Distance: 33.2km (loop)

Elevation: 2171m

Rating: Hard

Remoteness: Kananaskis lake, and Forks/Three Isle Lake/Aster Lake campgrounds can be busy, but you will definitely have lots of time to yourself!

Distance from Calgary: 132km, 1hour 35 minutes

Northover Ridge should honestly be on every hiker’s bucket list. Although not for the faint of heart, it’s an absolutely fantastic hike with unbeatable views. You will see waterfall after waterfall, multiple lakes, wildflowers galore, peaks beyond peaks, and get the workout of your life! However, we do not suggest this hike for beginners, as there are dangerous sections which require experience with hiking in the mountains. Something to work towards, right? Depending on the yearly snow fall, it’s best to do this hike later in the season (Late July-September). The elevation of this hike means that snow lingers here for much longer than other hikes. Make sure you read reviews and look for trail closures before embarking on this one. Our group did this hike at the beginning of August.

The trail head to this hike starts at the junction between Upper and Lower Kananaskis lake (North Interlakes parking lot), which gives you a breathtaking view right from the get go. Since this trail is a loop, you can decide to go clockwise or counterclockwise. Clockwise heads up to Aster Lake first. This direction requires straight vertical incline. If you prefer to do this on the way up instead of down, we would suggest going this way. Counter clockwise goes towards Three Isle Lake first. Although this still requires incline, it is more gradual. Our group went counter clockwise for no reason other than campsite availability. Whichever direction you choose, the walk around Upper Kananaskis Lake gives your legs the opportunity to warm up.

This hike is possible to do in a day if you are extremely fit, and want to do something epic. If this doesn’t sound like you, there are many official campsites in the area to break it up. Going counter clockwise, these include Forks Campground, Three Isle Lake Campground, Aster Lake Campground, and Point Country Campground. It is also possible to wild camp in the Northover Tarns (between Three Isle Lake Campground and Aster Lake campground), as this section of the trail is in British Columbia where wild camping is allowed. Our group did this hike in 3 days, 2 nights. Our first night was spent at Three Isle Lake, and our second was spent wild camping at Northover Tarns. The length of time you decide to spend hiking this trail really depends on your fitness level, and how much mountain relaxation time you want! Three days gave our group plenty of hours to relax, swim, cook, and play games at each campsite, as well as take lots of food and water breaks while hiking.

The walk around Kananaskis Lake is mostly flat, along a wide path for approximately 2km. The junction heading to Forks campground is clearly marked. From here, you meander with gradual incline through a luscious, mossy green forest. You will see a waterfall with a bridge crossing, and continue walking alongside Upper Kananaskis River until Forks Campground (about 7.5km, and 792m of elevation gain into the hike). This is fantastic for backcountry hiking, as there are endless places to rehydrate. The path is also extremely easy to follow.

Once you hit Forks campground, you veer to the trail to the left, following the clearly marked sign to Three Isle Lake. This path continues through the forest with a steady incline, with Three Isle Creek on your left-hand side, until you reach a large waterfall. This is a great place to cool off and have a snack break to prepare for a steeper climb. Beyond the waterfall is where the real fun begins. Looking at the cliff from below, it’s hard to see how there’s any way to the top. However, this path is also easy to follow if you trust the process. This climb is steep and grueling, but thankfully only over a relatively short distance. There are some man-made stairs along the way to assist you through the steepest sections. If you get tired, you can take a break and look at the lovely view of the valley behind you!

Once you make it to the top of the cliff, you can enjoy the beautiful wildflowers along the path to Three Isle Lake campground (about 11.5km, and 1220m of elevation gain into the hike). This campsite is well set up with tent pads, bear bins, and an outhouse. It is also well protected from wind. The lake is a great spot to swim on a hot day. As far as glacial lakes go, it felt relatively warm to us! We were also lucky enough to spot a grizzly swimming in the lake (from a safe distance!). The mosquitos and flies were horrendous here, so bring your bug spray and whatever other equipment you have to ward off the pestering bugs.

The next section of the hike followed along the left (south) side of the lake, and then steered south again, to head up a wide river valley. The path here was less visible and easy to follow, and we had to break out the map for the first time on this hike to determine which direction we were going. The pathway up ended up showing itself on the right hand side of the trail toward the end of the valley, and resumed being easy to follow.

The hike to the top of Northover Ridge is no joke. The incline is quite the workout, especially with a heavy pack on. The initial ascent goes up through steep scree. The path remains well defined, and isn’t too slippery as far as scree goes. You won’t regret the climb once you reach the saddle. This was the beginning of many photo breaks for us!

