This one is our love letter to Kananaskis, and its crumbling limestone, loose footing and ridgelines cutting sharp against the sky. On one side, the Front Ranges stack up in dramatic greys and browns, and on the other the Foothills roll out in greens and yellows. It's a view that splits the world in two. If you've never been up here, you're about to understand why we keep coming back.
Midnight Peak doesn't waste your time. It starts with a true fight against gravity through the trees, then the terrain opens up and the views start doing things to your brain. You'll want to stop and take it all in, but keep moving. The switchbacks find the ridge, the ridge finds the summit and the summit gives you everything, all 360 degrees of it. How have you never been up here before? Or maybe you have, but probably not this way...
No scrambling, no technical moves, nothing to figure out, Midnight Peak points straight up towards the sky. Do yourself a favour and get up there, it's a phenomenal hike and the spectacular views will make you forget the climb ever happened.
Bring your grippiest shoes. Don't forget your poles.
Getting there
Park at the Baldy Pass Trailhead.
From the Baldy Pass parking lot, cross Hwy 40 and follow the Baldy Pass trail for 1.7 km until the trail weaves through a dry creekbed. At this point you will want to cross the creekbed and look for a cairn and a trail on the opposite side.
In purple, the 1.7 km approach from the parking lot. The red star marks the start of the challenge.
The cairn wrapped in orange flagging tape located on the right side of the creek at 1.7 km from the Baldy pass trailhead marks the start of the challenge.
The Challenge
Start your watch as soon as you leave the creekbed and pass the cairn that marks the start of the ascent.
Midnight Peak climbs 860m over 2.9km and there is not a single move that asks for your hands. The first section is the honest part: a steep, direct grind up a treed gully that doesn't pretend to be anything other than what it is. Give it everything you've got through there.
Then treeline hits and the whole thing changes. The trail swings left onto the West Ridge, the angle backs off, and suddenly you're up in it: dirt, scree, a few short limestone slabs and Kananaskis doing its thing in every direction. The top half of this route is genuinely one of the more beautiful places you can be on foot in Kananaskis. Go find out for yourself.
Stop your watch when you reach the summit cairn and the bright pink summit box.
- Distance: 2.9 km
- Difficulty: Challenging
- Elevation Gain: 860 meters +-
- Where to Park: Baldy Pass Trailhead
- Surface: Steep forest, dirt trail, alpine terrain, everything really.
