Heart Mountain (Canmore, AB)
This is a great scramble that lies east of Canmore. It is about an hour and twenty minute drive from Calgary. I did this hike with 6 of my friends, and it was definitely a challenge and had amazing views. One of my friends, who was not used to scrambles, was a bit scared of the loose shale, but we all conquered this mountain in the end. It is pretty difficult for a novice hiker because the exposed area on the ridge has a lot of loose shale. Additionally, the day we went the wind was quite strong on the face, so all of earths elements made it a bit more difficult to climb. This is the ascent and return not the loop. For directions on the much harder loop trail check it out here.
Heart Mountain Hike Info
- Difficulty – difficult steep scrambles and lots of loose rock
- Distance – 5km out and back
- Time Required – 5-6 hours
- Elevation Gain – 750m elevation gain
- Highest Altitude – 2135m altitude
- Hiking Class – scramble
The trail starts off quite easily from the parking lot because it is part of Heart Creek Trail, which is a leisurely 5km walk. km in to the trail you will see a sign for Heart Mountain and from here you will veer left. The mountain trail starts off quite steep and will take you out of the tree line quite quickly. The front side of the mountain is a scramble and is quite difficult, but it soon takes you to a false peak that has great views.
From here you can choose to go back the way you came, which is quite hard going down amongst all of the loose shale, or go along the ridge to complete the horseshoe. The ridge takes you south for another kilometer or so, where you will then descend making the hike a loop back to the parking lot. We chose to do the loop and I would highly reccommend this option because you get different views from the east side.
Heart Mountain Hike Directions
To get to the trail from Calgary you follow Highway #1. You will see a sign on the right for the turn off for the Heart Creek Traill. It is off of the off Lac Des Arc overpass. The Parking lot is quite big and has an outhouse. As mentioned, you will follow the Heart Creek Trail on the left for about a 1 km, until you see the sign to summit Heart Mountain.
Have More Time In The Area?
You are only about 30 minute drive from Banff National Park check out our best 3 day itinerary
To see the other side of the Canmore valley Ha Ling peak has amazing views!
