Mt Chester Scramble - Spray Lakes Area
The trail to Chester Lake is Bear country so take precautions, I recommend hiking in a group versus doing this one solo
Cross the creek and meadows, up the steep slope to the col, then left
Allan, Victoria, Al, and Travis
Slope from the col to the summit is pretty steep with quite a bit of hands on
Mt. Chester Scramble - Spray Lakes Area
- Scramble: Class 2+ - Steep Hiking, Quite a bit of hands on from col
- Altitude: 3,054m (10,017 ft)
- Elevation Gain: 1,150m (3,772 ft)
- Ascent Time: 3 - 4 Hours
- Best Season to Scramble: June to September The trail to Chester Lake is Bear country so take precautions, I recommend hiking in a group versus doing this one solo
Highlights
This scramble starts with hiking almost to Chester Lake located in a high alpine meadow. A few minutes before the lake, looking to your right you will see Mt Chester and the steep gully that takes you to the col. From there it is a steep summit slope with quite a bit of hands on. You are rewarded with beautiful views of the surrounding peaks. I definitely would do this one again.
Getting There
Head west out of Calgary on the TransCanada highway # 1 for 79km (49.4 miles) and take the Kananaskis Country highway # 40 turnoff and head south. Continue south and turn right into Peter Lougheed Provincial Park which is 49km (30.6 miles) south of the TransCanada. From this turnoff drive 2 km (1.25 miles) and turn right on Spray Lakes road driving around another 20km (12.5 miles) north until you reach the Chester Lake parking lot on your right. Chester Lake parking lot is big and well signed. If you are coming from Banff you have to go through Canmore, up past the Nordic Centre which turns into Spray Lakes road and head south for around 40km give or take a few kms.
Route Description
From the Chester Lake parking lot take the trail for approximately 5km to just before Chester Lake (height gain to this point just over 1,000ft). I used 5 km but it seems there is no unanimous consensus on the exact distance. If I can confirm an exact number later I ll make the change but it s in the ballpark for now. From just before Chester lake you will be in a wide open meadow. Mt. Chester will be to your right and you will see a steep gully up to Chester col. Cross the meadows and creek and head up the gully to the col. From the col it's steep with quite a bit of hands on but the summit and views are very rewarding.