Mt. Indefatigable South Route - Upper Kananaskis Lake
Basic route to the South Summit from the Interlake parking lot
View from the parking lot
Heading counter clockwise around the upper lake the trail heads right here
Leaving the lake trail and starting north up the Mt Indefatigable trail
Trail opens up and follows the left side of the ridge for a while
View of the middle part of the wide ridge
Take the first left as the trail levels out at the meadow. Bit of route finding here.
Nearing treeline
The open slopes to the South Summit
Trail heads left to a rock rib coming down from the summit ridge
The Lord is an artist also!
From the rock rib ascend on the left side then cross over to access the easiest spot for the summit ridge
There is a faint trail most of the way
Here is the access point for the summit ridge
Almost there, blue sky day!
Slightly higher point that we traversed over to.
Say what!
Tarn beside trail to the North Summit
Mount Rae to the SE
Mount Joffre and the Aster Lake area to the south
I should know this one looking West?
And should know this one also to the NW?
H'mmm!
Point where we accessed the summit ridge
Enjoyable descent!
The Lord will lift up the sinner's head and make him shine!
Mt. Indefatigable South Route
- Scramble: Class 1 – Steep Hiking
- Altitude: 2,670m (8,758 ft)
- Elevation Gain: 1,000m (3,280 ft)
- Ascent Time: 2 – 3 Hours
- Best Season to Scramble: Mid-June - September
Highlights
This scramble offers great views from the open ridge all the way to the top. Great views of the Upper and Lower Kananaskis Lakes. Many people like doing this one more than once (not to mean the same day though). The turn onto the actual trail is semi-blocked currently to discourage a high use level due to Grizzley habitat. You are still allowed to hike this trail.
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. If your base is Banff head east on the TransCanada for 52km (32.5 miles) and turn south on route as above. Drive south for 49km (30.6 miles) and take the right hand turn into Peter Lougheed Provincial Park. Follow this road for 15 km (9.4 miles) to the Upper Kananaskis Lake parking lot. From this lot looking north you can see the long ridge on Mt. Indefatigable.
Route Description
From the parking lot head counterclockwise around the lake. After a few minutes of walking you will see a trailhead heading into the trees to the right. Currently this turn is semi-blocked due to this being Grizzley habitat but access is still allowed. They are just trying to discourage the previous level of high use on this trail.
Take this trail as it heads through the forest for 20 minutes or so and gains the open left side of the ridge. In another 20 minutes or so you gain the ridge proper and the beginning of some great views. The way is obvious as you continue straight up the ridge with a big drop-off on your right. The ridge is really wide so just steep hiking here. Just as you make it to the top of the ridge and the incline levels off you take the first trail to your left. If you look straight up at this point you can see the antennae at the south summit. Follow this trail generally heading in the direction of the summit. When you reach tree line the trail climbs diagonally left to a rock rib that comes halfway down from the summit ridge. Continue on and then to the left of this rock rib and then traverse a short distance left again to gain the summit ridge. A nice plod to the top is all that remains. Return the way you came.
This peak was my first scramble and at that time the upper slopes were covered with a half a foot of snow. We definitely missed the easier route. Our group went straight up towards the summit and let me tell you it got pretty steep. When I got home my mind kept replaying possible mishaps on a slope like that. Some how I continued my scrambling career and it was nice to later discover an easier route to the top.