Ribbon Creek - Snowshoe

A simple trail following along Ribbon Creek, mostly in the forest with mountain views peeping through at times. 

Difficulty: easy - light

Round trip:  3.8 km

Hiking Time: 1 - 1.5 hrs

Elevation Gain: 30 m

FitBit: approx 5,700 steps and 25 flights of stairs

Location: Ribbon Creek in Kananaskis, near Kananaskis Village

TRAIL HEAD

Marked: Yes

Facilities: Yes

How to get there: From Calgary drive west on HWY 1 towards Canmore. Take exit 118 toward Kananaskis Country and turn left onto Kananaskis Trail/AB-40 S. Drive about 23km and turn right on Mt Allen Dr. (same way to Kananaskis Village). Drive approx 850m and take your first left towards Kananaskis Village, then taking the first right onto Ribbon Creek Rd following the signs to Ribbon Creek. Drive all the way to the end where you can't go any further. The trail starts at the far west end of the large parking lot, opposite the outhouse and info boards.

Click map for directions from Calgary

HIKE DETAILS

You'll find the sign for the start of the trail near some old run-down wooden mine carts (look for the green sign like above - your trail highlighted in red). Follow the trodden path west, along the right hand side of the frozen creek. Soon you'll encounter a bridge to cross over to the south side, you'll cross over a few bridges and even encounter a set of stairs, but nothing unmanageable.

Snowshoe the trail to your heart's content and turn around when you get into avalanche territory at approx 4.1 km. (We didn't go that far so the km and Fit bit guide above is to about 1.9km one way).

EXTRA TIPS

-There was only a skiff of snow over top a thick layer of ice when we went (early Feb), and some people were walking in shoes and boots however we found that our snowshoes provided the anti-slip traction needed on ice as slick as that! Ice cleats would also do nicely and would be a less clunky option.
-Not many spectacular mountain views on this one so if it's a clear day save this one for another time. 

Happy Snowshoeing!