Pocaterra Ridge - AB-40

Pocaterra Cirque was an incredible (and very popular) larch hike in Kananaskis! ⁣I hiked here on September 25, 2020. ⁣ The trail started off along a wide path and then branched to the left through an open area before entering the forest. It continued through forest for the first 2 km. There were lots of offshoot trails which eventually all converged together but it was slightly confusing and there was no signage. There were also lots of muddy sections to navigate. ⁣ ⁣ After the first 2 km, the trail opened up to expansive views of the surrounding mountains and forests of larch trees! There were consistently amazing views for the rest of the hike. The trail gained steady elevation but was mostly gradual and levelled out in between, with some steeper sections. It passed through beautiful larch forests and by a pretty lake with gorgeous reflections from the trees on the water. At the junction, the trail to the cirque continued to the left. It was a steep uphill climb from here until the end, leading above the trees and across an exposed rocky terrain. The trail ended at a ridge with gorgeous views overlooking the mountains and valleys. I spotted two mountain sheep on the ridge pretty close to me which was awesome. The trail continued back down along the same way. ⁣ ⁣ I arrived to the trailhead around 8:45 am and got the last parking spot in the lot. I was shocked at how busy it was already, and on a weekday too. When I returned, there were hundreds of cars parked for miles along the highway. Make sure to go early if you want to hike without all the people! This was such a stunning larch hike to do!

Great hike! Did the south pocaterra in Sept for the larch trees

Awesome hike! Easy to do under 2 hours and next time I do this hike I’ll try the loop!!

Vow! What a beautiful place to visit with the family and friend. Went there couple of weeks before with my friends and family. We really enjoyed a lot . Actually we were two families including our kids. We were astonished by the beauty of the nature. Our kids enjoyed a lot more than that. They were in their own world. They were so happy that they forgot to eat their snacks. My younger one said that he wanted to live there. Definitely it was lovely time spent with the family and friends.Highly recommended place to visit.

Beautiful hike. A little bit of everything and super rewarding. The parking lot got full and we parked on the street by 11am on a weekday in September. 10/10 would recommend.

Came here on a weekday afternoon, lots of cars in the parking lot and people parked on the side of the road as well. Came here to do Pocaterra Ridge, starts out flat but gets way steeper towards the top. Took about 1.5 hours to get to the top of the ridge, and the views are amazing, especially with the larches out! A bit muddy in some of the flatter spots but manageable, quite a few people on the trail but crowd thins out as the trail goes on. The ridge then goes down a bit and it's a bit muddy there due to snow, but thankfully not for too long. After South Pocaterra, I didn't run into anyone for a good amount of time until the other end of Pocaterra Ridge, at which there were some people. Trail goes up and down a few times but nothing as steep as the first top. Trail is pretty clear but there's no signage anywhere. There's also a bit of street noise from the ridge, interestingly enough. Lots of good views along the ridge for sure as it goes parallel to the highway. Going down was super steep, was really thankful for poles. Hike took about 3.5 hours total, was quite the hike!

Great view of the surrounding area. About a 4km hike from the parking lot. Follow the trail from the parking lot to the wooden platforms, and then from there drop down into the dirt path beside it. Follow that up into the forest and just take the path that goes up, you'll eventually clear the forest and then it'll be really obvious where to go from there. Pretty steep at parts but no scree, definitely worth it. Anyone somewhat fit would be able to do it if they take their time. Took me about 3 hours to summit, taking a decent number of breaks along the way. If you want to scree ski a bit drop off the side of the peak.

A beautiful hike, very steep and once you're on the Ridge, you would know! The view is so beautiful and worth it. Please note, you need two cars to do this hike at the two entrances unless you want to walk an addition 2 hours back to the parking lot after the hike.