Okonnel Ridge

Okonnel Ridge
Kananaskis, Alberta
June 6, 2024
Distance: 6.8 km (4.2 mi)
Cumulative Elevation Gain: 235 m (771 ft)

I was curious about a low ridge in an out-of-the-way part of Kananaskis. Going by the shotgun shells and broken clay targets, the area probably sees more skeet shooters than hikers despite a No Shooting sign. I never heard of anyone hiking here.

The ridge lies east of Okotoks Mountain and west of Channel Ridge. It seemed fitting to call it "Okonnel Ridge," a portmanteau of the neighbouring mountains. Doug Robson joined me in exploring the ridge.

The hike begins just inside the boundary of Kananaskis. From a big parking area, we passed through a gate and headed south across an expansive meadow. There were sections of lingering bog from early spring, but we easily crossed them. On our left, a fence with a No Trespassing sign marked the park boundary.

The meadow ends abruptly at the foot of a wooded slope on Okonnel Ridge. After entering the forest by the fence, we found an animal trail. Overgrown in places, we had to push through bushes at times. But near the ridgetop, the vegetation relaxed, and we followed the perimeter trail easily.

The park boundary doesn't continue straight but takes a ninety-degree turn 1.6 km from the trailhead. We turned left to follow the perimeter trail running east. After 550 m and before the trail drops down, we left it. We hiked a short distance to a meadow on a hilltop where we found views of distant mountains.

We crossed the meadow, entered the forest and followed the ridge to the summit. Unfortunately, trees obscured the view. We took a break and continued south along the ridge before dropping down the west slope. We planned on completing a loop.

We soon came to a clearcut slope. The forest resumed at the bottom, but a skid trail – a temporary logging road – allowed us to continue west. But much of it was covered with slash. We avoided the worst of the logging debris by entering the forest. After following the skid trail for 500 m, we came across an animal trail on the right side. The trail passes through a pleasant forest for a kilometre before reaching an immense meadow. We followed the trail 2 km back to the parking lot, through a beautiful verdant swath lined with trees.

Although Okonnel Ridge lacks significant ridgeline views, I think it serves well as an off-season hike in a novel area. It's a relatively short drive from Calgary, and 75% of our route was on trails. Doug and I enjoyed the hike and talked about returning in the fall when aspen leaves are turning yellow.

KML and GPX Tracks

The road to the trailhead