The campgrounds would obviously be reversed if you did it this way. Eventually, you will come across a metal survey stake which marks the Continental Divide. At this point, it was about 9 pm so the sun was just beginning to set. This is a rather uninspiring way to end an incredible hike. Mount King George dominates the western horizon. Adam points towards Northover mountain, you can see the faint trail that heads up the side towards Northover ridge on the left. The route to Northover Ridge traverses below the southwest face of Mount Northover before climbing to the col at far left. Your next waypoint after hiking around Hidden Lake is to go UP. We consider Aster Lake one of the most beautiful campgrounds we’ve ever stayed at so would recommend making a stop there. 25.8.2013 megan 9 Comments. McHarg and Mt. 10/10 an unreal, beautiful hike with the most gorgeous ridge walk, beautiful mountain ranges, waterfalls, wild flowers, lakes, and glaciers. There is a small waterfall right at the campsite that hardly gets a mention. The weapon consisted of a hollow metal tube attached to a tripod, with a rudimentary breech at one end. Luckily for us, the girls we banded up with after the bear sighting gave us a lift back to our car so we avoided the slog along the road. Fantastic journey - waterfalls, ridges, refreshing swims, spectacular views, but hampered by smoke. The way back to the trail was challenging, steep to the point of being dangerous, and required experience manoeuvring around mixed-scree. The trail may disappear, briefly, in the drainage above the lake – keep to your right as you cross the drainage, and the trail will eventually become visible heading up the ridge. Not as dangerous as described but be careful. We're biased but I think going clockwise was the right choice. The Trail climbs quickly with numerous cairns marking the way before turning to the right behind Mount Northover. On another note: we’d really love to book the campings that you mention, but each day that we check the possible dates, they are ALWAYS booked full immediately… Do you really have to wait until 3 months in advance or can you reserve dates for August easier buy phone? Most will do this trip as a 3-day backpacking adventure with stops at the Aster Lake and Three Isle Lake backcountry campgrounds. A windbreaker and gloves are essential for the ridge. After 4km of steep descent, you will arrive at Forks Campground which makes an excellent place to stop for a snack or lunch before filling up your water and heading the rest of the way out. One Year of Log Cabin Building / One Man Building His Dream House - Duration: 2:10:36. Easy ramps provide access along the ridge with somewhat helpful ducks along the way. After about 1km you’ll hit the Rawson Lake junction where you’ll ditch the crowds and continue following the lake. As long as you’re on the British Columbia side (which the tarns are) you do not need a permit. Enjoy the relative level-terrain as you hike in the shadow of Mount Northover, soon enough you will have to climb straight up a scree-slope to the ridge. In wetter seasons, I imagine that you would have to hike directly through the stream, but since it was so dry, we were tricked by the wrong well-marked trail. Two round the world travellers and our guide for adding a little zen to your adventures. We knew the remaining day ahead of us would difficult, but not insurmountable considering how long Alberta summer days are, so we decided to give it a try. The trail offers a number of activity options and is best used from April until September. These can be purchased online through Alberta Parks. W1893 Semke Road Coon Valley, WI 54623 608.452.3220 info@nrcwi.com (To be fair, we’d bagged 7 peaks by the time we hit that slog.) This would, of course, come back to haunt us, but we’ll get to that. I’m glad that we did the through-hike and completed the ridge, but I don’t like being this stressed on during my de-stressing activities. I looked a little down the path and sure enough, only 50 or so metres away, a young male grizzly was nibbling on some berries right on the trail. The trail begins on the Upper Kananaskis Lake trail. So while I would be thrilled to come back to the area, I could see myself only hiking up to the ridge to look around but not traversing it. The Copelands recommend beginning at Interlake which makes the trail steeper in the beginning but would likely make the route finding easier. You’ll also see a small tarn that is technically on the British Columbia side of the border where wilderness camping is allowed. Then, as normally described, you would climb some steep, loose rock (often rated 