Hike with the lake on your right and aim toward a grassy knoll directly opposite the lake. Learn how your comment data is processed. After Aster Lake, you’ll enter a vast gravel/river bed. We will probably do the trail the other way around, so we can hopefully avoid the difficult routefinding part where you got lost. Northover Ridge is best done in a clockwise loop starting from the Interlakes Parking lot. Beautiful hike, saw a grizzly - bring bear spray . Northover Ridge Loop Trail is a 20.6 mile moderately trafficked loop trail located near Kananaskis Improvement, Alberta, Canada that features a lake and is only recommended for very experienced adventurers. Pretty cool. You need to know where you are going to not waste precious time, we used a gps track (+ brought a phone charger) and had no issues. This is perhaps why the Copelands recommend hiking Northover Ridge the other way. To get there, you hike along the picturesque and appropriately named Three Isle Lake, which features a chain of three small islands jutting through the middle. My Florida hiking legs will definitely have to work their way up to braving these trailings though. On another note: we’d really love to book the campings that you mention, but each day that we check the possible dates, they are ALWAYS booked full immediately… Do you really have to wait until 3 months in advance or can you reserve dates for August easier buy phone? Turbine Canyon and Maude Lake via Maude-Lawson Trail, Turbine Canyon to Three Isle Lake Backpacking Loop, Upper Kananaskis Lake Trail to Upper Kananaskis Falls, Upper Kananaskis Lake and Rawson Lake via Great Divide Trail, Aster Lake Trail through Three Isle Lake Trail. After hiking along the lake, we entered a pretty meadow filled with vibrant wildflowers. Hardly an inspiring way to start such a thrilling hike. Hopefully, you will have scored a parking spot in the lot so you can take a few moments to appreciate the beauty of the jewel-toned Upper Kananaskis Lake. From your starting point at the lake, hike West along a well-defined and likely rather busy trail around Upper Kananaskis Lake. With 350+ years shared experience in the industry we are able to maintain our high level of personal customer service, quick turnaround times plus lifetime guarantees all round. The rest of the trip to the tarns was easy to follow. At the top of the final ramp before the crux, the lack of any access on the east side makes the decision to cross the ridge … It would be virtually impossible to lose the trail with the advantage of descending the ridge toward Aster Lake. With the false confidence of a defined path and cairns pointing the way, we continued on over difficult, slabby terrain for more than 3 hours in the wrong direction. While the ridge provides some of the most expansive and rewarding views in all of the Alberta Rockies, it is not without its drawbacks. The trail may disappear, briefly, in the drainage above the lake – keep to your right as you cross the drainage, and the trail will eventually become visible heading up the ridge. Highly recommend. Eventually, you will see a sign for Three Isle Lake and a reminder that random camping in the backcountry is not permitted. The ridge was windy but no crawling was necessary. One small bonus of hiking so late in the day was that we were able to get an “alpenglow” picture, where the sun bathes an opposing peak in pink dusky light. Really loved staying at the tarns (wasn’t busy, there were only three other tents there) as it was stunning at sunset and sunrise. This is a beautiful loop that is usually taken counterclockwise and not in a figure eight. Luckily for us, the girls we banded up with after the bear sighting gave us a lift back to our car so we avoided the slog along the road. With that option of an exit in mind, we aimed toward where we thought the real Northover Ridge ascent began. Keep an eye out for the red flagging and a faint path on the left. Possibly best know for the tent side of things until this year, such s the F10 Vortexesque Altitude, the focus has been to switch the brand more towards clothing for this season. So, to be clear, if you’re leaving Aster Lake Campground, hike the clearly-defined trail to along the shore of Aster Lake. This ridge is a lot about mind games and it helped to be belayed by rope and harness. This is a rather uninspiring way to end an incredible hike. It’s cool nonetheless since it’s rare that you get to camp so close to a waterfall. This is an excellent campground for those that want to enjoy one of their first backcountry experiences in Kananaskis. W1893 Semke Road Coon Valley, WI 54623 608.452.3220 info@nrcwi.com "I'm calling 911," he says. Scope out your favourite site, which will be challenging since they all feature pretty incredible vistas and easy access to the river. Glad we did it that way and came out past three isle . The Copelands recommend beginning at Interlake which makes the trail steeper in the beginning but would likely make the route finding easier. We started from the Upper Lakes parking area, but this means an extra (boring) 5 km hike from Interlakes to Upper lakes at the end of the trip which I remember sucking big time. Especially if they are as gorgeous as these! Once you reach Hidden Lake hike, take a few moments to enjoy the view of the tranquil water flanked by towering peaks. There was one time when the downspout was full of ice and I had to manually remove it in order to make it work properly . Take the second from the right. The stake also marks the point where you could leave your pack and hike up to the summit. The views on the ridge are some of the most outstanding that I've seen. For those who are not aware, scrambling differs from hiking in a number of ways. In a perfect world, we would have arrived in good time to secure our actual spot, and explore a little around the lakes without our packs. In September you can easily get snowed out, and the first time I tried to hike it, early Sept 2017, we made it to the saddle at the top of the ridge but had to turn around because it was too dangerous in a snowstorm. Northover Ridge easily lives up to its reputation as one of the best backpacking trails in the Canadian Rockies. Had the trail to myself until around the last lake and then just a few backpackers. North Ridge is the technical brand from Go Outdoors. This is where we made our costly mistake….instead of turning slightly to the right to head up Mount Northover, we followed a draw along the dried up stream bed to the left. So beautiful this lake was, that despite having already hiked 12 kilometres we walked our dinner up there to enjoy it in the company of the lake. With the hundreds of trails, scrambles, backpacking loops, and day hikes in the Canadian Rockies, it can sometimes be hard to pick the right trail for a group’s skill set