On this trail, you can look forward to vibrant larches, a picturesque alpine meadow and sweeping vistas with dramatic peaks. That’s right! If you make a purchase via one of these links, I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. Topped out at the scree and never saw any split rock, but no matter, because wandering the meadow towards the North Cirque trail is … For the effort and the time, the Arethusa Cirque hike delivers fantastic mountain views. It's a good choice for wildflower season, since the trail crosses an expansive meadow that erupts into bloom at just the right time of year. Best time to see the larches is from the 4th week of September to 1st week of October. And yes, they are completely peaking. There’s a small creek to the east of the tarn you want to follow to reach Arethusa Cirque. Highwood Pass larch hikes with Kananaskis Outfitters. Why go to overcrowded Larch … Up near Highwood Pass in Kananaskis Country, Arethusa Cirque is an easy hike with a couple of options to make it shorter or longer as your fitness or schedule permits. Required fields are marked *. It was a perfect autumn day with a bright sun and a big blue sky. Good weather brought the crowds to Highwood Pass. The trailhead is located approximately 1.25 kilometres south of the Highwood Pass parking lot on the east side of Highway 40. (@bomdiacanada), A post shared by Yaz (@yazmine.m.photography), A post shared by Sonja Kolstad (@doulainthewild), A post shared by Hunter Scrimshaw (@hscrimshaw), Check out the 0.1 km interpretive trail at the beginning or end of the hike to learn more about unique alpine meadows and high altitude larch trees. Your email address will not be published. Our goal was the easy Arethusa Cirque hike where we’d been told we’d find larches in all their fall glory. once back on the cirque route, followed the flagging tape with a keen eye. I briefly considered Mount Arethusa, but it’s a full-on committed scramble for people with a lot of climbing experience. We went 1K further down the road to the trailhead for Arethusa Cirque/Little Arethusa. If you make a purchase through these links, I will earn a commission at no extra cost to you. I have never seen anything like it. Love, love, love this hike! A post shared by Yaz (@yazmine.m.photography) on Sep 25, 2020 at 1:06pm PDT. And Ptarmigan Cirque right at the pass is OK larch viewing. Discover Canada: 100 Inspiring Outdoor Adventures, The Ptarmigan Cirque Hike in Kananaskis Country - Hike Bike Travel, The Grizzly Ridge Hike in Kananaskis Country - Hike Bike Travel, Your Winter 2020 Bucket List: 3 Reasons to Vacation In Canmore This Year. Mid-October was the first chance I got to revisit Arethusa Cirque with the aforementioned criteria: sunny skies and during larch season. Here’s what to expect on the Ptarmigan Cirque trail. Bring bear spray just in case. Any earlier they will still be turning color, any later it will start getting chilly! Once across the trail, start the loop in a clockwise fashion as you initially make your way through another alpine meadow dotted with wildflowers. Alpine Larches mid September We've explored this beautiful Cirque in the Highwood Pass area a few times, and it is a little gem. Larch season in the Canadian can be unpredictable in timing and short lived given our tumultuous weather patterns but typically they start to turn from green to yellow the middle of September and (barring no heavy wind, rain or snow storms) will last until mid-October. © 2019 Hike Bike Travel | All Rights Reserved. One minute down the road from Ptarmigan Cirque, Arethusa Cirque is another kid-friendly larch hike in Kananaskis Country near the Highwood Pass. We ended up with peak-a-boo mountain views over the course of our two hour hike as the snow competed with the sun and won for about 30 minutes. More touring in the upper cirque with Mt Arethusa in the background. As the initial climb subsides, the trail empties hikers out into a sublime alpine meadow. It…, Yoho National Park in British Columbia isn't very big compared to its next-door neighbour -…, For a take-your-breath-away beautiful multi-day hiking trip in the Canadian Rockies, you must put the…. Our goal was the easy Arethusa Cirque hike where we’d been told we’d find larches in all their fall glory. Not even 1 km from the trailhead, it's a sea of larches, 2 beautiful streams, and spectacular mountain backdrops. a little too late for full larches but still beautiful. Fossils and little waterfalls await at the far end of the meadow, watched over by dramatic, jagged peaks. Because of the snow, the trail was muddy and slippery in areas but still very manageable. Arethusa