5.7), to enter a gully of loose 3rd class that brings you to the col. Campgrounds book up quickly, especially on weekends, so plan your trip in advance and check their excellent vacancy calendar! To that end, opinionated experts such as the Copelands who wrote Don’t Waste Your Time in the Canadian Rockies, give it such a resounding recommendation that we knew that it had to be part of our Alberta Bucketlist. Worthington along with the classic Northover Ridge hiking traverse in one day and I was glad that Grant (Granticulus) was… The Mountaineers define scrambling as follows: “Alpine Scrambles are off-trail trips, often on snow or rock, with a ‘non-technical’ summit as a destination. It’s probably still snowing there now honestly. The smell inside was pretty awful when we were there, but the view from the loo more than made up for it. Having hiked the Iceline Trail earlier in the summer and the Skyline Trail in Jasper last summer we were feeling pretty confident in our ability to complete the trail despite it’s challenging reputation. The picture of Mount Northover? The key is to stay on the left side of the ridge except for a brief foray over to the right to bypass the crux. Some trails or park services may be closed this weekend so check with local authorities before heading out. As Dan and Kelly hike north toward the col, Mount Joffre (3450 metres) begins to dominate the view southward. Doable in a day for sure. When you see a metal sign that’s your cue to go straight rather than keep following the nicer wider more intuitive trail. Descend the scree slope toward a meadow and stick to the right of the meadow where there is a faint path. This trip was my first backcountry trip and I have done it again since its one of the most spectacular. Exposed on both sides, a fall or stumble would likely prove fatal, so exercise extreme caution on the ridge! Once you gain enough altitude you’ll clear the forest and come across a bit of a scrambly section. It cuts into the BC backcountry and over the incredibly scenic Northover Ridge. This portion is steep but the views that begin to open up make it worthwhile. It would be virtually impossible to lose the trail with the advantage of descending the ridge toward Aster Lake. But it will be all worth the work for those views. Appreciating its majestic mountain views will help you transcend the assault on your olfactory senses. Enjoy!! Spectacular hike! Good luck! It is advisable to get there as early as possible as the parking lot can fill up during summer weekends. The plan had always been to do it in a day, and finally we had chosen the day. Did it in a day. Manage current and past orders; Get real-time progress updates; Best of all, it's FREE! This is an absolutely gorgeous campground. The trail straddles the continental divide between Alberta and British Columbia and is a considered a very challenging trip due to a narrow ridgewalk and the need for advanced route finding skills as we learned all too clearly (more on that later). We chose one closer to the river but nestled against a small cliff to profit from its shelter. It can be done in either direction, starting at Upper Kananaskis Lake or Interlake . You’ll see several gully’s/moraines. Despite these challenges, the path through meandering wilderness, breathtaking views,  and exhilarating climax atop the ridge adds to its reputation as one of the best backpacking trips in Alberta. Northover Ridge Route . This was exceedingly difficult considering we had heavy packs on which were throwing off our balance. There are a few campsites spread out amongst the grass and along the river, and they are typically marked with a square pad lined with logs. So, to be clear, if you’re leaving Aster Lake Campground, hike the clearly-defined trail to along the shore of Aster Lake. Northover Ridge on the WLH book is stated as 33.7km, 1180m gain. Few trails in the Alberta Rockies are as challenging but immensely rewarding as the Northover Ridge hike. The ridge was windy but no crawling was necessary. Myself and a friend completed this aug 14-16 (two nights, three days) going counter clockwise (three isle and then the tarns). Northover Ridge may have to wait, and spending another night at Aster Lake was a pretty amazing consolation prize in our eyes. The stake also marks the point where you could leave your pack and hike up to the summit. For those who are not aware, scrambling differs from hiking in a number of ways. With 350+ years shared experience in the industry we are able to maintain our high level of personal customer service, quick turnaround times plus lifetime guarantees all round. Hey Zentravellers! The most