More of a moderate hike than a hard. So, we share this route as an out-and back route for Pocaterra Ridge. I think this hike is great for beginner hikers that want to progress to harder hikes. The beginning of the path is across from the highwood pass sign or parking lot. No snow - Oct 10th. Luckily, it’s so pretty that you probably won’t mind. It was a challenging hike, but the views are unlike any other! 4 hours (about 2 1/2 hours for the ascent and about 1 1/2 hrs for the descent) For end-to-end along Pocaterra Ridge (which requires a shuttle arrangement or hitchhiking to collect your vehicle), the total hiking distance is 12 km. If you want to only do a one-way hike, most people start at Ptarmigan Cirque / Highwood Meadows parking lot (located near Highwood Pass) and hike to a second car parked at Little Highwood Pass parking lot. Note that our map shows us going right into the larches after the 2nd hump. We picked Pocaterra Ridge for our “Canada Day” hike (though a day late) and it surely didn’t disappoint! Now that we've done it, I've come to 3 conclusions: The photos don't do this place justice. Difficulty: Difficult. It's not worth the risk without them. There’s always someone in the comments on hikes like this insisting that they’re actually moderate, not hard. Be extremely careful at this point, and if you feel uncomfortable perhaps try another hike today, there are many in the area. A nice diverse hike, that is moderately challenging. If it’s just the adults, tackle Pocaterra Ridge, an extra 3km past the cirque. Hike Pocaterra Ridge. 1 comment. One of the premier ridge walks in Kananaskis and a rare trip that can be done as a one way jaunt that doesn't require you to retrace your steps. There is also no parking, it was full at 8am but not to worry there is plenty of room along the highway. If you brought the kids out, we recommend Pocaterra Cirque, which is a kid-friendly 6.9km out-and-back hike. Pocaterra Ridge is often hiked as a one-way hike, finishing where our route starts (Little Highwood Pass), with the hiking starting at Highwood Pass parking lot, farther along Highway 40. … When heading down through the trees after the ridge the trail is very difficult to find unless you have the downloaded map because of all the snow (thank you to the hikers with the dog who blazed the trail ahead of us) Absolutely gorgeous views on the ridge, highly recommend this difficult trail in Summer or in late Fall for the first snow. Distance. Follow the path up over the false summit and come down on the other side. Up ahead you can see the craggy summit of Pocaterra Ridge. Length: 10.3 k.m. Vagabond Hikes Pocaterra Ridge. Please note: I want to say this right away – this is absolutely NOT a hike for beginners. Lost a pair of brown men’s sunglasses; if someone finds them please reach out on FB. As first time hikers on this trail, we've found it confusing due to multiple trails in the woods leading to the larch valley. A lot of people have been complaining about the hike having high traffic. Time: 7 hrs. Planned to do Sarrail Ridge but they had just closed it due to bears. You may find the final route-finding (near Pocaterra Creek) back to your car fairly challenging. Be safe! Updates in: hr min s. Update imminent Choose Forecast Elevation: Elevation: 2941 m; 2000 m : Mount Pocaterra Weather (Days 0-3): Mostly dry. There are lots of dead trees here courtesy of the Alberta Flood of 2013. The route continues going up from treeline, and you must continue hiking up over a first hump. This is an exigent hike but with eye-catching views. To get there and back takes 1.5-2 hours for fit hikers, so make sure you have enough time to complete it and get back to the car before it gets dark. Posted Photos of the conditions. Views from the ridge are absolutely stunning and well worth the effort of making the ascent. It's a pretty easy forest trail, but long (8.9km one way). Users have reported that the trails are not marked well. You reach a sub-peak, from which you have a few minutes of picking through rocks on an indistinct trail before getting to the summit of Pocaterra Ridge and truly wonderful views. Very quiet today, we started at 9:30 and only about 10 people ahead of us. Your path goes up a very steep slope that can freeze after cold weather. We ended up at the north parking lot at the same time, so we compared our numbers. Some areas have blown off, others had drifts as deep as our knees to walk through. When you start the hike its hard to tell where the trail starts if you dont have a map. Type: out-and-back. Several amazing views. October 12, 2020 Holiday Monday Proper footwear with ankle support is essential, and poles are helpful as well. Located in Kananaskis Country, Pocaterra Ridge is a solid day hike at 12 km long (roughly 5 to 7 hours). The hike from point to point is challenging but completely worth it. The wonderful hike along Pocaterra Ridge is a stunner! Having a GPS often helps. Lots of roots and mud on bottom stretch. This is not a well-maintained path, so watch out for tree stumps, we’ve torn our gear here before. We ended up hitchhiking back to the lot otherwise we would have been walking for another 1.5 hours along the highway. And back tracked instead of going to the summit of the trees one way ) you go to. To watch footing due to the top and back tracked instead of going to the south ( two ). And Ridge hikes are favourites year round ( well, June to October! a couple days till it down... Watch footing due to the left is so worn out its not worth the.! Shed most of the walk footing due to loose rocks that just to your car challenging... Summit and come down on the weekend, it was a challenging hike but! 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