Prairie Mountain is a short, steep trail in Kananaskis, just under 20 minutes from Bragg Creek along Highway 66. It is a fantastic early season hike, as it is lower in elevation than the mountains in western Kananaskis and Banff, while still offering beautiful views.
Prairie Mountain is hike-able year-round, making it a popular shoulder season trail. I hiked this trail just last weekend, on May 9, and had previously done the trail in 2018 before recent maintenance was completed. Now, the trail is clear and well-defined. There are a few intersections with Elbow Valley Trail at the beginning, so make sure to follow the trail signs here.
Prairie Mountain Trail Summary
- Difficulty: Moderate-Difficult
- Distance: 8.4 km round trip
- Elevation: 675 metres
- Trail type: Out-and-back
- Time: 3-5 hours
- Trailhead: Elbow Falls Parking Lot
Start the hike to Prairie Mountain by parking at Elbow Falls. The trailhead starts directly across Highway 66 and there is a marked crosswalk leading to the trailhead.
Prairie Mountain Detailed Trail Description
The hike starts uphill immediately. You ascend the trail through a forest of aspen around a short switchback to a beautiful viewpoint over the Elbow Valley. Keep an eye out here as the trail intersects with Elbow Valley Trail. These intersections are clearly marked with orange trail signs.
After the viewpoint, the trail heads northwest, directly towards Prairie Mountain, steadily gaining elevation. The trail doesn’t have many switchbacks here, but there are a couple, paired with stone steps depending on your preference.
Every so often, there is a break in the trees offering a view of the surrounding area. Vents Ridge is visible to the left, a smaller ridge with a brief rocky outcropping that serves as that hike’s summit. There are several flat stone benches set up near these viewpoints if you need a rest from the consistent elevation gain.
You’ll pass through sections of forest with lots of downed trees. Prior to trail maintenance, there was lots of trail braiding through this section, but now the main path is clearly defined. Shortly after the section with the downed trees, you’ll reach the final ascent.
Reaching the Summit
The final stretch before the summit is rocky and above the treeline. During this section of the hike, the weather started to turn and it hailed tiny pieces of ice for a couple minutes before subsiding.
As always, remember that weather can change quickly in the mountains, so it’s a good idea to bring layers for any conditions. My first time on the trail was in mid-August, and it snowed, so you never know!
The summit of the trail holds a Canada flag, where most hikers like to take a group photo. Be courteous of the others on the trail and find somewhere a little ways from the flag if you’re planning to stop for lunch so everyone has a chance with the photo op.
In total, the hike to Prairie Mountain summit took us about 2 hours. We spent around 30 minutes at the top, taking in the views, eating lunch, and capturing photos.
Beyond Prairie Mountain, to the northwest, you can see Moose Mountain. You can even catch sight of parts of the access road along the way. On the other side of Prairie Mountain summit, you get views of Nihahi Ridge and the true Rocky Mountains. In May, these peaks are still all snow covered, making them extra spectacular to view (although not ideal to climb).
The Return Hike
The hike back down went by quickly. As it’s an out-and-back trail, you follow the same route back to the trailhead. Although the hike is a bit of a grind, the grade of the trail wasn’t too steep and personally didn’t bother my knees too badly (I often find downhill to be hard on them). The sky brightened up and the threat of rain passed on our way down. It took us about an hour and 20 minutes to get from the summit back to the parking lot, totalling around 3 hours and 50 minutes with lunch included.