underrated multi day hike that is well worth the effort it takes to get to both lakes. With that option of an exit in mind, we aimed toward where we thought the real Northover Ridge ascent began. While the ridge provides some of the most expansive and rewarding views in all of the Alberta Rockies, it is not without its drawbacks. Highly recommend. We were definitely sore by the end of it but honestly the experience was quite fun and views incredible! It is very narrow and some people may find it difficult to cross, present company included. Don't have a Ridge Top Account? The first thing you’ll see when you reach Aster Lake Campground will be it’s green “privy” (toilet). The right cairns! With the false confidence of a defined path and cairns pointing the way, we continued on over difficult, slabby terrain for more than 3 hours in the wrong direction. North Ridge is the technical brand from Go Outdoors. Courtland Penk 1,096 views. A couple minute walk further along the trail will reveal the straight-out-of-Lord-of-the-Rings Aster Lake. This ridge is a lot about mind games and it helped to be belayed by rope and harness. Hike with the lake on your right and aim toward a grassy knoll directly opposite the lake. I had thought about combing Mt. Where the meadow empties onto a creekbed, hike straight across and ignore the continued draw to the left. Did this as a day hike today, Sep 21, in 9h21m moving time. North Ridge roofing put in our Core Ten project and over the last 2 years its began to show off its natural beauty. One small bonus of hiking so late in the day was that we were able to get an “alpenglow” picture, where the sun bathes an opposing peak in pink dusky light. Here is another Northover Ridge intinerary and very good warnings etc from a calgary backpacking club: Northover Ridge is described as the best hike in Kananaskis! We were dead tired but relieved to not have to walk any further that day. The views on the ridge are some of the most outstanding that I've seen. Stunning! Phil yelled to let him know we were near which made him take notice of us and move off the path. In a perfect world, we would have arrived in good time to secure our actual spot, and explore a little around the lakes without our packs. Although the chances of the backcountry police showing up to see if you have your permit and are camping in the designated campground are small, by not paying for and reserving a spot ahead of time, you rob Alberta Parks of much-needed funds to conserve the wilderness that we all love so much. Sep.12-14 first night at Aster Lake, second night at 3 Isle Lake. This is an excellent campground for those that want to enjoy one of their first backcountry experiences in Kananaskis. We’d love to do this trail this summer, thanks to your very clear overview! North Ridge Construction. We also learned that sometimes the clearly well defined path is NOT the one you need to be on for this trail, and so it can be easy to miss an exit. As an aside, we are fairly experienced hikers. We provide beautiful, quality homes and neighbourhoods across our province. We were eager to get down so exploring the lakes will have to wait until another day! It cuts into the BC backcountry and over the incredibly scenic Northover Ridge. The trip will be just over 32 km (20 mi) long with an elevation gain of ~1180 m (3871 ft). Mount Northover is a very challenging scramble but you can also hike up to a nice scenic lookout, which is a good option for non-mountain goats. The Northover Projector was designed by Home Guard officer Robert Harry Northover to act as a makeshift anti-tank weapon, and was put into production in 1940 following a demonstration to the Prime Minister, Winston Churchill. There’s only one thing we can’t figure out: do we need a special permit to enter this part of the park? We knew which direction to go in, but could not find a route. Description To do this hike in its most common form start at the Interlakes parking lot by Upper Kananaskis Lake. There was one time when the downspout was full of ice and I had to manually remove it in order to make it work properly . Northover Mountain in the distance with the ridgeline to the left. This looked pretty gorgeous and if you’re a strong hiker you could likely cut the trip down to two days as the tarn is roughly at the halfway point. From your starting point at the lake, hike West along a well-defined and likely rather busy trail around Upper Kananaskis Lake. If Aster Lake is booked up, British Columbia allows wilderness camping and the tarn we mentioned just past the continental divide would be a good place to spend the night. Rating: 5 of 5 Difficulty: