DIRECTIONS: Heading East from Canmore, drive until the exit at Dead Man's Flats. Head South on George Big Sr Road until you reach the parking lot for the Mount Lougheed Viewpoint, the Wind Ridge Trail, and the Centennial Ridge trail.create
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Wind Ridge
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Oct 19, 2018
After finishing off a week in Banff for a conference, we were eager to hit the trails. Since we were staying in Canmore and didn't decide to wake up too early, we chose this hike as one that was close by and seemed like it would yield high reward for moderate effort. We were correct, and the weather was as good as could be hoped for!
The bottom section of the trail in the valley was icy, but not too many issues with traction, even without donning our micro spikes. As we started to gain elevation, the ice and snow had melted away due to the direction the slope was facing, and the nice views began as we got above tree-line. We only ran into around seven people on the trail throughout the day, and the trail was easy enough to follow, even as the snow and ice started to cover the trail a bit near the top of the ridge. The snow didn't start until around 50 m or so above the scramble. The scramble was only around 3 m of height or so, really just 2 moves and was on solid rock so no big issues. Once we got to the top of the ridge, the views were panoramic and the Three Sisters peaks were right in our faces. It was hard to decide to head down, but we eventually made our way down.
About half-way from the top to the scramble, I noticed a little white face poking out from behind a rock; it was a weasel with his winter coat on! I managed to sneak around the rock at a good distance and then he curiously poked his head out to check me out. Eventually he scampered off, but it was a pretty fun wildlife viewing opportunity.
This hike was definitely great for the amount of effort required, and I would recommend it if you're in the Canmore area. :)