Trail Running Passport — SkiUphill | RunUphill

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The principle of this passport is to take you to places that we love and want to share. You’ll likely have been to some of them, maybe a lot of them, but we’ve gone into the cabbage to bring you some you’ve hopefully never seen.

For some of the routes within these pages, fitness and a willingness to suffer are mandatory. This isn’t to say these aren’t approachable to the novice, they absolutely are, but a certain disposition is required in order to experience the full breadth. If you are reading this, if you want this, you are that kind of person.

What follows are places, experiences, that offer opportunity for transcendence. To get you past the myre of the everyday, into the raw goodness of the mountains and the spirit they draw from you. We wish you luck in seeking out those interior places, explored through the exterior world.

Finally, we are grateful for what you bring to this community and your commitment to the path less travelled.

There are many ways to pluck a duck, as the saying goes. So too, there are many ways to run Montane. The “traditional” Montane Traverse starts at cougar creek and gains the Bench after 15 - 20 minutes of climbing. Once you’re up though, it’s buttery single track through Aspen glades and coniferous forest. A plenitude of options for loops. A local after work classic.

A real delight for the dog days of Summer. Best done on a hot day with some friends, Highline is a dark side staple for Canmore runners. The best way to approach this one, is to park at Quarry Lake and finish off with a dip. The trail itself is well traveled single track, with most of the vert gained at the beginning. Flowy and fun.

The run up Prairie View, and better yet the loop connecting to Jewel Pass, is an early season bit of joy for Bow Valley runners. Being on the front range, this run dries out earlier than most, and allows for some early season conditioning for those longer summer days. A simple up and down, with some flat at the beginning and end to get the legs spinning.

The Ferris Bueller’s Day Off of Kananaskis trail runs. It doesn’t matter how many times you’ve done it, or seen it, it’s always great. Spring, Summer or Fall, the simplicity and awesome views you get from this loop is some of the best bang for your metaphorical buck that can be found.

The highest maintained trail in Canada, the Centennial Ridge Trail takes you up to the top of Mount Allan from Nakiska Mountain Resort. Short in length, but big in a vert, you’ll want to have your summer running legs in shape to take this on. There’s the possibility to make this into a longer day too by either adding Mount Collembola in, or coming from the trailhead near Deadman’s Flats.

A phenomenal quick loop for a low price of admission. A relatively short jaunt into the Alpine makes this run feel like a bigger adventure than it seems on paper. For those living in the Bow Valley, a completely doable after work alpine classic. The Mona Lisa of Bow Valley expeditious runs.

Either you love it, or you hate it. Ran, hiked and biked by (maybe) millions of people, the trail up to Aylmer lookout is perhaps the most popular in the Bow Valley. It can feel like a conga line on a busy weekend. But, on crisp mornings, when you have the place to yourself, the run up to the lookout feels like a dream. Flat for most of the trail, with only one significant climb, the trail is great for some easy cruisy miles.

An absolute Rockies classic by anyones’ conception. Long enough to feel like a good day out, but short enough to feel manageable. Best way is to go clockwise and get all the climbing out of the way to begin with. After that, its dreamy single track over glacial moraines, scoured rock and past the Stanley Mitchell hut. Plenty of water along the way, makesa civilized time of it. Only complaint for many is that it doesn’t go on forever.

Unknown by many, you will avoid crowds here. A fairly short loop, bu with some easy route finding, this becomes a worthwhile exploration of the North and South Buller passes. You’ll spend most of your time in the Alpine on this jaunt. There is some required off trail travel in North Buller pass, but all you have to do is aim for the col and choose your own adventure. A hidden gem.

Larches. Both a burden and boon to Healy Pass. Best enjoyed in the fall when those golden conifers are in all their splendor, this is an absolute mega-classic. Relaxed groomed single track takes you up to the Pass and gives you a bomber ride down. Not a technical or difficult run by any means, but made exciting by the beautiful alpine meadows the trail takes you through. You can tag on the trail down to Egypt Lake for a longer day. Get your flow on.

A beloved local trail that requires little time to get to and delivers on scenery. Some flat rolling miles allow you to get into the flow before some more serious vert. A classic amongst hikers, the views vs effort ratio makes this a simple yet worthwhile mission for anyone looking for an introduction to the eastern Bow Valley topography.

A magnum opus of K-Country runs. Best done as a point to point run from Ribbon Creek trailhead with a car or bike drop at Galatea Creek trailhead. There is a small hands on section near Ribbon Falls, but is very manageable. The alpine running up to Guinn’s Pass is beyond exceptional and finishing off with the tranquil single track along Galatea creek makes the distance feel effortless. Can be done as a longer loop by taking the South terrace trail back to where you started.

The run up to Rockbound, full transparency, not the most exciting. But - BUT! Once you are up to the lake, it is ungodly beautiful, and there are plenty of options to lengthen the day with a summit of Helena Peak, Castle Mountain, Stuart Knob, or the full traverse over to Protection Mountain. Not to mention the run back down is one of the cruisiest to be found. Not to be missed.

The double-wide trail that takes you up to Harvey Pass is well trodden and gains elevation as humanely as possible. The trail from Harvey to the top of Bourgeau is more scrambly and will meet the desires of those looking for a tad bit more technicality. This run is a classic FKT in Banff national park and acts as a test piece for those looking for race fitness. Lots of water along the way and great views make it a worthwhile effort no matter the weather. Be warned though, the Bourgeau Horse Fly is known for its particular brand of viciousness.

A bucket list worthy run. You wont have words to convey the beauty and majesty of this world class day out. You will be tired, it will be hard, but the full circuit is one of the few fully on trail runs that give you such a great and varied adventure in the Rockies alpine. Bring friends, bring snacks and savour this experience.

Becoming more of a classic in the past couple years, but a well known backpacking route. The trail is more rugged than you will find on many of the other routes, but the traverse of Northover Ridge is the best airy trail running to be found and the whole day offers up unbelievable K-Country vistas. Best to go clockwise, as the trail down from Aster Lake can be hellacious with tired legs and ending with flat flowy trails ends the day on a high note. Give the legs a soak in Kananaskis Lake and relish in the day that you’ve had.

Mostly through boulder gardens and open valleys this route is, for the distance, a relatively relaxed day out. Good for those looking to get the legs going a little bit faster, the elevation all comes at an easy grade and the downhills are perfect to charge on. This loop really glows, literally, in the fall when all the flora dons its autumnal hues.

Another, if not the, premier test piece of eastern Rockies trail running. Following the north eastern aspect of the Vermillion Range, the Rockwall Trail connects 4 passes and alternates between rocky high country, alpine meadows and coniferous forest. A day on the Rockwall can (and often does) serve up 4 seasons worth of weather, but the well maintained trail makes the distance, vertical gain and meteorological obstacles more manageable than they seem on paper.

A long day to be sure. However, there are plenty of variations that can make the day easier or harder depending on what you want. Heading south to north will give more elevation gain, and north to south will give you more downhill. Whatever you choose, subalpine meadows, flowing single track and views of the “Matterhorn of the Rockies” make the day one to hold close on those cold and dark January nights.

There is a special delight in circumnavigating a mountain, especially one with the prominence and magnetism as Mount Temple. A very popular route, especially in Larch season, an early start makes this route more enjoyable. Single track and a short power hike up to the top of sentinel pass make for fast travel, but it is recommended to slow down - enjoy the situation, where you’ve been and where you’re heading.

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