Hard Length: ~33Km Elevation gain: ~1100m . Ahead, enjoy views of Warrior Mountain and take note of its features so that you don’t make the same mistake we did….again, more on that later. The ridge continues straight for a time before drawing the left with a cairn to mark the turn. Exceptional views and the ascent is split into two major sections which makes it easier than just going up 2200m in one go. We do not want any of you to make the same mistake as us since there could be serious consequences. Amazing. When the descent path joined the mostly level Kananaskis Lakes trail, two girls informed us that there was a bear on the trail just ahead of us. The mount tops have a dusting of snow and I think winter is here to stay in the valleys above the Kananaskis Lakes! Deep in the heart of Kananaskis Country (a series of provincial parks that are closer to Calgary and less busy than Banff National Park), Northover Ridge is a 36km loop that takes the average hiker about 3 days. The Iceline Loop (full loop, not dayhike trail) is 30km, 1100m gain. Aster Lake is easily one of the most beautiful backcountry campgrounds we’ve ever had the pleasure to enjoy. So we’re not the first to make a mistake on this trail even that day, but we were the only ones so foolhardy as to leave Aster Lake as late as 11:00 am. We’re not writing this to deter anyone from doing the hike, it has been called the best hiking trail in the Canadian Rockies after all, but it is no Grassi Lakes, so it’s important to be prepared. After the initial challenging first step, it continues with wide footing with views to the southwest (I think) of the Continental Divide and Joffre Creek on the left, and a massive cornice and glacier on the right. Browse our products below or search by solution. Always Open. Unfortunately for us, some morally bankrupt miscreant decided to squat in our reserved and prepaid backcountry site at the campground, so we had no choice but to set up a random camping spot just outside the campground. Few trails in the Alberta Rockies are as challenging but immensely rewarding as the  Northover Ridge hike. There seemed to be a few trails leading the way. If you’re not used to this terrain, this step can be frightening but hold on to your butts, it’s going to get a lot worse. Only Banff, Elk Island, Jasper & Waterton Lakes are mentioned. Amazing views, amazing experience. To get to the trailhead from Calgary drive west on Highway One, turn south on Highway 40, then at the end of Highway 40, turn right onto Kananaskis Lakes Trail. At the top of the final ramp before the crux, the lack of any access on the east side makes the decision to cross the ridge … We (two 20yr/o females) trail ran a bit at the beginning and most of the flat parts on the way down, but we just had day packs - if you really want to run it I'd suggest getting a fitted running vest. "I'm calling 911," he says. We recommend leaving the door open while you’re in there. North Ridge Development Corp. offers best homes for sale in Saskatoon and area. This is where the ridge becomes less of a nice backpacking hike in the Rockies, and more of a difficult scramble. From here our day’s woes quickly melted away as the views opened up to a never-ending expanse of valleys. Instead, when we arrived it was pretty much night and the moon rose as we ate our dinner. Be prepared to hike at a 55% grade through snow as there was still quite a bit covering the passes. We considered turning back to Aster Lake campground, but we had not booked for that night and didn’t want to rob anyone of their spot. It’s cool nonetheless since it’s rare that you get to camp so close to a waterfall. The Iceline also has good trails the entire distance, compared to the mix on Northover. Attempted to do this in 2 nights on the last weekend of September. That being said, it was incredible and the snow made the larches and rivers look amazing. Better to plan ahead :). Once you reach Hidden Lake hike, take a few moments to enjoy the view of the tranquil water flanked by towering peaks. No need to rush! Check it out once there and hopefully you can, since it makes for a lot easier trekking. We use cookies and similar tools to enhance your shopping experience, to provide our services, understand how customers use our services so we can make improvements, and display ads. Just finished this hike with 2 girlfriends. Amazing experience. All of the campgrounds in this part of Kananaskis Country require a camping permit. Pick your favourite and go for it. From here you hike along a river creek and through a picturesque valley for about 1.5km.

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