Miners Peak Hike

Where:

• Miners Peak

 

When:

• August 21, 2024

 

Who:

• Ed, Zac, Mike, Micheline

 

Trailhead:

• 10 km (15 minutes) from downtown Canmore on the Smith Dorrien (Highway 742) road
• after you pass the lake at Whiteman’s Gap, the parking lot is on the right-hand side and is called the Goat Creek Day Use Area
• the trail starts across the road on a path that leads into the trail in the trees a hundred yards from the road

 

 

Degree of difficulty:

• 800 meters
• 7.7 km
• we turned around about 2/3 of the way to the top due to heavy rain and thunder and hence did 475 meters and 6.25 km in two hours
• it’s a steep hike right from the start, with switchbacks through the trees until the top just before the saddle
• the trail is well-maintained but becomes a light scramble after you reach the saddle
• a few years ago, three staircases were installed, which makes the final ascent to the saddle much easier
• the path to Miners Peak is easy to follow to the right along a ridge above an open bowl

 

 

Interesting notes:

• the first hour or so of the hike is in the trees, so it offers limited views other than a viewpoint looking across to the East End of Rundle

• at the saddle, you can turn right and head to Miner’s Peak, which is a bit easier and less crowded than going to the summit of Ha Ling
• on the left at the top of the ridge is Miners Peak, and to the right, the three humps are known as the Three Miners
• the trail offers views of numerous surrounding peaks, including Mount Rundle, Lady MacDonald, Grotto Mountain, Mount Lawrence Grassi, Pigeon Mountain, and Three Sisters
• this is generally a very busy trail, given its proximity to Canmore
• the naming of Miners Peak is believed to be a tribute to the ‘coal’ mining that represents the heritage of Canmore