Cirque is one such hike in Kananaskis. The Arethusa Cirque hike under a dusting of snow. Thanks for reading! This post includes some affiliate links. These commissions help reduce the ever-increasing costs of keeping this site active. https://www.alltrails.com/trail/canada/alberta/arethusa-cirque-route It’s about a kilometre from treeline to get into the cirque. Another time we’d explore the talus field as its known for it’s fossilized shells. Read: Tips for Staying Safe in Bear Country. I highly recommend it but do go prepared as this is grizzly bear country and everyone should carry a can of bear spray that is under two year’s old. You’d want to take the left fork of the trail when it crosses the creek and work your way to the western part of the lower slope where from all reports there is a good trail to the top. (@bomdiacanada) on Sep 22, 2020 at 11:21am PDT. Set out from the lot through Highwood Meadows and the path will take you back across Highway 40 to Ptarmigan (staying left will lead to Pocaterra). Once through the larches, you just need to manage your way up a little rock rib and the summit push will be right in front of you. Find a good spot for a picture; see if you can get green and gold in the same shot! Arethusa wins, hands down. Click on the photo to bookmark to your Pinterest boards. On September 22, 2018 we will be hosting a Family Hike at Arethusa Cirque. The surrounding 3218m Mount Rae on the north and 2912m Mount Arethusa on the south are dominating structures that conjoin to create a nice, rugged bowl that helps define the loop feature of the overall trail. Her blog: HikeBikeTravel is frequently cited as one of the top travel and outdoor adventure blogs in Canada. So make sure to get enough of it to last until next September. It's also a decent option for larch season. With little effort, there is still such a variety of payoff – on this hike you can see plenty of wildlife, high alpine meadows, mountains and waterfalls. Storm/Arethusa Ridge from the larch forrest. ... Little Arethusa and Arethusa Cirque (Kananaskis) 4.8km rt. But you don't have to walk to far or too high up to get away from the highway and its noise, and on… Arethusa Cirque is less popular than Ptarmigan Cirque, likely because a few short, but very steep sections may prevent some from enjoying this fall larch hike. A post shared by Hunter Scrimshaw (@hscrimshaw) on Sep 23, 2020 at 6:41pm PDT. ... Arethusa Cirque, Kananaskis . You can find the trailhead for this hike about 1 km south of the Highwood Pass Day Use Area. Route finding on this trail can be challenging, and it seems we regularly meet other hikers who are lost. On a cold, snowy September day – the sort of day where a good book, a hot drink and a fireplace has appeal, John and I found ourselves driving Highway 40 towards Highwood Pass in Kananaskis Country. Ptarmigan Cirque might be the most well known hike in Kananaskis– and highly trafficked– larch viewing hike in K-Country. Last week we hiked up to Little Arethusa and decided to return and check out Arethusa Cirque today, knowing that the larch trees should be turning by now. Add on the hike to the summit of Little Arethusa – situated northwest of Arethusa Cirque near Ptarmigan Cirque. Photo Credit Karen Ashraff Closed: December 1st … The colours and views are spectacular. Arethusa Cirque is one of the best larch hikes in the Canadian Rockies. This storm blew in quickly and her parents were obviously completely unprepared. More hikes that are perfect for fall you might enjoy. We were thankful that we came prepared with all the right clothes (always take extra warm clothes for the mountains) despite the fact that the weather had been warm and sunny in Calgary. Arethusa Cirque: A gorgeous little valley, not far off the highway, excellent for families. It is a favourite for us with more larch trees than Ptarmigan Cirque, a gorgeous pond, and fewer crowds. Leigh McAdam is a Calgary based writer, author, photographer and social media enthusiast with over 61,000 followers. Minimal effort, larches just beginning to turn golden, and a great view. Arethusa wins, hands down. Crossed the creek & went up the Larch Trail. @Mandy And I have you to thank for telling me about it. While Mr. GeoK came away with some great landscapes and panorama photographs, I was happier with my photographs of some smaller details. Read: The 10 Hiking Essentials Everyone Should Carry. This is … This post includes some affiliate links. Remember to turn around at any moment as the epic view of the valley in all its autumn ‘larchness’ is there whenever you want it. