Parking
Use Elk Pass Parking Lot on Kananaskis Lakes Trail in Peter Lougheed Provincial Park. The route starts at the signed trailhead beside the lot; a Kananaskis Conservation Pass is required for the vehicle.
Overview
About Frozen Lake via Elk Pass
Why go
- A high alpine lake beneath Mount Fox is a worthy payoff for a full-day walk.
Heads up
- The final route is unmaintained and requires confident route-finding.
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Peter Lougheed map
Full mapElevation1,726–2,167 m
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
4 active Peter Lougheed alerts
- ClosureTrail closures and Three Isle detourThree trail sections remain closed; stay out of closed areas and follow the signed Three Isle detour to reach the open backcountry campgrounds.Official details
- CautionBear activity near Elpoca and ValleyviewFrequent bear activity has been noted along Valleyview Road from Elpoca Day Use Area south to Highway 40, near Little Highwood Pass and Valleyview Day Use Areas; use bear precautions.Official details
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Peter Lougheed Tour Guide
Your drive to Frozen Lake via Elk Pass, narrated.
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Peter Lougheed Provincial Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
See the Peter Lougheed audio tourRecorded for this trailhead
Elk Pass: A Meadow on the Provincial Boundary0:00 / 0:25
“Up ahead is Elk Pass Day Use Area, the start of a summer hike to a meadow on the Alberta–British Columbia boundary.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Peter Lougheed Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Upper Lake: Shoreline and Sarrail Falls
- Lower Lake Day Use: A Winter Lakeshore Stop
- Boulton Creek: Trading Post and Creekside Break
- North Interlakes and Panorama: Two Lake Views
- 41 audio storiesacross Peter Lougheed’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Grizzly Bear, Canada Lynx, Black Bear, and 13 more
- Works offlinemaps, 66 trails, 41 places, and audio download before you lose signal
- CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Trail guide
Hiking Frozen Lake via Elk Pass
Is this the right hike?Frozen Lake via Elk Pass is about 8.
Frozen Lake via Elk Pass is about 8.7 miles (14 km) out and back from Elk Pass Parking Lot, climbing to West Elk Pass before crossing the Alberta–BC boundary to a lake below Mount Fox. Allow five to seven hours. The mapped profile gives roughly 550 m of total climbing on the return walk. The marked approach is moderate, but the whole outing is hard: the last stretch is unmaintained and calls for route-finding. If you want the shorter walk, turn around at West Elk Pass for about 10–11 km total.
The long way to West Elk PassThe Alberta approach follows a broad old fire road and powerline route, climbing through forest…
The Alberta approach follows a broad old fire road and powerline route, climbing through forest before opening at the meadow on West Elk Pass. The trail crosses Fox Creek on a bridge; take the hiker-marked right fork after the first bridge, then keep following the hiker signs past Blueberry Hill to the next right turn. There are several junctions here, so watch for the hiker symbols rather than assuming every branch goes to the pass.
Beyond the boundaryWest Elk Pass sits on the Alberta–British Columbia boundary along the Continental Divide.
West Elk Pass sits on the Alberta–British Columbia boundary along the Continental Divide. The Frozen Lake cutline is about 100 m west of the boundary. Beyond it the route is unmaintained, narrower and brushier, with occasional slide-scarred ground; a clearing on the climb looks over Fox Lake. This is the part that changes the character of the hike. Route-finding and orienteering skills are essential, and the route is at your own risk. If the cutline or your way back is unclear, turn around rather than guessing.
Frozen Lake under Mount FoxFrozen Lake is the destination, tucked below Mount Fox in a high alpine basin.
Frozen Lake is the destination, tucked below Mount Fox in a high alpine basin. Take a pause at the shore, then return the same way. Frame the lake with the cliffs above it; the Mount Fox scramble and Taiga Viewpoint are longer extensions and are not part of this route or distance.
Parking, pets and group sizeStart at Elk Pass Parking Lot on Kananaskis Lakes Trail.
Start at Elk Pass Parking Lot on Kananaskis Lakes Trail. A Kananaskis Conservation Pass is required for the vehicle, and groups on the Elk Pass trail are limited to 15. Dogs are allowed: keep them leashed in Peter Lougheed Provincial Park and leashed or under control in Elk Lakes Park. Dogs are not allowed on Peter Lougheed’s groomed ski trails in winter.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Peter Lougheed
132 sightingsGrizzly BearMost seen around 8 PMSighting map
17 sightingsCanada LynxMost seen around 8 PMSighting map
30 sightingsBlack BearMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
69 sightingsMooseMost seen around 5 PMSighting map
176 sightingsBighorn SheepMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
19 sightingsBald EagleMost seen around 8 AMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Peter Lougheed. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
