Dave and I always thought that Mount Yamnuska was for climbers/scramblers only. We were mistaken. Let me tell you—this hike was the best discovery of our entire summer.
Something for everyone.
Raven’s End trail is the best way to enjoy Yamnuska if you’re not into scaling peaks. It’s a recently refurbished 5.3 mile (8.5 km) loop with around 1,750 ft (525 m) elevation. We hiked this trail in late August under clear skies.
The trail began by weaving through stands of aspens. I could only imagine how gorgeous this would be in the fall.
The steady uphill took us to some spectacular views of Bow Valley.
I won’t lie; this hike took effort, but the payoff was worth it—we found plenty of places to take a breather and soak up the surroundings.
When you reach the information sign, you’ll know you’ve reached Raven’s End.
We turned right to finish the loop.
At this point, you have options: turn to the right and take the loop back down or head left to scramble. I’d suggest you take note of the warnings before heading left.
Trail continues to scramble portion of the hike.
Panorama from the viewpoint.
The view on the way back is pretty nice, too.
I find it hard to believe that after 20 years, we’ve just now discovered this gem so close to Canmore. Dave coined it best when he called it ”the quintessential gateway hike to the Canadian Rockies.”