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Old Goat Knob
Kananaskis, Alberta
August 26, 2026
Distance: 6.7 km (4.2 mi)
Cumulative Elevation Gain: 790 m (2592 ft)
After hiking to Old Goat Glacier Overlook last year, Doug Robson and I were keen to visit the charming cirque again and climb a subpeak I called Old Goat Knob. Unfamiliar with the area on our first trip, we made routefinding errors, but we returned with a better route in mind. Joining us was Bob Crawford.
We couldn’t hike directly up the slope from the Old Goat Glacier parking lot because of a preservation zone, so we went up the trail to circumvent it before we started bushwhacking. At first, we sought little ridges where we found faint animal trails, but eventually we settled into a gully. It was generally easy to follow, although sometimes thickets and deadfall forced us to climb the sides. The gully disappeared on the saddle above the cirque. We dropped 30 m down and broke out of the trees onto a picturesque meadow in the cirque. We hiked up an open slope bordered by towering cliffs on our left and Old Goat Knob on our right. At the end, we scrambled up slabs, although they were steeper than they looked.
This brought us to a ridge above a small cirque filled with snow. We paused to take in the fine scenery. In front of us, the knob rose above trees so dense they appeared impenetrable. Expecting to be repelled, we plunged into the trees, up a steep, narrow, rugged ridge. Fortunately, small openings, goat tracks, and rocky sections that we easily scrambled up eased us through the trees. Eventually, we emerged onto a meadowy slope and headed to the base of the knob. Up meadows and over rocks, we hoofed it to the top of Old Goat Knob. We reached the small patch occupying the summit overlooking Goat Pond and Spray Lakes Reservoir.
We relaxed for a while under a blue sky before we started back down. We retraced our steps back, except we avoided the slabs, choosing to go down the meadow on the other side. I wasn’t happy to leave the lower cirque and enter the forest, but the bushwhacking back seemed to go by quickly.
Old Goat Knob seen from last year's trip
Old Goat Knob is the subpeak in the centre
We left Old Goat Glacier Trail and went up a brief side trail
We followed faint animal trails when we found
them
While hiking up the gully, we passed a squirrel midden
We reached the saddle above the cirque
View of Old Goat Knob (far right) from the cirque
Heading up from the cirque
Looking back
We headed to the next saddle
Doug crosses a snow patch
The slabs were steeper than they
looked, and on the descent, we came down the meadow on the left
Bob and me at the slabs
We thought we would have trouble with the
dense trees ahead, but it wasn't bad
Starting up through the trees on a narrow ridge
There was a short, open section
Crossing a small opening in the trees
Heading to the summit
Looking across at Old Goat Knoll. Below, is a partly frozen tarn.
Final stretch to the summit
Doug arrives on the top
Doug, me and Bob on the summit
Doug looks across Spray Lakes Reservoir
Mount Rundle and Ha Ling Peak above Goat Pond
Heading back down
Across from the descent ridge is the overlook saddle we reached last year
Leaving the cirque and entering the forest
82 J/14 Spray Lakes Reservoir