Ha Ling Peak: A Steep Hike in Kananaskis, Alberta

On Sunday, May 28th, we decided to get out on our first hike of the season. I had done Ha Ling in 2018, but the hike has been restored since and new stairs constructed along the trail. Last year the area was closed for work on the road, so I was anxious to get out and try the hike again.

We had a busy spring and didn’t have a chance to get out to the mountains before this weekend, but we got very lucky with the weather. There was rain predicted starting around 3 pm, but as changing weather is typical for the region, we were prepared for any weather. I always recommend bringing a rain jacket, or full rain gear if you have it. If you want to see my post about what to bring hiking you can find it here.

Getting to Ha Ling

We started the hike at exactly 10 am. There was an event at the Canmore Nordic Centre which cause some traffic along the Three Sisters Parkway (which turns into the Smith-Dorrein Trail) and caused a small delay. The hike is just outside of the Canmore area, but the easiest way to get here from Calgary is Highway 1 to exit 93 on the Three Sisters Parkway (Highway 742). Follow this road up the pass. Drive carefully as some sections of the road are steep and narrow.

We brought our dog along, for the first hike of the season. Dogs are allowed on Ha Ling (and are frequently accompanying their owners), but as with any provincial park they are supposed to be on leash to prevent any issues with wildlife. I have seen mountain goats on Ha Ling before, so there are certainly many animals in the area.

Hiking Ha Ling Trail

The beginning of the trail is across highway 742 from the parking lot. After crossing the water, we started through the forest section of the hike. Ha Ling is a 7.8 km hike to the peak and back according to the Alberta Parks trail report with 810 m of elevation. This results in a very steep trail for its entire duration, gaining around 200 metres every kilometre. However, this is a popular and busy trail, and is very established. The trail is about a metre wide in most places.

The trail on Ha Ling consists of long, steep switchbacks. At the top of the fourth switchback, you reach a viewpoint on the northwest end of Ha Ling. You can see a great view of East End of Rundle and the surrounding area. There is a new fence along the edge of the viewpoint to prevent hikers from stepping too far off the cliff for a photo.

Following Leave-No-Trace on a Busy Trail

There are numerous signs the request hikers to stay on the trail, and I need to stress how important it is to follow these signs. Straying off trail is detrimental to the wildlife in the area, both animal and plant life. As well, it can be dangerous for the hikers, especially if they are inexperienced or if unexpected extreme weather rolls in.

On a busy mountain like Ha Ling, it is especially important to stay on trail as the environmental impact from high traffic is already impacting the area, we do not need to exasperate this effect. Part of Leave-No-Trace includes staying on marked trails.

Ha Ling Peak: The Final Stretch

The elevation of the hike started getting to be in the final stretch as we began to break the tree line. We had brought Gatorade for extra electrolytes which were helpful for the final stretch.

After a section of stone steps, we reached the first set of wooden stairs. These steep steps were part of the new construction on the trail done a few years ago. The first set is the longest unbroken section of the three sets. There is a side for each direction of traffic coming up or down the hill, and the steps are set a bit further from each other than a typical set of stairs. Our dog was not a fan of the steps, so keep in mind that this may be a challenging area if you do bring your pets.

After the third set of stairs we were a short distance from the saddle. Our pup started to lie down on the trail and we realized the hike may have been a little too much for his first time out this year. We decided to stop at the saddle and skip the last 100 metres of elevation to the peak. This section of the trail is a bit of a scramble. We reached the top of our hike at around 12:30pm, taking us two and a half hours to reach the top. We ate lunch on the saddle where you can see the Bow Valley area and Canmore below on the opposite side of the valley from the trail.

The Descent

After a refueling and rehydrating at the top, we began to head back down the trail. The weather turned while we were eating and a few drops of rain began to hit us. However, shortly after we began the descent, the sun came back out. It took us about an hour and forty minutes to hike back down, mostly due to my knees which were ill-equipped to deal with the steep descent. If you struggle with elevation for any reason, this might not be the hike for you, but if you can manage, the view is really incredible.