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The Highwood Pass Loop – One of Canada’s Best Drives
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The Highwood Pass Loop is one of the most varied and scenic one day drives in Canada. It can easily be done as a day trip from Calgary, Canmore or Banff and it doesn’t matter what direction you drive it.
I think the Highwood Pass Loop is one of Canada’s outstanding drives. Go see for yourself – and then let me know. It’s also a favourite outing for the motorcycle crowd and cyclists love it too.
Starting in Longview
I did the drive starting from the east near Longview, a small community an hour’s drive southwest of Calgary. I was meeting a group at 8 AM at the junction of Highway 541 and Highway 22 – also called the Cowboy Trail.
Before I even got to the rendezvous point, I had to pull over for pictures of the sunrise. In every direction I looked, it was drop-dead gorgeous. What a treat it is to actually be catching the sunrise again – easier now in the fall when it’s at about 8 AM.
The route up Highwood Pass from Longview
From Longview, where you’ll find big ranches and some producing oil wells, one heads west on Highway 541. Upon entering Kananaskis Country it becomes Highway 40.
Our group was doing a photography tour just for the fun of it – so the plan was to stop along Highway 40 where photographic opportunities presented themselves.
Once we were in Kananaskis Country, fences disappeared so it was easy to walk up the hills for the views – and some gnarly old wind-blown trees.
With numerous picnic stops along the road, it’s also easy to find trails to the river – where you see the area from a very different perspective.
Few cars were driving the road, though groups of motorcyclists were out enjoying the good weather. The road to Highwood Pass was closed in 2013 though fortunately the road was fixed by 2014.
My favourite section of the Highwood Pass Loop
My favourite section of the drive is the 15 kilometres on either side of Highwood Pass. Wildly folded mountain faces are visible and in the right light, they are very beautiful, in an austere kind of way.
There are numerous hiking trails accessed from the highway including the popular 10.3 kilometre Pickle Jar Lakes trail from the Lantern Creek Recreation Area.
From Highwood Pass it’s a steep descent to Kananaskis Country. Elbow Lake is one of the short hikes you can do from this side of the pass. Or take an extra couple of hours and knock off the Rae Glacier too.
The road generally flattens once you reach the Kananaskis Valley. From the bottom of the pass by the winter gates it’s about 50 scenic kilometres of driving to reach the Trans-Canada Highway. At that intersection you can choose to go west to Canmore and Banff or east to return to Calgary.
Heading north from Highwood Pass
Extensive hiking, an RV park, campgrounds and the Nakiska Ski Resort are all located along this section of road. Services though are minimal with only one gas station.
There is a hotel at the ski resort (see below) so you can nip in there for some food, though your best bet is to pack a picnic lunch and enjoy it at one of the scenic picnic areas in the Highwood Pass area. There is also a lovely Nordic Spa at the hotel so with luck you might be able to score a spot. Usually you need to reserve a time.
Where can you stay overnight if you do the drive?
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You don’t have many choices for an overnight stay but the ones you have are superb. If you’re up for making a small detour head to Mount Engadine Lodge. A night here includes three meals and a fabulous afternoon charcuterie board. You can actually just show up and pay for the food after about 3 PM and then continue on your way.
Another excellent choice is the Kananaskis Mountain Lodge – with the onsite and very lovely outdoor Kananaskis Spa. For people on a budget check out the Kananaskis Wilderness Hostel.
Otherwise continue to Canmore, Banff or Calgary where there are loads of accommodation options.
Time needed and road closures
Allow a minimum of four hours to do the drive from Calgary, Canmore or Banff.
The road to the Highwood Pass, the highest paved road in Canada, topping out at 2,206 metres, is only open seasonally. It is closed from December 1st until June 15th to protect the bighorn sheep. Do watch out for them on your drive.
The climb up and over Highwood Pass is also a great one for cyclists, especially before June 15th when you have the road to yourself.
Hikes you can do from Highwood Pass
There is excellent hiking off of Highwood Pass. Hikes range from short, easy family-friendly outings like Arethusa Cirque or Ptarmigan Cirque to full day affairs. The Pocaterra ridge walk in larch season in September is one of the more spectacular hikes in the Rockies. It starts from the parking lot at the summit of the pass.
Starting from the same trailhead you can do the hike to Grizzly Col or Grizzly Peak if you’re up for it. It’s another top Rockies hike and not as hard as it looks in the photos.
Bear safety along the Highwood Pass Loop
The Highwood Pass loop travels through grizzly country so be bear aware if you stop and get out of the car. Read Bear Safety Tips: What You Need to Know before you start the drive. And don’t let the bears stop you.
Sometimes you’ll see them from the safety of the car. Last year we saw mama bear and three cubs on the way to do the Ptarmigan Cirque hike.
Further reading on road trips
- 19 Unmissable Stops on the Columbia Icefields Parkway
- 4 of the Best Road Trips in Alberta
- A Road Trip Around the Gaspe Peninsula
- Driving Vancouver to Calgary: 10 Stops Along the Way
Click on the photo to bookmark to your Pinterest boards.
