Wolf Creek Hill | Channell Ridge North

Panorama from Channell Ridge North Summit

Wolf Creek Hill and Channell Ridge North Summit
(North Approach)
Kananaskis, Alberta
March 26, 2024
Distance: 12.0 km (7.5 mi)
Cumulative Elevation Gain: 490 m (1608 ft)

With the arrival of spring, I wanted to climb Wolf Creek Hill before the thaw set in. It's easier to cross Sheep River when it's frozen and to hike the paths before they become muddy. Doug Robson, Harry Raymaakers and I set out on a cold, cloudy morning with the area covered in snow. Being a short hike, we tacked on the north summit of Channell Ridge (often misspelled as Channel Ridge). I learned later that the East Approach avoids the river crossing.

From the parking lot, we followed Wolf Creek trail down to Sheep River. We crossed solid ice to the opposite bank. The snow was packed down on the trail, and we easily followed it. After passing two kilometres of dull forest, we broke out onto a vista just as the sun poked through the clouds. Wolf Creek Hill was just around the corner. Its grassy west slope held little snow, and we soon reached the hilltop.

With the sun shining and less snow cover than we expected, we turned our attention to the north summit of Channell Ridge seen across a valley. We quickly dropped down the open south slopes of Wolf Creek Hill to the forest at the bottom. After crossing a frozen creek, we started bushwhacking up the northwest slope. Partway up, we passed through a clear-cut granting us views before plunging back into thin trees. As we ascended the north summit of Channell Ridge, the weather deteriorated. Clouds rolled in, and the air grew chilly.

Calling it a summit is a stretch. It lacks a discernible prominence, and the ridge keeps climbing. But it was a fine spot to sit on a log and take a break. Trees blocked views east, but west, beyond the foothills, we recognized peaks in the Highwood Range.

Instead of retracing our steps back down, we continued up the treed ridge. We weren't keen to hike 3 km to the viewless south summit, the highest point on Channell Ridge, but we liked the idea of doing a loop back to Wolf Creek trail.

We followed the ridge for 500 m before dropping down a spur on our right. Most of the spur was open so we welcomed a relief from the treed ridge. At the bottom of the spur, we easily crossed flat, open ground. But the last 400 m to the trail proved complex, and we encountered ridges and ravines. In our downhill rush, we got off-route at times. At one point, we started dropping down to a creek only to realize we were off-track and had to climb back up. But the navigation errors were minor, and we soon reached Wolf Creek trail. We followed it back to the fork at the base of Wolf Creek Hill. As we cruised back to the parking lot, we discussed the hike. At a time of year when we often repeat trips, this was a welcomed diversion.

KML and GPX Tracks

Going down the trail to Sheep River