Old Man River (Random Camping)

Name: Old Man River Random Camping, Kananaskis AB
Activity: Camping
Crew: Bennett
Dates: June 27 - 28, 2017

Bennett and I decided to have a little mid-week getaway, seeing as we both signed onto full-time engineering jobs in the past week. We drove down the 940 and found a nice spot beside the Old Man River, with a little sandy beach area and a fire pit. We had an awesome steak dinner, steak cooked over the fire and veggies on Bennett's pop-up tailgate kitchen, slept in the truck, did crosswords, set up the hammock.. all around a beautiful, relaxing 2 days spent with Ben! We took the road over the pass on the way home which turned out to be a stunning drive. Will be back for more hikes soon!

Bennett enjoying some frigid water while I bask in the sun on the sandy beach

Hammock set-up

Our camping set-up

The goons themselves

My Chef

A damn good steak.

Limestone Mountain

Hike Name: Limestone Mountain

Activity: Hiking/Scrambling

Distance: ~4.5 km (RT)

Altitude: 2,174 m

Elevation Gain: ~610 m

Area: Kananaskis Valley

Crew: Steph, Kris, Andy, Travis, Carly

Time to Summit: ~2 hours

Lisa's Mom Rating: No

Trailhead: Pullout on the east side of Hwy 40

Getting There:
Heading west from Calgary on the Trans Canada (Hwy 1), head south on Kananaskis trail (Hwy 40). At the end of Limestone's west ridge, there is a parking area on the east side of the highway.

Additional Info:
This was a bushwhack all the way up but the views from the top were nice. Seriously though, you are in pretty thick trees the entire time with no path, having a GPS track was super handy. We had a gorgeous, sunny day and enjoyed the summit thoroughly!

Travis and Carly on Limestone Mountain

Kris and Andy on Limestone Mountain

Mount Rundle

Hike Name: Mount Rundle (Rundle 1)

Activity: Hiking/Scrambling

Distance: ~18 km (RT)

Altitude: 2,936 m

Elevation Gain: ~1560 m

Area: Banff National Park

Crew: Travis

Time to Summit: ~3.5 hours

Lisa's Mom Rating: Maybe

Trailhead: Bow Falls

Getting There:
Heading west from Calgary, take the first Banff exit off of the Trans Canada (Hwy 1). Continue through town and across the bridge, then follow the signs to Bow Falls.

Additional Info:
Bennett wanted to join us but was having a few problems with his knee, so he biked the Goat Creek Trail from Banff - Canmore - Banff while we hiked Mount Rundle. It was a long but awesome day. Great views! It was pretty cold when we hiked Mount Rundle and got lots of wind and a little bit of snow on the top. It was too cold to spend any time up there, but we soaked in the views for about 3 seconds before heading back down. It must've been my lucky day to have been on a hike that actually had cell service because I got a job offer half-way down the mountain!! That's one way to make a day in the mountains EVEN better. Woohoo!

Travis heading back down on the dragon's back

Raspberry Ridge

Hike Name: Raspberry Ridge

Activity: Hiking

Distance: ~10 km (RT)

Altitude: 2,373 m

Elevation Gain: ~646 m

Area: South Kananaskis

Crew: Travis, Zach

Time to Summit: ~2 hours

Lisa's Mom Rating: Yes

Trailhead: Pullout on the side of Hwy 940

Getting There:
Head south on Cowboy Trail (Hwy 22) from Calgary. In Longview, take the right turn onto Kananaskis Trail (Hwy 40). Turn south/left onto Hwy 940 and park in the unmarked gated road about 11.4 km south of the Hwy 40/Hwy 940 intersection (west side of the road).

Additional Info:
We were going to have dinner at Travis' mom's house with Jaimie and JJ (before they both moved away) and decided to hike down in the Longview area. This is a great trail for anyone who would like nice views in the South Kananaskis area. Beautiful views, easy trail to follow, and there is a fire lookout at the top.

 Fire lookout on top of Raspberry Ridge

 Most scenic outhouse.

Looking back.

Mount Burke

Hike Name: Mount Burke

Activity: Hiking

Distance: ~14 km (RT)

Altitude: 2,540 m

Elevation Gain: ~900 m

Area: South Kananaskis

Crew: Bennett, Steph, Travis

Time to Summit: ~2 hours

Lisa's Mom Rating: Yes

Trailhead: Cataract Creek Campground

Getting There:
Head south on Cowboy Trail (Hwy 22) from Calgary. In Longview, take the right turn onto Kananaskis Trail (Hwy 40). Turn south/left onto Hwy 940 and turn into the Cataract Creek Campground.

Additional Info:
Great trail up Mount Burke if you want to switch up the scenery from the classic Canmore or Kananaskis mountains. This area is less known so you have a better chance of having the hike to yourself as well!

 Steph descending Mount Burke

Travis, Steph, me, and Bennett