and goals. Perhaps earlier in the season, this mistake would be impossible to make, but do take note if doing the hike later in the season. We chose one closer to the river but nestled against a small cliff to profit from its shelter. I agree , it is strenuous and technical at parts but was fine if you are fit and have some experience We’re not writing this to deter anyone from doing the hike, it has been called the best hiking trail in the Canadian Rockies after all, but it is no Grassi Lakes, so it’s important to be prepared. Mount Northover is a very challenging scramble but you can also hike up to a nice scenic lookout, which is a good option for non-mountain goats. Manage current and past orders; Get real-time progress updates; Best of all, it's FREE! Adam points towards Northover mountain, you can see the faint trail that heads up the side towards Northover ridge on the left. If you hike the clockwise loop, your campground for the first night would be Aster Lake and Three Island Lake for the second. North Ridge Software provides a wide range of software for optimizing your business-critical SNA/VTAM resources. Prepare for a long day if you are hiking. This is one of the two Northover Lakes. As long as you’re on the British Columbia side (which the tarns are) you do not need a permit. We do not want any of you to make the same mistake as us since there could be serious consequences. 9:07. Our day began with a hike along the shores of beautiful Aster Lake, where we stopped to take few photos of the still waters reflecting Mount Northover and Warrior Mountain with pristine clarity. Few trails in the Alberta Rockies are as challenging but immensely rewarding as the Northover Ridge hike. Browse our products below or search by solution. Amazing. North Ridge roofing put in our Core Ten project and over the last 2 years its began to show off its natural beauty. If you’re not used to this terrain, this step can be frightening but hold on to your butts, it’s going to get a lot worse. It started snowing at Aster Lake campground in late afternoon and didn’t stop. The Northover Ridge loop is a beautiful trail that will take you along a high alpine ridge and past three mountain lakes Near Canmore, Alberta. Northover Mountain in the distance with the ridgeline to the left. We were dead tired but relieved to not have to walk any further that day. Rating: 5 of 5 Difficulty: Hard Length: ~33Km Elevation gain: ~1100m . It weighed approximately 27.2 kilograms. This junction is about 5km from the parking lot and is not as well-defined as the previous ones. Day 2 saw us leaving Three Isle Lake and ascending to Northover Ridge in deteriorating conditions, culminating in gale force winds, near white out visibility and (briefly) driving rain. Up the right shoulder of that gully you’ll find the trail again. Much to our dismay, we watched people who had started at Interlake and hiked counter-clockwise about to descend to our place of peaceful mountain bliss at Aster Lake Campground. We have both done multi-day trips before, have some navigation training and have completed double digit’s worth of scrambles. From here ascend the snow slopes to the left of the ridge (crevasse crossings). It is advisable to get there as early as possible as the parking lot can fill up during summer weekends. Sliding Down to Northover Tarns. When we did the hike at the beginning of August there was a small bit of snow remaining and a snow cave. Some trails or park services may be closed this weekend so check with local authorities before heading out. Aster Lake Campground: A 12km hike from Upper Kananaskis Lake. But it will be all worth the work for those views. I looked a little down the path and sure enough, only 50 or so metres away, a young male grizzly was nibbling on some berries right on the trail. so you may have to strap in your pack and hike a few kilometres down the road to the trailhead. Don't have a Ridge Top Account? The Iceline also has good trails the entire distance, compared to the mix on Northover. It can be done in either direction, starting at Upper Kananaskis Lake or Interlake . Exceptional views and the ascent is split into two major sections which makes it easier than just going up 2200m in one go. I'll admit, we began the day with ambitious plans: to complete a two-day, 34-kilometre circuit of Northover Ridge in Kananaskis Country, in just one. Amazing. If the weather cooperates, the views are amazing though, more than worth the effort if you are fit enough. There was no snow on the ridge walk and we had clear blue skies the whole time; if you’re doing this for the first time, I recommend going in August. Over all amazing hike, tested our limits as it was my first overnight hike. Once at the parking lot, your options are to hitch a ride from someone back to the Upper Lakes parking lot or to hike 4 kilometres along a hot, shadeless road to your car. If you are just visiting the Provincial Parks for day trips, then you don’t need a permit. After 4km of steep descent, you will arrive at Forks Campground which makes an excellent place to stop for a snack or lunch before filling up your water and heading the rest of the way out. We (two 20yr/o females) trail ran a bit at the beginning and most of the flat parts on the way down, but we just had day packs - if you really want to run it I'd suggest getting a fitted running vest. You will need to book your backcountry camping permit for Northover Ridge through the provincial government’s website which is found here: https://reserve.albertaparks.ca/. That guy had to hike back down and continue up the same trail we were finally on. Descend the scree slope toward a meadow and stick to the right of the meadow where there is a faint path. Page Transparency See More. I recommend bringing a battery pack to charge your phone so that you can use all trails when needed. This is not meant to read as a humblebrag, rather we’re intending on demonstrating just how easy it was to lose the trail in this section. We lost the trail for about twenty minutes after Aster Lake. We were eager to get down so exploring the lakes will have to wait until another day! Baker. When you see a metal sign that’s your cue to go straight rather than keep following the nicer wider more intuitive trail. The col is at the low point in the ridge between Forbidden and Boston Peaks. Where the meadow empties onto a creekbed, hike straight across and ignore the continued draw to the left. Restaurant. I’ve seen many intricate directions that are far to complicated. Lesson learned: sometimes the cairns are super helpful, sometimes they are for a totally different trail. Phil yelled to let him know we were near which made him take notice of us and move off the path. Enjoy!! Clear skies and no snow on the trail. 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