Nearly two thirds of Kananaskis Country is protected as a park, ecological reserve or recreation area. 2019. This, I thought, was the answer to my conundrum. Look and listen for bears and their signs. We were not interested in each other and both made a hasty exist from the stream. Bridge washed out from 2013 floods along Highway 40 My favourite section of the Highwood Pass Loop. I saw several ewes and kids on my last drive, but I seldom see rams. My favourite section of the drive is the 15 kilometres on either side of Highwood Pass. Some years, plows need to open the summit in mid-June. The highest paved road in Canada carves its way through the Rockies of Kananaskis Country. Any conditions updates for this year? Wondering how far up there's snow. © 2020 Reader’s Digest Magazines Ltd. - All rights reserved, We are no longer supporting IE (Internet Explorer), This site uses “cookies” for the purposes set out in our Privacy Policy. The day came and I arrived at the entrance to the Highwood. Just a very small amount of (1 cm deep) slush in a few places, easily avoidable. It passes through the entire stretch of Kananaskis Country, crosses Highwood Pass, and heads to Highwood Junction, where the road turns into Highway 541. Passionate about wildlife photography? For a sport that’s built on romance of self-flagellation, sniffing at power assists has, in most corners, remained the default attitude. I have travelled this road several times and am always in awe of … One of my favourite drives in Alberta is through scenic Highwood Pass. Close. That may sound annoying in its unpredictability, but that’s what gives the ride a special mythology. That short car-free window of time makes it a now-or-never decision that, if you decline, you’ll regret all season. Travelling through the park and leaving Kananaskis Lakes, the highway climbs through the valley created by Pocaterra Creek—named after George Pocaterra, who, decades ago, was a guide, hunter and prospector in this area. The road to Highwood Pass was closed in 2013 though fortunately the road was fixed by 2014. Take a peek inside Canada’s only grizzly bear sanctuary. In the Kananaskis Lakes area, there are more than 85 kms of groomed cross-country ski trails in winter. share. Search Highwood Cycling and you’re on your way to being a member. Many cross-country skiers and snowshoers, however, enjoy trekking along the closed highway. Resistance might remain for that bastion of bicycle masochism: road cyclists. I have, however, seen several bears along the different roadways and have seen foolish people get out of their cars for a close-up photo op. I have travelled this road several times and am always in awe of the impressive tectonic forces that developed the Rockies. As recently as three years ago, they were a novelty. It continues on to Longview and Highway 20, the "Cowboy Trail," where you can get back to Calgary via a variety of routes. From this entrance, cattle roam the area freely without any fencing along the roadway. That creates a tempestuous window of time for an achingly beautiful 130-km car-free dream ride for roadies, between the moment the snow melts and the gates open to motor-vehicle traffic. Early season road riding: Taking on Highwood Pass, assisted. Come winter, gates on both ends close the pass to vehicle traffic , and don’t lift until mid-June. I know of one woman who had her hip broken when a cow elk attacked her with its hooves when she got too close to the elk’s calf. 2020 Highwood Pass Cycling Conditions. The Highwood Pass rewards the adventurous with one of the most varied and picturesque drives in Canada. It begged for hills. I usually travel to Highwood Pass from the east through large cattle ranches and open range lands beginning at the Highway 22/40 junction in Longview. This was the conundrum I faced. Prefer riding the rails over a road trip? The Highwood River originates in the pass. I often walk the old dry riverbeds and search through log jams for pieces of wood to use as bases for my bird carvings. Kananaskis Trail runs through the pass, and offers access to a multitude of camping grounds and recreational areas. It’s probably doable right to the summit by now. I’ve been on the indoor trainer all winter, said one, and I just spent a week riding in California. Planning a trip to southern Alberta? But the pass is a mercurial beast. I’ve seen the creeping acceptance of e-bikes in the flesh. It was a symbolic change: the most bicycle-friendly country on Earth had gone electric. The Highwood River is an excellent fly-fishing river. We are no longer supporting IE (Internet Explorer) as we strive to provide site experiences for browsers that support new web standards and security practices. (Check out this gallery of spectacular Canadian bird photography.). Here’s why you should include Waterton Lakes National Park on your itinerary. Along with ubiquity came acceptance. You know when you complete a punishing fitness ride early in the season and your legs feel like cookie dough and why do you keep doing this to yourself because cycling is hard but then a few days go by and you forget the pain and go for another ride and you crush the first hill because you’re stronger and you feel the confidence returning and oh yeah this whole cycling thing is pretty great? Add your email to the Canadian Cycling newsletter mailing list: Get the digital edition of Cycling for your chosen platform: This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. We recommend our users to update the browser. 