This is a great little hike, going up from the Spray Valley to the Pass between the Three Sisters and Mount Lawrence Grassi. It’s also a good alternative to the more mainstream Canmore mountains for the days when there’ll be over 100 people on Ha Ling Peak.
Access is via K-Country, parking in a pull-out from the Spray Lakes Road, and then heading up the drainage that leads to the pass. Keep to the left side of the drainage as you hike up, and in 100 metres or so you’ll see a giant cairn that leads you onto a path in the trees. The track goes back and forth between going directly up the drainage and travelling along the trees to the side of the drainage (mostly on climbers’ left).
Most of the way up you have a good view of the scree-filled shoulder that leads down from the Big Sister to the pass – but amazingly, there’s no final slog through steep scree, instead the track disappears into a patch of trees, zig-zags upwards through them, until suddenly you’re spat out onto a grassy slope that leads you onto the pass proper.
The views don’t rival those of the peaks around Canmore, but are still great – and you’re unlikely to have to share them (unless you count the pesky Alpine Helicopters scenic tours zooming overhead).
The track itself makes for a pretty nice hike too – there’s some scree, some trail through trees, and some scrambling over rock (with a nice stream flowing for at least part of the hike). The scrambling takes some attention, but isn’t so full-on you can’t do it while carrying a 2 month old in a sling.
Total distance: 6 km
Elevation gain: 595m (1952ft) (Trailhead 1670m (5478ft), Pass 2265m (7429ft))
Hiking time: The return trip took us about 3.5 hours, but with food, photo and diaper changing stops, actual hiking time was closer to 2.5 hours.