Sarrail Ridge via Rawson Lake Trail view of Upper Kananaskis Lake

Sarrail Ridge is located in Peter Lougheed Provincial Park in Kananaskis Country. Before starting the Sarrail Ridge hike, make sure that you are prepared. It's a steep and challenging hike—a 7.0-mile out-and-back trail that takes an average of 5 h 42 min to complete. To get there, take Kananaskis Trail (Highway 40) and turn left into Kananaskis Lakes Trail (Highway 742). Follow it until you reach Upper Kananaskis Lake Area Parking Lot. From the parking lot, walk down to Upper Kananaskis Lake where you’ll find a wide path. Go left on this path and follow it, while it edges the lakeshore. The views along this part of the walk are spectacular, and many tourists come just to look at the stunning Upper Kananaskis Lake. After approximately 20 minutes, cross over Sarrail Creek on a wooden bridge, where you will see a turn-off for Rawson Lake just afterward. The sign lists the distance to Rawson Lake as 1.7mi. The path to Rawson Lake goes steadily uphill through a subalpine forest. This part of the hike to Rawson Lake is described anywhere from an easy hike to actually quite difficult. It all depends if you are a seasoned hiker or just starting out. Everybody agrees that hiking up the switchbacks to Rawson Lake is worth it though, so don’t give up! Once at Rawson Lake, the path goes to the left, contouring around Rawson Lake. If you look across the lake you can see a path at the far end that snakes up Sarrail Ridge. It’s steeper than it looks. If you’re looking for a stopping point, there are many great options as you hike along Rawson Lake. As you get near the far end of the lake, the path gets rocky, though it is still easy to hike over. The path soon swings to the right at the end of Rawson Lake and you hike up a small hill. You may need to get over a few wet areas or streams if it’s early season or it has rained a lot recently. Look up and you can see the trail directly ahead of you, going straight up to Sarrail Ridge. Before you begin the ascent, you go through a pretty meadow filled with wildflowers. The hike up to Sarrail Ridge can be both tiring and tricky, and I have seen people use their hands to help steady them on the trail as it’s so steep. Continue going up. When it eases up a bit, it means you’re getting near the ridge. Soon, all this trouble getting to the top of Sarrail Ridge is worth it when you see the stunning views all around.