1. Question. When an invitation for the first big ride of the season lands in your inbox, those heretofore unnoticed 15 lb are suddenly drawing attention to themselves like a Kardashian. I replied to the Highwood Pass invitation: I’m in. When you visit the area, you may see a variety of commercial activities such as cattle grazing, timber harvesting and gas wells. Check out these picture perfect moments captured on a train trip through the Canadian Rockies. But the romance of the pass also means you’re branded a special kind of wuss if you beg off the ride. I knew I’d beat myself up all season if I missed that ride, but as an out-of-shape road-cycling dilettante, acceptance would be folly. Then it skulks its way around your midsection. I have caught native cutthroat trout and rainbow trout within the park, as well as an occasional bull trout, which are protected. A caution would be to watch for bighorn sheep as they are frequently on the roadway. (Take this quiz to see how well you know the Rocky Mountains.). It wasn’t a surprise because e-bikes sales had been climbing for years, but it was a symbolic change. While that was still just a fraction of the total, that number had Trek CEO John Burke gushing about the near future in which 30 per cent of sales would be electric. Highwood Pass South Climb – 37,5 km distance – 2% average grade – 1,543 m lowest elevation – 2,206 m highest elevation. It climbs to 2,206 metres and is the highest paved road in Canada. Went again this morning. Mule deer are often spotted, and, if you’re lucky, moose, grizzlies and black bears as well. Peter Lougheed Provincial Park to Highwood House Junction: Closed December 1 - June 14: … A caution to be aware of is the open range area for livestock, primarily cattle, beginning at the east entrance sign for Kananaskis Country. I felt like I was pedalling with someone else’s legs. It must be getting close…. Highwood Pass is the highest paved pass in Canada. Outhouse was open at the summit parking lot too. Viewing 4 posts – 1 through 4 (of 4 total) Author Posts June 1, 2020 at 7:39 pm #86085 2wheelerPartic… This article originally appeared in Canadian Cycling Magazine issue 10.4 Aug./Sept. One of my favourite drives in Alberta is through scenic Highwood Pass. I don’t find the west drive towards the pass is as impressive as coming from the east, but still well worth viewing. That was my pre-ride with the Cube the day before the pass, only without the punishment before-hand. save hide report. If you plan on fishing, make sure you check the online regulations before you go. There had been whispers of electric road bikes for years, but they remained a rarity which, in the minds of many road cyclists, was a good thing. Make plenty of noise and travel in group. You must be logged in to reply to this topic. Several species of wildlife can be viewed along the highway. The pass is closed each year from December to June 15 to protect wildlife. If only someone would invent a way to get aging, out-of-shape paunchies up a mountain a little bit easier. When we arrived at the gate, there were already plenty of cars parking along the road and cyclists preparing for the ride. The only thing that marked this as a pedal-assist e-bike was a wide downtube that housed the battery. On the lower parts of the river, many farmers have allowed access through fences and fields, and Alberta Fish and Wildlife signs indicate the species that can be caught in that specific area. It climbs to 2,206 metres and is the highest paved road in Canada. There was about 30 cm of snow/slush on the road, roughly 300 m from the summit. Click through to Zone 4 to register for your 2020 HCC membership. Don’t miss this breathtaking gallery of Canadian Rockies photography. I’ve fished it from the deep canyon, five kilometres west of Longview, to about 30 kilometres upstream. Now I see them every day on my bike commute. Don’t miss these spectacular shots of the wild horses of Alberta. I have seen several species and especially enjoy observing the ravens that patrol the highway. I have stayed there several times and the accommodations are excellent. The centre is closed for about a month from mid-October to mid-November. I gazed up at the road ascended into the Rockies and my stomach dropped. From barrier-free trails to high alpine backcountry adventure, hiking opportunities abound. The Highwood Pass: One of Canada’s Best Drives. “It is safe to say that e-bikes could represent a greater growth opportunity than mountain bikes did in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s or carbon road bikes in the early 2000s,” he wrote on Bicycle Retailer. At the summit, Highwood Meadows is a popular trailhead for several scenic day hikes. For me, the email that highlighted that sneaking lard was an invitation for a spring ritual here in southern Alberta: riding the Highwood Pass. 9 comments. Fat finds the cracks in your fitness routine – a minor injury, work travel that keeps you sedentary, offseason, or even in-season procrastination. Please respect current social distancing guidelines and refrain from riding with anyone you are not isolating with. There are also several trail heads along the highway and Kananaskis guide books give detailed descriptions of these trails.

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