You continue upwards from here, quickly gaining elevation until you reach the ridge proper. Here is where you get your first real glimpse of the epic-ness of the ridge you are about to experience. The views are unmatched at far as ridges go, in our opinion.

You continue up and down along the rolling ridge for a wonderful 5km. Most of the ridge is wide enough to not feel the exposure of the cliffs beside you. However there are a few sections where the path thins out, and you really feel your mortality. The first notable section is a slight down climb, around larger rocks where you are scaling the right hand side of the cliff. The second is a narrow “balance beam” about 1.5 feet wide, which only lasts about 10 steps. Finally, there is a small crux to down climb before descending to the Northover Tarns. We were fortunate enough to have hard packed snow to assist us on this section. Our group found these no problem with poles, but to anyone with a fear of heights this might be a tricky section for you. We have read many reviews of people who had to turn around, because they found the exposure to be too much. Good weather is key for the ridge, as slippery rock would make these sections feel much more treacherous. Our group was lucky enough to pass through the tricky sections before the rain rolled in.

Due to snow lingering on the ridge, there is no shortage of places to find fresh water. Shelter is a little harder to come by, so bring lots of warm layers. The first glimpse of the tarns is magnificent. It’s a gorgeous meadow, with large waterfalls flowing to the tarns, as well as down the surrounding cliffs. The down-climb to these from the ridge was a steep descent through scree and snow. This was the first section where we needed our spikes.

Northover Tarns are a magical place to camp. We chose to set up our tents right along the cliff edge, and cook dinner down in the valley. Remember that it is super important to leave no trace when in the backcountry, to let others continue to enjoy the area. We set up our tent on a rocky area to avoid crushing any of the delicate vegetation. A bear-safe system was difficult to come up with, as there are no trees. Knowing that bears frequent the area, we had to get creative. There are also hordes of Marmots, so burying food seemed risky to us. We resorted to waterproof bags, and tying our food in the middle of a Tarn, using a long rope to secure it on both sides. Although not completely bear safe, this was the best we could come up with given our supplies. A bear safe container would have been optimal here.

The views at the tarns are fantastic. Our group spent the evening sitting on the cliff edge taking it all in! We also went for a swim in the extremely cold water. The sound of the waterfalls make it even more serene and peaceful, even with all the screaming Marmots. We also highly recommend an early rise to experience sunrise lighting.

The hike out of the tarns is a slow and steady incline to another saddle. From here you follow a 1km long, steep decline into a gorgeous river valley. The trail was difficult to follow here, and we ended up doing multiple steam crossings through Aster Creek. It was easy to keep our feet dry for the majority of these crossings, but switching to water shoes for a few of them was necessary. We followed an overgrown path along the left side of Aster Lake, only to realize that there was a better trail on the right side. We ultimately had to do one more creek crossing on the East side of the lake before the water got to treacherous to cross, in order to get on this better path.

Here is where we entered Aster Lake campground. This campground was picturesque, with the creek and small waterfalls nearby. Although we didn’t stay here, this would also be a wonderful spot to set up your tent for the night! This campground is also well set up with bear bins, tent pads, and picnic tables.

The trail continues from the campsite through the forest, with multiple short ups and downs. The wildflowers were gorgeous in this area! Our group stopped for lunch and a swim at the icy blue Foch pond, before continuing through the trees.

The pathway then opened up to show and extremely steep down climb on the edge of Mount Sarrail, with views of Hidden and Upper Kananaskis Lake. Foch creek to the left side has multiple picturesque waterfalls leading into Hidden Lake below them. This section feels very exposed, as you are basically side-hilling for 2km, all the way down to Hidden Lake. On this path is a short cliff, which requires 2-3 climbing moves to get down. You will also find a small waterfall to cross, which had a precarious looking ice cave above it when our group was passing through. This section of the hike can have snow on it late into the hiking season. With a heavy pack, and tired legs, this part of the hike takes lots of concentration. Again, anyone with a fear of heights would not be happy here.

Once you reach Hidden Lake, your steep descent has come to an end. Your final 6-7km of you hike is spent circling Hidden Lake, and finally Upper Kananaskis Lake, following signs for the North Interlakes Parking lot. This is a nice cool down for tired legs, but can feel long at the end of a backpacking trip. Luckily, you can soak your tired feet in the cool water at the end of the hike!