Bishop Ridge: 4 September | Trip Reports | Kananaskis Outdoors Forum

After several weeks hiking the National Parks and discovering Chungo Lookout, it was time to get back to K Country.  Bishop Creek trail branches off the Loomis Creek trail at the 4 km mark.  Except that it's very hard to find as there were no clear markers at the junction, just one bit of blazing down the way a bit.  So I built a small pile of stones and tied some red bazing to them, and to the two trees straddling the starting point, so anyone now hiking up Loomis Creek Trail will easily see where this branch starts.

The route is badly choked with tall bushes, and so don't wear shorts up here.  The path itself is clear under foot, and you can't really go wrong as you are following a nicely graded access road, but you do have to push your way through a tangle, with sections where you need to have faith that it will open up higher up the trail – which it does in spectacular fashion.

Gillean Daffern describes it perfectly by mentioning "unexpected delights".  This trail should be on everyone's lists – for that short access period between road closures and high water in the Highwood.

I recommend you just keep going and not turn up at the first col.  Reaching the mountain wall and then the short steep draw to the ridge are a thrill, after which it's a nice hike up the ridgeline to a spectacular summit.  Loomis Lake sits way below you, cradled in the folds of the mountain.

I also recommend dropping off the summit in an easterly direction and carefully following the cliffline all the way down to the col.  That way you won't miss any of the spectacular rock formations below you on your left, and there is a trail of sorts all the way down this very steep, but perfectly walkable ridge, with plenty of exciting vantage points. 

From the col, the route back down to the trail below is very sketchy and you will probably have to bushwhack through the tightly spaced trees, but you can't go wrong, as you will hit the trail you came up on earlier. 

This is such a nicely graded trail and with amazing views that it would be great if an army of hikers armed with machetes could make an expedition up there to cut back the bushes before they make it almost impossible to force a way up the trail.

A final note on the section of Loomis Trail at about the 3-4 km area where it squeezes through a narrow gap.  This was very wet and soggy after all the rains and also narrow, and not really good for mountain bikes.  I did take mine up through there, but next time I will leave it at the first creek crossing and just hike in there. It will be easier.

Can you believe that I was the only day-tripper in the entire Loomis Creek area, on such a perfect long weekend Sunday?  I know this because by strange coincidence I bumped into two young backpackers at the Bishop Creek junction.  They had been up at Loomis campground since last Thursday and had seen nobody.  They had enjoyed nine inches of snow however!