikers get over the toughest sections, which used to require scrambling). The Maude-Lawson trail from The Forks to the Turbine Canyon campground (which I have not previously hiked) also requires 400+ m of elevation gain, but over a longer distance than the route to Three Isle Lake (6.3 km/430 m of elevation gain to the shore of Lawson Lake; Turbine Canyon is at the far end of the lake after hiking 1.9 km further).
As a group we will hike to at least Three Isle Lake and/or Turbine Canyon on Saturday, but while carrying lighter day packs rather than fully loaded 65L backpacks.
A minimum group size of 4 is needed for this trip to go ahead, and I plan to limit the group size to a maximum of 6. I will be pre-screening everyone who signs up to ensure that you are prepared to participate in a trip of this nature. If you would like to attend, please sign up on the waiting list. Please then send me an email outlining your previous hiking experience. In addition, please indicate if:
Dogs will be permitted on this trip (at my discretion). Park regulations do require that dogs are kept leashed while hiking.
| Required Items to Bring: Backpacking gear: i.e. a backpack, eating utensils, sleeping bag, sleeping pad, etc. Water, food Warm clothing in case of inclement weather Raincoat | | Recommended Items to Bring: Use our Event Checklists to make sure you have everything you need. Hiking poles Bear repellent Camera Water purifier Tent Backpacking stove First aid supplies |
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- Please scroll through and read the entire online waiver when you sign up.
- Details of this event are subject to undergo a change at any point in time, with or without warning.
Cancellation/Partial Attendance:
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