Hiking Prairie Mountain by Elbow Falls in Kananaskis

This summer I got a chance to hike Prairie Mountain located just outside of Calgary and west of Bragg Creek.

There are a lot of nice hikes in Banff and Peter Lougheed but it takes at least 2 hours one way to get there.

The drive to Prairie Mountain on the other hand is only 40 minutes.

I wanted to hike it for a long time but never got a chance.

Because this hike is located so close to Calgary it is perfect if you don’t have much time.

In fact, in the summer Prairie Mountain can easily be done after a day in the office.

Prairie Mountain trail is a steady incline all the way to the top where you will find a beautiful alpine meadow with a 360-degree view of Kananaskis and the surrounding area.

On most days you can also see Calgary downtown from the top.

How long is the Prairie Mountain hike?

Prairie Mountain hike is 8.5 km with an elevation gain of 660 m based on my Apple Watch.

It took me 4 hours to finish it but this also included an almost 1-hour picnic at the top.

This hike is rated as hard because of the high elevation gain over a short distance.

This trail is pretty steep almost all the way to the top where it gets flat after you reach the summit.

How to get to the Prairie Mountain trailhead?

From Calgary drive west on 22X and then continue on Highway 66 until you reach Elbow Falls.

The hike starts right from the winter gate by Elbow Falls.

Many hikers just park along the road across Elbow Falls Recreational area.

The winter gate is closed from December to May but the hike is accessible year-round.

The trailhead is not well marked and there are a few trails that you can take.

All these trails come together after a few hundred meters.

There is a high incline right from the start of the hike.

Hiking Prairie Mountain

When I hiked Prairie Mountain, I didn’t choose the best weather for my hike.

It was around 30 C when I started hiking but fortunately, there was quite a bit of shade so it wasn’t that bad.

Because of the close proximity to Calgary, I heard that this hike gets pretty busy on the weekends.

I parked a few hundred meters from Elbow Falls just behind the winter gate and started my hike at around 5:30 pm.

I was expecting a lot of hikers but it wasn’t that busy likely because of the high temperatures.

The trail is a steady incline with not too many flat sections.

There are a few awesome views along the way but most of the hike goes through the forest which only opens up at the very top when you reach a huge grassy meadow with wildflowers.

As on many other mountains at the summit, you can actually get some phone receptions because nothing blocks the signal.

When I got to the summit, I was pretty surprised that it was empty and nobody showed up for the next 30 minutes.

If you can choose the right timing you can avoid the crowds no matter how popular the trail is.

However, I did notice that the trail got slightly busier just before the sunset when people come to watch the sun going down over the mountains.

The summit area is huge so no matter how busy it is, you can find a spot for yourself.

Conclusion

Prairie Mountain is a perfect short hike if you want to prepare yourself for more challenging longer trails or just warm up after the winter season.

It is important to be mentally prepared that it is not an easy hike and it will be a grind to get to the top especially if you are a beginner.

However, I did see a couple of people running up this trail so it definitely depends on your endurance level.

Even though I didn’t use the hiking poles, it might be helpful especially if you go early in the season when the trail is muddy and slippery.

If I am going to do Prairie Mountain again, I will likely do sunrise or sunset hike.

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