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I haven’t been to Highwood Pass, but have driven through Kananaskis Valley and parts of the Cowboy Trail, through Longview, Black Diamond and Turner Valley. Those drives were lovely. Your photos are beautiful.
@Donna Thank you.I cycled up the pass from the Longview side in June but this was the first time for me that I did the full loop.
Such a gorgeous part of the world. As always, the color in your photos jumps out. Stunning.
@Betsy I certainly had help from Mother Nature with colours jumping out.
Oh , when I read this I’m sad we missed it! Somehow when we were travelling in the region some years ago (2006) it became urgent to get to Calgary for medical reasons, and then on to Montana to pick up our truck’s registration tags… But would I have known we would have spent an extra day or two. This sounds like a beautiful region, I love multi-coloured mountains.
@Juergen How often do we all miss some of the best things an area has to offer – only to find out about them later? It’s a glorious area and especially wonderful as you can cover a lot in a day.
The sunset pictures are fantastic! Actually all of them are.
@The Gypsynesters A big thank you.
Wow; simply WOW!!! Your photos are breathtaking!
@Marilyn Thanks for your enthusiastic comment.
What a scenic road. It must have been hard not to keep stopping to take pictures.
@Irene The good thing about this drive over the weekend is that traffic was minimal so it was super easy to pull over an get shots. And for a change photography was my sole purpose of doing it so I didn’t feel as rushed as I normally do.
No never travelled along the Highwood Pass, nor been to Canada. But you are soooo making me want to visit. Those roads dwarfed by snowy mountains look so beautiful. I loved your photos but looking across the fields to the mountains in Kananaskis Country was particularly inspiring.
@Johanna I probably missed the prime viewing time by a few weeks. Then the hills would have been awash in colour and even prettier. I hope I meet you on Canadian soil one day.
Stunning photos, Leigh! It must be hard for a driver to concentrate on the road with views like that!
@Lisa We spent the whole day taking photos so the pace was far slower than normal and there was next to no traffic.
Hi Leigh, Highwood Pass Loop is a serious visual feast. I got goose pimples just looking at your photos. That sunrise is magical and the landscape is just divine. I definitely would love to do this amazing drive. (I think I’ll pass up on hiking. Don’t want to take the chance of getting between a grizzly and a cub).
@Marisol The hiking at Ptarmigan Cirque should be fine because it’s a busier area. It is a glorious drive and a fantastic bike ride as well.
I would definitely like to be a passenger when I go on this drive or I’d be pulling over a lot. Just spectacular scenery! I said Wow a lot with many of these beautiful photos but those sunrise shots were just breathtaking.
The Highwood Pass Loop in Canada is gorgeous. When I drive it, I would NOT want to miss that glorious sunrise!
@Carole Fortunately sunrise at 8 AM is a whole lot easier to catch.
Drop dead gorgeous colors and beauty! How I wish I could have been a passenger on the drive to view the spectacular scenery but thanks for the armchair tour.
@Anita I also lucked out with a beautiful fall day. It is grand country isn’t it.
I’ve driven through many of those areas but don’t think I’ve ever taken the Highwood Pass. Beautiful pictures.
@Shelley Thank you – and hope you get the chance to drive it one day.
Amazing photos Leigh! Now you’ve got me hankering for a road trip to Canada it’s gorgeous. Thanks for sharing it.
@Sue That’s the idea. It’s a great day trip to add on to any visit to Banff or Calgary.
I have had the privilege to ride/drive the Highwood Pass from Calgary many times. Going out on the motorcycle again this morning. I have travelled many scenic routes in North America and Europe – the Highwood Pass is one of the best! If you are near by and the weather is cooperating – do it, don’t “pooch- it”. : )
@Michael It is a real treat to see the Highwood Pass area and I can imagine you feel a sense of freedom on the back of a motorcycle. Hope you had a great day.
I was doing some water sampling for Chemex Labs (AB) Ltd in 1979 and had to go over the pass. There was still snow off the road near the summit and was late June. My consulting company will use this route to teach the next generation of
water quality sampling students. I also enjoyed Blue Rock, west of Turner Valley. There is an old logging road that goes
quite far into the back country.
@Ron I will have to Google Blue Rock. Thank you for that tip. I’m also in the water sampling business but on the equipment side – Waterra Pumps Ltd. Maybe you’ve heard of us.
You say, from Longview one heads east on Highway 541. Don’t you mean “west”?
We did the loop today. Beautiful mountains with a backdrop of blue sky, golden larches backlit by the sun for just a few minutes.
@Ellie It’s not head east but this drive is described starting from the east on the Cowboy Highway.
Hi
The photos are great
I am hoping to drive this loop in August 2018
If I run to problem is help available?
I did not see any gas stations, restaurants, etc in the photos?
Thanks
@Makendra There is a gas station a short drive from the bottom of the Highwood Pass as you are heading towards the Trans-Canada Highway. Its well marked. Gas up if you start in Longview and bring water and food so you can stop and have a picnic along the way.
I’d love to visit Canada one day and drive those roads. I’m originally from Australia but have been living in Japan for nearly thirty years. And one thing that is hard to do here, is drive on roads like yours, wide and spacious. One day I will get there though.
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