Foran Grade Trail is a short and sweet ridge trail in the foothills of the Sheep River Valley. It is located just passed the Sandy McNabb campground and the winter gates on Sheep River Road (Township Road 194A). It’s a pleasant ridge walk in the foothills, offering beautiful mountain views with a gentle total elevation. The drive takes about an hour from Calgary, less if you’re coming from the south end of the city.
The trail makes for a great spring or early summer hike, letting you warm up your hiking muscles and enjoy the wildflowers before higher elevation hikes are safe to ascend. It’s also a nice option for anyone looking for a relaxed, half-day excursion. You’ll pass through Diamond Valley on the way, making an easy spot after for a snack, coffee, or drink at the Eau Claire Distillery, Chuckwagon Cafe, or Black Sheep Coffee.
Foran Grade Trail Summary
- Difficulty: Easy
- Distance:Â 6 km round trip
- Elevation:Â 240 metres
- Trail type: Out-and-back
- Time:Â 2.5-3.5 hours
- Trailhead: Foran Grade Trailhead
The trailhead for Foran Grade has a small gravel roadside pullout where about 6-8 cars can park. The trail here leads from the approximate centre of the roadside stop and heads perpendicular away from the road.
Detail Trail Description
Foran Grade Trail begins with a short trail from the road to a cow gate. You can unwind the chain to open the gate, but be sure to close it once you’re through. The gate prevents cattle from getting onto the road if they’re grazing in the area.
Once through the gate, a clear trail winds through the meadow. You’re following an old vehicle track, with two parallel paths where the wheels would have passed through. We walked along this path, curving around the meadow before starting the slight incline towards the ridge.
Once the trail begins its true ascent, the path narrows into a single trail. You climb through a forested area, but the incline isn’t too steep. Once you arrive at the top of the ridge (climbing about 100 metres), the trail begins a slight rolling section, down and then up to a viewpoint where the trees to the west open up for a beautiful vista over Sheep River.
Looking out over the view of Sheep River Valley, you can see both Sheep River Road and Sheep River itself snaking through the valley, side by side. The river was a muddy brown, due to the recent snowmelt and heavy rains at the end of May and first week of June.
To the left of the river, I could see Mount Hoffman, my first summer trail of the season last year. This year, the mountains hold a lot more snow, despite hiking a week later than last year in the area. We ate lunch at the viewpoint before continuing along the ridge. At the top of the ridge, off towards the northeast, you can catch a glimpse of the skyscrapers that make up Calgary’s downtown.
Wildflowers Along Foran Grade Trail
Foran Grade is known for the wildflowers in the area. I would guess that our hike on June 6 was about 2 weeks before they peak, as we saw evidence of 9 different types of wildflowers, but many were not yet in full bloom.
From budding Alberta wild roses to wild strawberries, early blue violets and a single arnica flower, we saw a variety of Kananaskis’s own native wildflowers. I’d recommend hiking here between mid to late June to see the flowers in all their glory.
Descending the Trail
We hiked Foran Grade as an out-and-back trail; however you can also hike to the junction with Windy Point Trail and connect with Sheep Trail to create a loop back to the trail head. The descent was easy, although some of the loose rocks on the way down posed a tripping hazard. We completed the route in about 2.5 hours. Our post-hike snack at Black Sheep Coffee was great, as always!
