Fantastic scenery, fantastic location, go for it! One of my favorite scrambles in this area.
Quick Stats
Distance: 14.69K Round Trip
Height Gain: 1448m
Round Trip Time: 4h17m
Kane Ratting: Easy
Resources: Scrambles in the Canadian Rockies
The day starts with a trip up Spencer creek. Mount Lougheed is impressive from down here. You can learn more about Spencer creek here:https://www.tripbagger.com/2020/08/29/shawn-bags-spencer-creek-kananaskis/When you near the end of Spencer creek, you can either hang a left and immediately start the grind up Mount Lougheed or you can head to the end of Spencer creek to check out the waterfalls. I opted for the water falls but it does add a bit of extra distance to the trip.View of the waterfalls as I start the long ascent up Mount Lougheed.From the waterfall viewpoint the trail heads up the scree slope to the left. Despite being August, a recent snowstorm had deposited a bunch of snow at higher elevations. At the top of the scree slope, it appears to be the end of the road, but you can carefully work your way up the cliff bands at the top.A look back down the scree slope. Spencer creek is below, and the imposing face of Mount Sparrowhawk is behind it. More on Mount Sparrowhawk here:https://www.tripbagger.com/2010/10/11/shawn-bags-mount-sparrowhawk-kananaskis/After passing through the cliff bands, you need to head up on the left and then traverse over to the ridge on the right. The melting snow made for numerous waterfalls along the traverse. It was a spectacular area.Having completed the traverse, it is now time to head up this ridge. Although Lougheed is a long ascent, the fantastic scenery helps the time just fly by.Final ridge before the summit.Looking back along the ridge. If you look carefully, you can see two guys making their way along the ridge that I passed earlier. The two tiny figures give you a good feel for the scale, this is a big mountain.Traditional summit selfie makes an appearance!These two gentlemen showed up the summit not long after. They even shared a delicious beverage with me. I tip my hat to you Zdenek!The views up here are amazing. Who was this Lougheed guy this mountain is named after?Lougheed was a lawyer who made connections within the Hudson Bay company after his Marriage to Belle Hardisty. After Belle’s uncle died leaving an empty seat in the senate Lougheed was appointed to the seat. During his time, he championed the creation of a new province called Alberta. Spray Lakes on the left, town of Canmore of the right. In 1916 James Lougheed became Sir James Lougheed after he was knighted for his work chairing the committee for wounded soldiers returning from WWI. One last look around then it is time to head down before the usual afternoon thunderstorms, or snowstorms, roll in.
3 Comments
Awesome Ted · August 20, 2022 at 7:09 pm
Spectacular!
Shawn Bags Wind Ridge – Kananaskis – Trip Bagger · March 6, 2022 at 9:27 pm
[…] the trees, the views improve and the trail gets steeper. Mount Lougheed makes an appearance: https://www.tripbagger.com/2019/08/18/shawn-bags-mount-lougheed-kananaskis/ The trail follows the ridge and occasionally grants you views of Canmore down the Bow Valley. The […]
Shawn Bags Spencer Creek – Kananaskis - Trip Bagger · March 27, 2022 at 10:28 pm
[…] lies ahead. Mount Lougheed on the left and center (it is that big) and Sparrowhawk on the right. https://www.tripbagger.com/2019/08/18/shawn-bags-mount-lougheed-kananaskis/ Don’t forget to turn around and look behind you as well. The view of spray lakes and Mount […]