Snowshoe Trails in Kananaskis

Chris — Sun, 06 Jan 2008 19:54:15 -0800

Unless tracked for cross country skiing, most hiking trails are suitable for snowshoeing. Due to the possibility of avalanches in some areas it is important to check with the Visitor Centres for the area in which you plan to snowshoe if you do not have the training to assess and address the risk of avalanches yourself. Because of a lack of snow over the last couple of years in parts of Kananaskis for dependable trail conditions Peter Lougheed Provincial Park is recommended. I like this area because I always get fantastic photos of the valley and surrounding mountains like in the photo below. If you are looking for snowshoe trails close to Calgary, try Peter Lougheed Provincial Park.

Peter Lougheed also has several dedicated snowshoe trails which were established for this activity.

Below is a list of these trails and a couple of others recommended by the Visitor Centre in the area in my order of preference. Where I have done a detailed description of the trail, clicking on the title will take you to the hike description.

Chester Lake
7.4 kilometers, 315 meters, 2-4 hour duration, PDF Map Available.

Rawson Lake
6.7 kilometers, 280 meter elevation gain, 2-4 hour duration.

Troll Falls
3.4 kilometers, 40 meters, 1-2 hour duration.

Sawmill Snowshoe Loop
5.1 kilometers, 121 meter elevation gain, 2-3 hour duration, PDF Map Available.

Hydroline to Elk Pass Snowshoe Trail, 12.2 kilometers, 220 meter elevation gain, 2-4 hour duration. See post for aerial PDF.

Hogarth Lakes Loop
4.5 kilometers, 43 meter elevation gain, 2-3 hour duration, PDF Map Available.

Penstock Lake
4.9 kilometers, 39 meters elevation gain, 1-3 hour duration. PDF Map Available.

Lower Lake Snowshoe Trail, 3.5 kilometers of linear lakeshore trail from either Canyon Day Use or William Watson Lodge, PDF Available.

Marsh Loop, 1.5 kilometer lop from William Watson Lodge, Gradual Uphill and Downhill, PDF Available.

Village Loops Snowshoe Trail, 2 loops totalling 3 kilometers with some hills and viewpoints, starting from Woody's parking lot trailhead, PDF Available.

Highway #40 Snowshoe Trail, 5 kilometers of linear trail from the winter gate, PDF Available.

The trailhead and a snapshot of some of the scenery at the destination is available via Google Maps.

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