NO PAIN NO GAIN!!! This one was a WORKOUT. Hiking the Exshaw Ridge Trail

June 25/2024 Summer Hike, Alberta Canada
If you are looking for a good workout, this is the hike for you.
Today we are in the Bow Valley Provincial Park in the Hamlet of Exshaw. We will be hiking the Exshaw Ridge Trail. It was 10.1 kilometers (6.3 miles) out and back, with an elevation gain of 818 meters (2680 feet). Our maximum elevation was 1942 meters (6370 feet). We started our hike at 9:20 AM and finished at 6:50PM.
Once you arrive at the drainage follow the blue signs that say Mountain Bikers Vehicle Parking to get a parking spot, so you won’t get towed. This is right across from a school. Once parked head along the road East until you hit the drainage. Hike up the drainage, cross the bridge and continue up the right side of the drainage. Just under .9k you will arrive at an intersection, there is a trail on the right and a road in front of you. We took the road. Just over 1k you will arrive at another split in the trail. We took the trail on our left, but on our way down we came out on the trail on our right. You can choose either trail. The trail will start climbing now. Soon it will level out and you will now be in the trees for quite a while. Just over 1.5k take the trail to your right. Now you will have a steady incline. The trail will then level out. Just over 2.2k take the trail to your right, it is marked with flagging and a sign that says mountain ridge hiking only. Soon you will come across some wooden ramps used by Mountain Bikers. You will come across a few trails crossing your trail, just keep going straight as I am sure these our more mountain bike trails. The trail will now start and get steeper and steeper as you continue. Soon the trees will start and thin out, and your trail will now become rockier. You will get some views looking back at the Bow Valley. At 3.1k the trail gets even steeper. There are a few different trails here in the rock, but basically if you keep heading straight up you will be OK. You still cannot see the top of the ridge. As you climb higher the views just keep getting better and better. Around 3.4k you have reached the ridge and start heading into the trees. You are still going to climb but the trail is not nearly as steep. Just over 3.6k you will now get views of the mountains on your right and the mountains on your left. Once you hit the top of the ridge you will start heading down in the trees. You will get into a little bushwacking here. The trail will now take you to the left side of the ridge. Be careful here as it is a no fall zone on your left. Soon you will see the next ridge that you must climb up and over in front of you. Again, beware of the drop-off on your left. Soon you will come across some big rocks that you have to climb over and around. Just over 4.2k you will have crested the second ridge and now you will head down again. This area has the steepest drop off on your left. Take it slow. Now you will be heading into the trees and into a rockier section. As you crest the last ridge the trail will open up into a beautiful meadow. At 4.9k we arrived at the other side of the meadow. This is where we called it. After lunch we walked a little further to get the view of the true summit and the mountains looking North. I finished my beer and we started to head down the left side of the meadow and got some awesome views of the mountains to our left. Going back, you still have to be very careful and take things slow. Once we hit the steep scree section going down, I dug out my poles and put on my cleats. This helped the descent immensely.
I don’t know if a lot of people hike this trail. I found it to be very tough but rewarding. The meadow at the top was just gorgeous. We did not see another person on this hike until we were at the bottom and saw a couple Mountain Bikers. If you are looking for a challenging hike with stunning views this is a hike for you.
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Thank you,
Cary Mason
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