Degree of Difficulty:
Moderate to Difficult
Time to Complete Round Trip:7 to 9 hours
Where to Park:
Mount Rae is SouthWest of the Kananaskis Lakes near the Ptarmigan Cirque on Highway 40. Park at the Highwood Pass parking lot.
The Route (see photo below):
Follow the Ptarmigan Cirque Interpretive Trail, which crosses over the highway, and make your way toward the top of the cirque in a rocky valley. At the furthest point of the interpretive trail, you'll see a rough trail continuing North and hooking left. Follow this trail into a wide scree gully.
Make your way up an obvious path in the scree slopes, toward a col between two peaks. The peak on the right is the notorious Pinnacle, which stands between you and the true summit of Mt. Rae.
Once you have arrived near the pinnacle, the easiest solution is to drop down to the left (NorthWest) and the real summit will be in view. By the way, this valley to the left and below you is the true source of the Elbow River and Calgary's drinking water. The col itself, before the pinnacle, is quite tricky, especially if snow is present, as it was when I was there. You can also attempt rounding the pinnacle on the right, and climbing up a chimney to the summit ridge.
Make your way to the summit, and enjoy the view. While at the summit, please take some time to look around for my wool glove, knitted by my Great Aunt Jo, . . . I know for a fact that I dropped it up there.
Return the same way.
Some History:
Mt. Rae was named after one of my heroes, a truly remarkable character, John Rae, who was involved in the search for the lost Franklin expedition (see Pierre Berton's book "The Arctic Grail"). In the 1800's, when others withered and starved in Canadian winter travels, this Englishman actually put on weight, hunting game and living off the land. Unlike most Northern expedition leaders of the time, none of his charges ever suffered from scurvy.