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. ... to view the stunning Alpine Larches as their needles go yellow, most of the groups in the valley were families with little kids. incredibly windy atop little arethusa. Arethusa Cirque is a beautiful, less travelled trail that takes you to a lovely alpine meadow ringed with larches. On the way up to the cirque, pass a tarn and then head for treeline on a trail through talus slopes. At the apex of Highwood Pass – the highest paved mountain pass in Canada– is the parking lot servicing both Ptarmigan Cirque and Pocaterra Cirque trails. Arethusa Cirque is only a few kilometres with mild elevation gain. Hikers will encounter small wildlife and waterfalls and can even choose to scramble up the base of Mount Rae. And Ptarmigan Cirque right at the pass is OK larch viewing. Ptarmigan Cirque will be packed with people, this Cirque, right next door, should be less busy. It’s best to have a GPS app on your smartphone to help you follow the route. Gina and I decided to spend our Sunday afternoon with a gentle hike through Arethusa Cirque – famed for its larches in the fall season. Author of Discover Canada: 100 Inspiring Outdoor Adventures Co-author of 125 Nature Hot Spots in Alberta, The Goat Lake hike in Waterton Lakes National Park reopened in the summer 2020. To extend the trip, I’d need to add in a peak. Not even 1 km from the trailhead, it's a sea of larches, 2 beautiful streams, and spectacular mountain backdrops. Located 1.3km south of perhaps the most popular hike in K-Country, Ptarmigan Cirque (68km south of the TransCanada/ Highway 40 junction), this hike delivers much the same thrills but with a greater sense of untouched wilderness and fewer crowds. When you reach the tarn, you get the first inkling of the visual treat that’s in store. A post shared by Sonja Kolstad (@doulainthewild) on Sep 23, 2020 at 4:18pm PDT. Not 5 minutes after leaving the car, the first larches appear. While the overall gain in elevation is moderate on this hike, the bulk of it occurs within the first kilometer of the trail. https://explorekananaskis.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/ek-mainlogo-green-1.png, https://explorekananaskis.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/ek-ptarmigan.jpg, A post shared by Bom dia, Canadá! On this day John and I were more interested in capturing the larches in their glory. Up on a bluebird day to Arethusa Cirque for a larch pilgrimage. Arethusa Cirque is a moderate 4.5-km hike with gorgeous autumnal views located in Peter Lougheed Provincial Park. This hike attract large crowds during weekends, go midweek or super early morning to avoid! Arethusa Cirque is another challenging hike for kids and a great place to “hunt for larches”. Peak larch in Kananaskis on September 25. It’s a short, steep … Mr. GeoK set the 12 second timer on his camera to photograph the two of us in Arethusa Cirque. Get a guided tour of the. Instead, we decided on the completely doable Little Arethusa peak, which is an outcrop of the main mountain. Visit in summer to see wildflowers and splash in the creek, or autumn to enjoy the golden larch trees. Want to spend more time enjoying the beauty of the mountains? For the first 0.7 kilometres the trail climbs through the woods at a pretty gentle grade. The initial ascent of the hike will take you through a coniferous forest containing many larch trees. We did and the dusting of snow added a beauty to the hike – without causing any extra appreciable difficulty. Leigh McAdam is an award-winning, Calgary-based writer, photographer and social media enthusiast with over 61,000 followers. Breath in the air and drink in the sights on the easy descent; the ‘Golden Larches’ are a treat for nature lovers, but they’re only available for 3-4 weeks every year. If it’s a nice day or a weekend there is a good chance you’ll see other cars parked in a large informal dirt parking lot. The area typically has colder weather patterns than the city so be prepared for snow. Otherwise, follow the draw straight along the meadow for the cirque portion. Learn how your comment data is processed. The base of the Cirque marks the apex of the Ptarmigan Loop trail, so if you’re not doing the scramble up Mount Rae, continue along the path. Whether […], Your email address will not be published. There is a wee bit of boulder hopping just before you reach treeline. How about adding on a hike to the summit of Little Arethusa? Looks gorgeous – although I don’t think I could ever be ready for snow in September!! Packed with people, this Cirque, a picturesque alpine meadow through a forest... 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