Mount Hoffman | Hiking Trails | Kananaskis Outdoors Forum

Post edited 8:29 pm – July 17, 2011 by Bob Stebbins

Sunday 17 July we headed up Mount Hoffman, inspired by Bob Spirko’s trip there by snowshoe nearly two months earlier. His map and description provided on the website “Road not Taken” (see 21 May 2011) are fine for the job, though because of the snow he encountered, some detail of benefit to hikers could not be provided. Once leaving the Sheep Trail for the old road, stay with the latter to its end at GR634093 avoiding the odd temptation to deviate from it. In particular, at one fork well into the hike, a fine trail leads straight ahead and up, while the road to the left, blocked by a fallen tree, can be easily missed. At its end, a clear trail cuts right eventually bringing you to the forested crest of the ridge. Near the crest as well as on it, the trail is often obliterated by deadfall and a mat of pine needles. Look for pink flags to guide you through this obstacle course, as you traverse to the west side. Then, after heading south for a few minutes, you break out onto a meadow and shortly thereafter begin the final climb through alternating patches of grass and navigable screen to the summit (cairn). The views are stunning from the meadow on. At the summit, they include to the south Junction Mountain and the Junction Fire Lookout and to the west Gibralter Mountain and Shunga-la-She, among others. The sheep River Road winds west up the valley far below.

The trail, except on the forested part of the ridge crest, is very well defined. And this even though the old road is significantly overgrown in places higher up. This is evidently a popular trail, but that said, we were alone on it the day we were out. From the bridge crossing the Sheep River, the elevation gain is 464m, most of it quite manageable. Nevertheless part of the section after the end of the old road to the ridge crest climbs at about a 45 degree angle.