This plan works from mid-June to the end of November, while the southern section of Highway 40 is open. From 1 December to 14 June, Alberta Parks closes the road from Peter Lougheed Provincial Park to Highwood House Junction, so Highwood Pass and Ptarmigan Cirque drop out. The rest of the day still works. Road closures are listed on Alberta Parks.
The stops
| Stop | From the hotel | What is there |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Kananaskis Visitor Information Centre | 7.1 km · ~8 min | Buy or check your Conservation Pass, ask about wildlife closures |
| 2. Barrier Dam | 9.2 km · ~10 min | Prairie View and Jewell Pass trailhead |
| 3. Kananaskis Village and Nakiska | about 26 km · ~25–27 min | Troll Falls 1.4 km, Wedge Pond 1 km, Village Loop 2.0 km |
| 4. Upper Kananaskis Lake | 65.4 km · ~67 min | Rawson Lake 3.9 km one-way, 320 m |
| 5. Highwood Pass | 67.3 km · ~58 min | Ptarmigan Cirque, 4.5 km, 210 m; summer and autumn only |
“calc” = my own OSRM router check from the resort’s map pin, 31 October 2026: no traffic, stops or snow.
The router reaches Highwood Pass faster than Upper Kananaskis Lake because the lake sits off the highway on the Kananaskis Lakes Trail. Both figures are as calculated.
Morning: Barrier Lake
Leave after an early breakfast, or skip The Ridge if you want to be moving before it opens at 8 am. The visitor centre first, because it sells the Conservation Pass in person and knows which trails are closed this week. Then Barrier Dam: Prairie View is 6.6 km one-way to the viewpoint and climbs 421 m, so allow most of a morning. If that is too much for the day, Barrier Lake Interpretive is 2.5 km one-way from the lower day-use lot and gains 100 m.
Midday: Kananaskis Village
Drive on to Kananaskis Village, about 26 km from the hotel. Troll Falls is 1.4 km on a shared forest trail; Alberta Parks has barricaded the side paths around the falls because of rockfall, so stay on the main trail. Wedge Pond is a 1 km loop and the Village Loop 2.0 km. I have not reviewed places to eat in the village, so bring lunch from the hotel fridge.
Afternoon: the high country
If the road is open and the legs are willing, keep going south. Rawson Lake starts from the Upper Lake Trail at Upper Kananaskis Lake and climbs 320 m in 3.9 km to an alpine lake. Ptarmigan Cirque starts at Highwood Meadows Day Use Area, which Alberta Parks calls the highest paved pass in Canada, and gains 210 m over 4.5 km into an alpine meadow. Pick one; doing both after Prairie View is a long day.
Evening: back up the valley
The drive home is about an hour. Pool until 11 pm, dinner at The Ridge if you are back before 9 pm, Sidelines if not. If you would rather end the day in town, read Canmore and Banff instead.
Safety, briefly
- Carry the pass number or confirmation; enforcement applies at parking sites.
- Respect group size limits: 15 on several of these trails.
- Mobile coverage in the valleys is not something I can vouch for; download your maps before you leave the hotel's Wi-Fi.
- Check the trail report on the morning you go; Alberta Parks updates them through the season.
Last checked against the linked sources: 31 October 2026.