Mt. Cory - Banff Area
M - meadow SS - south summit NS - north summit
A very foreshortened view, it's 2-2 1/2 hrs to the meadow, then another 1 1/2- 2 hrs to the summit.
M - meadow S - South and North summits
More interesting scrambling begins here!
NS - north summit
SRA - summit ridge access NS - north summit
Here's the spot where you access the summit ridge. Left goes to the south summit, right heads to the north summit. Nice day eh!
SRA - summit ridge access SS - south summit
Allan, Shane and Darcy on the north summit.
Mt. Cory - Banff Area
- Scramble: Class 1 – Steep Hiking, Some Use of Hands, No Exposure, Some Route Finding
- Altitude: 2,802m (9,191 ft)
- Elevation Gain: 1,370m (4,494 ft)
- Ascent Time: 3 1/2 – 4 1/2 Hours
- Best Season to Scramble: June to September
Highlights
This scramble offers one of the shortest approaches you’ll find. One minute up the trail and you are on the ridge. The first half of the scramble is steep hiking up the ridge but the second half is great fun as you scramble up and down a broken ridge which is quite foreshortened when you first see it. This scramble has become one of my favorites but make sure your legs are in shape first.
Getting There
Head west out of Calgary on the TransCanada highway # 1, continue past the town of Banff a few kilometers and take the Bow Valley Parkway turnoff also called the old 1A highway. From this turnoff travel west 1.9km or 1.6km from the sign for the Fireside Picnic area to a right side paved pull-off on the shoulder of the Parkway. This pull-off should have a small footpath leading into the trees, if not, you are not at the correct one.
Route Description
Route finding skills required.
Take the footpath for about a minute and when it starts to head left leave the trail and head to the right through a brief section of trees towards the cliff face. When you reach the open hillside traverse it further to the right until you see a gully to access the ridge proper. When on the ridge proper there is a trail, faint in some spots but basically you are headed straight up the ridge right of center for 2 to 2 1/2 hours. This will bring you up to a small meadow, now the more interesting stuff begins.
At the meadow traverse around to the left side into a dip and begin scrambling up and down the broken ridge to the final summit slopes. From the meadow it takes about 1 1/2 to 2 hours to reach the North summit which is slightly higher than the South summit.