Three Sisters Pass

Round trip: 6 km (3.7 mi)
Elevation gain: 600 m (1900 ft.)
Hiking time: 2 ½-3 ½ hours
Difficulty: moderate

Description:

Sure it’s no peak. You’re not going to summit a mountain, but here, you will feel like you are on top of the world.

The majority of this hike is spent finding your way along a creek bed with a few well placed stone cairns to guide you.  As such, the best time to set out on this hike is late spring or early summer; the snow drifts are melting and a slight trickle makes it way down the mountain, giving you guidance and a picturesque hiking trail.

A great look at backcountry 

As you are climbing up the trail, you will be forging through pure backcountry.  Eventually you will enter a forested area then as you emerge you will notice the tallest Sister towering over you to your right, or north by the compass setting. The view at the top of the pass gives you a great look at the town of Canmore and to the South West you can climb a ridge to another mountain called the Ship’s Prow.  But the best view of all is the up-close and personal look you get of all Three Sisters (commonly refered to as Big, Middle and Little, receiving their name from early visitors who thought they looked like three nuns/sisters in their habits). You will feel like you can touch them!

View of the Three Sisters at the top of the pass

Directions:

From downtown Canmore, head towards the Canmore Nordic Center. From there, follow Spray Trail (Hwy 742), watch out for Big Horn sheep who like to lick salt from the roadside. Continue ascending the road, into Kananaskis backcountry. You will eventually pass a lake on your right and find the trailhead on your left, directly across from a small turnout on the gravel road.