The start of this trail isn't overly interesting, but soon enough you will emerge from the trees into a picturesque valley. This valley is long, but thankfully you have great views and the well defined trail makes for some speedy hiking.

The 2nd half of this trail is where you find all the elevation. From the end of the valley it's a steep climb up through the treeline to gain the pass. The views from the top of this pass are stunning, with the beautiful alpine lakes below. You will now be able to see the entire route to the summit, but there's still a long way to go. The trail up to the summit is very loose in places and may require some simple scrambling.

The views from the top are outstanding, you have a perfect 360 panorama with awesome views in every direction.

This trail does have a tendency to hold snow late into the season. There are some very large avalanche paths which can drop a huge amount of snow on parts of the trail. The lakes can also remain frozen until early July, so this isn't the best early season hike.

The long approach does make this a full day hike, but it's well worth the effort and it's a great day out. The view of Mount Birdwood from the summit is something special.

The decent offers a different prospective on some of the fantastic views you had on the hike in, although the last few kilometres along the ATV road can feel like they are never ending.

Grizzly bears are very common in Kananaskis, so don't be surprised if you encounter one on trail. Moose can also sometimes be spotted on the drive to the trailhead, so keep your eyes open and you might just see one.