If you are looking for a beautiful and family friendly hike in winter, look no further than the popular Grassi Lakes hike just outside of Canmore. This hike is popular for a reason, the gorgeous lakes at the end and the beautiful views of the surrounding mountains and down to the town. Winter is the perfect time to do the Grassi Lakes hike as it is considerably quieter than in the summer months, however your trail options to get to the end of the trail are reduced in winter.
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The Grassi Lakes Hike
Distance: 1.9km
Elevation: 203m gain
The Grassi Lakes hike starts out with a steady uphill climb on a wide trail, within the first few hundred meter’s you’ll come across a junction for the Grassi Lakes Lower trail, also known as the ‘harder’ route. This route is closed in the winter for safety reasons, the trail around the waterfall gets particularly icy and hard to navigate in the winter, so they close it. When we hiked the winter trail, Grassi Lakes Upper trail, the lower trail was closed off with tape, please respect this closure and just because there may be footprints past the closure, doesn’t mean you should follow.
The winter Grassi Lakes hike follows the wide trail which gains elevation gradually, it is a great hike through the forest which eventually has a few open spots, giving up views of the town below. There is a bench on the side of the hike approximately half way up, a great spot to stop for a break.
The wide trail means even if you bump into others, it’s never an issue and there is plenty of space to spread out and allow all trail users to go at their own pace! As the Grassi Lakes hike levels out you have a beautiful view of Ha Ling Mountain straight ahead and shortly after there is a gorgeous viewpoint and bench on the left hand side looking out over the reservoir and town of Canmore.
After this the Grassi Lakes hike gets really stunning, with the first view of the lower of the two pools. You can hear the waterfall but unfortunately it isn’t really visible in winter. If you come back in summer, take the lower trail to enjoy spectacular views of the waterfall.
Cross the small bridge and keep right in winter to walk the shoreline of the lower lake, take some time, sit on a bench and enjoy the peace and quiet which is winter at Grassi Lakes. Then keep on following the trail as it climbs up a few steps to the upper lake. There is a gate across the Grassi Lakes hike along this section, warning of rockfall.
Past the gate the rock surrounding the lake is a popular spot for rock climbers, so continue at your own risk, but move quickly and don’t linger in dangerous spots, or turn around at the gate and just enjoy the beautiful views.
Once you reach the lakes you’ve also reached the end of the Grassi Lakes hike, enjoy a snack or picnic on one of the benches along the lake shore and marvel at the brilliant green and blue colours of the lake when the sun shines on them. Whenever you are ready, head back down the hill. It can get slippery walking down the trail, so make sure you have spikes in the winter to prevent any slips and falls on your descent.
Make sure to check out trail conditions and confirm the trail is open before heading out, this is easily done on the Alberta Parks website for trails in the Canmore area.
Where Is The Grassi Lakes Trailhead
The Grassi Lakes hike trailhead is around a 15 minute drive from downtown Canmore, you’ll want to drive to the far side of the town, following signs for the Canmore Nordic Centre. From the Three Sisters Drive, turn onto Highway 742, past the Nordic Centre, just as the paved road ends, the Grass Lakes hike parking lot is clearly sign posted on the left.
You enter Kananaskis Provincial Park just prior to turning into the Grassi Lakes trailhead and therefore you’ll need a Kananaskis Conservation Pass to park and hike the trail. You can buy a daily pass or an annual pass, either at a visitor centre, such as the one at the Nordic Centre on your way to the parking lot, or online.
Things You Might Need To Complete This Winter Hike
Due to the popular nature of the Grassi Lakes hike, this trail can get very slippery over winter. We didn’t need ice spikes but quite often people do in the winter. We packed our Yaktrax for the trip but due to a recent fresh snowfall we didn’t require them.
A good pair of warm shoes or boots are a must. I wore my La Sportiva Raptor 2 boots, they are summer hiking boots but keep my feet dry and toasty warm even in the winter.
Make sure to take a backpack and fill it with layers, when we did the hike it got very windy and cold while we were enjoying the lakes at the top. Having extra layers to put on allowed us to spend more time enjoying ourselves when we got to the end!
A seat pad is a great idea for this trail too, when you reach Grassi Lakes there are benches to sit on and enjoy the peacefulness of the place. These are often cold and covered in snow during winter. A closed cell foam sit pad is a great option for keeping you warm and dry when you sit down.
Places To Stay Near The Grassi Lakes Trail
Canmore is full of excellent hotels and restaurants as well as other gorgeous winter hikes, so why not make a weekend of it. My favorite hotels in Canmore include the new Mountain House Hotel by Basecamp, check out their restaurant as well for a fantastic meal.
Then there is the Falcon Crest Lodge which also offers small suites if you want the flexibility to make your own meals while visiting, some of their suites are equipped with kitchens and also a little more space than a traditional hotel room.
