The Burstall Pass hike is one of my favorite Larch Hikes. September in the Canadian Rockies, means only one thing, Larch season! When the needles of the larch trees change from green to stunning yellow. People head to the mountains and congregate at trails renowned for their larch trees, I wouldn’t recommend coming out to see the trees on a weekend in September!
Typically Larch season here in the Rockies starts around mid September and runs through until the end of the month however it varies year by year usually depending on temperature and when the first frost hits. Due to the changing mountain weather conditions, the larch hiking season can also be cut short merely by excess snowfall. Larches typically are found at higher elevations where snow hangs around for a lot longer once it falls.
Trailhead
The trailhead for the Burstall Pass hike is clearly signed off the Smith Dorrien Trail in Kananaskis. The road can be accessed from Canmore or Peter Lougheed Provincial Park but take note that the Smith Dorrien Trail isn’t paved and can be very rough, therefore it can take longer than anticipated to get to the trailhead. From Canmore the trailhead is approximately 45km along the Smith Dorrien Trail.
Hiking Burstall Pass
Distance: 15km roundtrip
Elevation: 470m
Time: Approximately 5 hours roundtrip
The Burstall Pass trail starts fairly easily, following a wide fairly flat trail through the forest alongside the Burstall Lakes. Look out for offshoots off the main trail for beautiful views of the lakes. For the first 2 kilometres bikes are allowed so watch out for these or feel free to cycle these first few easy kilometres.
The start of the hike Beautiful lakes
Before we knew it we had popped out of the forest and into a big open flat area. The trail to Burstall Pass was hard to follow here but there were signs which were dotted along, showing the trail. The views here are quite beautiful, looking up at the mountains and glaciers. The trail has been washed out and when we were hiking the trail there were a number of streams crossing the flats which required crossing. People have put log crossings across most of them but I’m sure in the spring when the water levels can be higher it may be hard going!
After the flats we entered back into the trees again and we gained a big bulk of elevation, involving not many switchbacks but some steep, straight up sections. As the trail levels out the larches start appearing, we had appeared into an alpine bowl filled with larch trees and surrounded by huge mountains. It was absolutely silent when we were there and an incredible moment of stillness was enjoyed as we took in the views.
The trail is flat for some time as it heads towards the back of the bowl, then it was back to climbing again to reach Burstall Pass. Once more it was rather straight up but the elevation gain was quick and it felt like no time at all before we were looking back at the stunning bowl below.
Burstall Pass is stunning, an incredible spot to look out over the larches in the alpine bowl below but the trail also continues on over the pass and down the backside to Leman Lake. We followed the trail a short way and were rewarded with even more larches, both on the pass and down into the valley. There were many perfect spots to enjoy a snack or lunch up here, although the wind was fierce at times!
Tips To Enjoy The Larch Trees in Fall
Pack for all weather conditions
Make sure to pack lots of layers, the weather in fall can be unpredictable. When we started the hike to Burstall Pass the sun was out and it was hot, by the time we got the meadow it was starting to get a little cloudy, on the pass there was a wicked cold wind and it tried to snow, it was overcast the whole walk back before the heavens opened and it poured with rain as we got back to the car!
Picking the right time to start your hike
Larch hikes are very, very popular! Parking lots for some of these hikes can fill up really early in the morning. A lot of larch hikes aren’t all that long, consider getting to the trail around lunch time to find better parking, we started hiking Burstall Pass at 3pm and we had the pass to ourselves, the last people on the trail for the day, however we got back to the car at 7pm, so we were not home very early!
Never forget bear spray
There are a lot of bears around Kananaskis and we saw fresh scat on the trail when we hiked in. During the fall the bears are trying to get as many calories as possible as they gain their last fat before hibernation, they can be easily startled.
