Hiking Burstall Pass

Burstall Pass topBurstall Pass Kananaskis top viewAs I’ve mentioned before, I’m a summer girl through and through, but if fall’s going to officially make its appearance there’s nothing to do but embrace it! I really wanted to get out and see some fall colours this year before they disappear, because in Alberta they disappear all too quickly. The internet told me that Burstall Pass was one of the best places to go to see those beautiful yellows, so off to Kananaskis we went!

Burstall Pass Kananaskis trail

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Burstall Pass Kananaskis trail marker Burstall Pass Kananaskis meadow selfie Burstall Pass Kananaskis meadow Heather Burstall Pass Kananaskis meadow Zevi BennyThe Burstall Pass hike starts out on a relatively wide and flat trail. You can actually ride your bike for the first three kilometres or so and lock it at a bike rack just off the trail, and we were especially wishing we had wheels when we were ready to get off our feet on the way back. At about the 3.5 kilometre mark we got our first mountain panorama as we stepped into a wide meadow crisscrossed by a zigzagging stream. I expect that navigating the water would be more difficult in spring or early summer, but on the first day of fall it was pretty tame with no treacherous crossings necessary. We could see some larches dotting the rocks in the distance and a glacier gleamed bright white in the sunshine. If you’re looking for an easy stroll, walking out to see the views from this clearing would be absolutely worthwhile!

Burstall Pass Kananaskis trail Burstall Pass Kananaskis trail Zevi Benny Burstall Pass Kananaskis larches

The trail gets a little more challenging from there, with a couple of pretty steep climbs through dense forest broken up by another little meadow jaunt, but it’s nothing that a bus full of seniors can’t handle. Yes, pretty much the only people that hike on a Wednesday are seniors and us, which is great because it meant that we had the trail mostly to ourselves. The hardest part of the whole thing was probably the slippery mud that shortened our steps on the way up and provided a slick runway for Benny to drag us down on the way back. If anyone’s got any tips for making my dog stop pulling me as I try to navigate a steep muddy slope without falling on my face I’m allll ears .

Burstall Pass Kananaskis Heather top Burstall Pass Kananaskis Zevi top Burstall Pass Kananaskis family photo top

We thought we’d reached the top and sat down to eat our lunch, but luckily we got a tip from one of those lovely seniors that if we went just a little bit further the view would be a whole lot better. He was right – the 180 degree view overlooking the valley was well worth those ten extra minutes of walking. The larches were every bit as gorgeous as I’d hoped they’d be, and the mountain vista was one of the best I’ve seen.

Burstall Pass Kananaskis meadow end

I always feel the most at peace when I’m off the grid exploring in nature (yes, I realize the irony of that statement as I publish this on the internet ), and I’m so glad we took the opportunity to hike Burstall Pass while the fall colours are at their finest. The hike’s a pretty long one at fifteen kilometres return, but it’s not overly strenuous, and the views make the effort absolutely worthwhile. If you get out there soon you can catch those yellow trees shining among their green cousins before they go in to hiding for the winter!

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