East End of Rundle Scramble
Basic route up the ridge
Start of trail is just before you go downhill to the Goat Creek Parking Lot. Some park at Goat Creek and walk back up the road
Looking back as you start the trail
Typical trail up to the ridge
Trail heads right at the big rock
Last part to the ridge proper
Just a short time along you go over a slabby section then head left The first half of the ridge you generally traverse on the left side or on top, then you hit two sections of ridge where you climb them on the right side taking you to the open scree slopes above
Heading onto the left side of the ridge
Typical trail
Climb up slabby terrain to ridge proper
A look back at the slabby terrain
Steep section
More terrain view
On the ridge proper again heading towards first section which is traversed on the right
Typical terrain as you approach ridge traverse on the right
More terrain as you approach section of ridge which is traversed on the right
Start of first section of ridge that is traversed on the right hand side
Typical trail on right side
A look back
More right hand terrain higher up on this section
Near the end of the first section that is traversed on the right hand side
Heading left back onto the ridge proper, see the cairn
Back on ridge proper approaching the second section that is traversed on the right side
A closer look
Another slabby section on the right hand side
Typical terrain higher up
A look back just before exiting onto the upper scree slopes
Last few steps to the upper scree slopes
Head up the trail to the right of the group of trees
As you come over the lower scree slopes things open up, the arrow shows the trail to take, still a bit loose but much better than the one on the left
Last part to get to the cliff wall, need to zigzag a bit here
Traverse along the cliff face on a narrow footpath and around the corner
Hug the wall around the corner up to the exit point onto the final slope
Exit point not as steep as it looks
A look back at the exit point, can exit a little farther up the slope also
A look at the summit, most people head over to the right to a big flat spot for a break before traversing along the ridge to the summit. Some just stay at another high spot to the right of the flat area.
Looking back at the traverse from the summit. See the high spot overlooking Canmore farther along
Last part to the summit. Route only approximate
A look back at last bit to the summit
Ha Ling and Lawrence Grassi
A summit friend on a rainy cloudy overcast day
Canmore of course from an overlook
Mt. Assiniboine in the distance courtesy of Granticulous
East End of Rundle Scramble
- Scramble: Class 1 – Steep Hiking, short section use of hands on slope to skirt around last cliff band
- Altitude: 2,590m (8,495 ft)
- Elevation Gain: 900m (2,952 ft)
- Ascent Time: 2 – 3 Hours
- Best Season to Scramble: June to October, Ridge can be windy, ridge has ticks in the spring so beware
Highlights
This scramble offers nice views and is great early season training for bigger scrambles later on. From its summit you can see the majestic Mt Assiniboine, something that you do miss from the summit of Ha Ling Peak which is 600 ft shorter.
Getting There
Head west out of Calgary on the TransCanada highway # 1 to Canmore 106km (66.2 miles). From the Bow River Bridge in Canmore drive 8.6 km (5.4 miles) up the Spray Lakes road to the Goat Creek parking lot. The road from the Bow River bridge takes you up past the Canmore Nordic Centre and onto the Spray Lakes road (packed gravel). Just past the Nordic Centre the road turns to dusty gravel and you head uphill for a few kilometers. Go slow so the odd mountain biker climbing this road has less dust to eat. It levels off at the gap between Ha Ling Peak and the East End of Rundle then goes down a short hill then hang a right into the Goat Creek parking lot. If your base is Banff head east on the TransCanada for 26km (16.2 miles) to Canmore and follow route as above.
Route Description
From the Goat Creek parking lot head left back up the road you came until its levels off. You should find the trail on the left near the second set of power poles. Follow this to gain the ridge. For the first half of the ridge you end up traversing on the left side or on the ridge proper. After that there are two sections where you traverse on the right side and then exit onto the upper scree slopes. Once you exit onto the scree head left following the scree trail up towards a patch of scrubby trees. Above this the slope widens and you should head straight up towards the center of the slope to the rock band. There is a short steep section of loose rock up to the cliff face of the final slope. Gain the cliff face and traverse right, up around and exit onto the final short slope. You are only a couple of minutes of zig zagging away from a flat area where you can take a break before the last ridge traverse to the north west (left) to the obvious high point. Be careful on the traverse especially the gendarme just before the summit. A little bit of exposure here and if icy, snowy or wet consider just dropping down to the left and traversing around it. If you have a clear day Mt Assiniboine can be seen to the southwest.
Even though my pictures try to show the way you still need common sense route finding skills. The pictures may help but your skills are needed not to place yourself on a harder more dangerous route coming up the ridge.