My MOST STUNNING Hike yet in Kananaskis. Smutwood Peak Hike
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- Опубликовано: 18 ноя 2023
- September 25/2023 Fall Hike, Alberta Canada
Today we are in Kananaskis Country, Alberta Canada and we will be hiking up to Smutwood Peak, I should say almost the peak. This one was not an easy hike. Once we reached the Col the winds were relentless. But the stunning views definitely made up for it. In order to do this trail justice, I have broken this hike into 2 videos. In this video we hike the first 6.5 kilometers (4 miles) with an elevation gain of 300 meters (980 feet). The total hike is 17.4 kilometers (10.8 miles) out and back, with an elevation gain of 980 meters (2960 feet).
The trailhead is located off the Smith Dorrien Trail. This gravel road can be in really rough shape at times. There is a pretty good size parking lot at the trailhead. Today I will be hiking with my friend Corey. We started the hike at 920AM, and the temperature was 4 degrees Celsius (39 degrees Fahrenheit).
For the first 2.4 kilometers you will be hiking down what appears to be and old fire road, which is pretty much flat. There was one little creek crossing the trail which we just walked over. There were a couple more spots with dry creek beds which could have water in them if you do this hike earlier in the year. At 2.4k there is a split in the trail, and you want to take the trail to the right. Soon the trail will become a single-track hiking through the trees. We saw our first little Larch tree here. Just under 3k the trail starts to climb gradually. The trail will now start to climb and there are lots of roots. The fall foliage was really starting to pop. Soon you will be able to hear Commonwealth Creek below you on your left. At 3.2k you will arrive at Commonwealth Falls, a cute little waterfall. The trail will continue with the creek just to your left. The trail gets a little sketchy here and it was a little wet. The creek has a lot of beautiful moss on the rocks. As you continue up the trail it will get a little steeper. We had our cleats with us just in case we needed them. The trail will then level out and now you will have to deal with areas on the trail that were very muddy. At 3.5k the trail will open up and you will be in a beautiful meadow with the creek meandering through it. The trail eases up now. As the trail takes you back closer to the creek and we were treated with the stunning fall colors in the meadow. Portions of this trail were really muddy here as well. It was starting to rain on us now and the tops of the mountains were covered in clouds. The trail will take you back into the trees briefly and you will start climbing again. Soon you will see a remnant glacier in front of you. At 5.4k we headed back into the trees again and you will gain some more elevation. The trail will take you across what looked like an avalanche path. There were Larch trees everywhere just up a little higher on the mountain sides. I met a couple of ladies on the trail that were coming down, that said the trail was socked in with clouds, and it was very windy and wet. Just over 6k we were at the base of the mountain, and it was time to start climbing. The trail was very wet now. Soon the trail will split, we met some people coming down the muddy trail and they said it was very slippery, so we decided to stay left and hike up the rocky section. Now the trail gets very steep, and it is relentless. We eventually made our way right to the dirt trail and it was very steep as well. As we were climbing, we had beautiful views looking back down the valley. Soon the trail will level off and you will now be surrounded by Larch Trees. At 6.5k we stopped for a break. I also saw my first Mountain Goat way up on the rocks above us. So far, our elevation gain had only been 300 meters. We had a lot more elevation gain ahead of us.
This is where I ended part one of this video. In the next video the clouds start to rise and break up as we continue climbing.
This is my 128th video. Thank you very much for watching. If you enjoyed this video, please give it a thumbs up. If you would like to see my other hiking videos, subscribe to my channel, LIVE ON ALBERTA. I feature over 125 hiking videos. CHEERS
Thank you,
Cary Mason
#hikingalberta #canadianrockies #travelalberta #hiking
Email - liveonalberta@gmail.com
Instagram - / carywmason
Stunning indeed❤ thanks for sharing this beauty 😊
I have to go back next summer to bag the peak and see it in prime summer colors😁
Unreal
This one is definitely in my top 5 for sure😁
Smutwood Peak.. Part 1 sounds like a bad 70s XXX flick..😉
As usual, a stunning trek Cary!👍
For parts of this hike I felt like I was in a bad 70s flick🤣🤣🤣 Part 2 next week is when the stunning views will show themselves. Thanks so much for watching and commenting.
That looks crazy steep to me , but amazing views, no pain no gain I guess. I find it easier on the way up but hard on the knees on the way down on stuff like that. great video.
Ya down is the worse for sure, I wore a couple knee braces which really helped on the way down. The views get better in the next vid😁😁😁