Parking
Start at the Highwood Meadows Day Use Area parking lot on Highway 40. Pit toilets are available at the lot; the trail begins beside the parking area.
Overview
About Highwood Meadows Trail
Why go
- Barrier-free boardwalk through a fragile alpine meadow
- Mountain views on a very short walk
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Peter Lougheed map
Full mapElevation2,195–2,206 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 Highwood Meadows Trail, 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
Highwood Pass and the Meadow Walk0:00 / 0:32
“Up ahead is Highwood Pass, on Canada's highest paved road. The mountain view starts at the parking area, so this is a stop I'd keep even if you're skipping the big hikes.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Peter Lougheed Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Arethusa Cirque: Meadow and Sea Fossils
- Rock Glacier: A Short Walk and Pikas
- A Grouse Inside the Snow
- How Frost Breaks a Mountain
- 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 Highwood Meadows Trail
The short walkHighwood Meadows Trail is a 0.75-mile (1.
Highwood Meadows Trail is a 0.75-mile (1.2 km) out-and-back from the Highwood Meadows Day Use Area. It follows a barrier-free boardwalk through a fragile alpine meadow to mountain views, with very little climbing. Allow about 30 minutes for the return walk and a pause to look around. The trailhead sits just over 2,200 m at Highwood Pass, so this is a high-alpine outing despite the short distance.
Across the meadowFrom the parking area, a short footpath leads to the wooden boardwalk.
From the parking area, a short footpath leads to the wooden boardwalk. The boardwalk bends among low alpine vegetation, small conifers and interpretive posts, with mountain peaks beyond the meadow. This is a simple out-and-back: turn around in the meadow and follow the same route to the lot. Stay on the boardwalk to protect the fragile ground beside it.
Access and rulesStart at Highwood Meadows Day Use parking on Highway 40; pit toilets are at the lot.
Start at Highwood Meadows Day Use parking on Highway 40; pit toilets are at the lot. The day-use area is seasonal, and Highwood Pass closes to vehicles each winter from December 1 through June 14. Check road status before driving. Dogs are allowed on the trail on a leash no longer than 2 m.
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.
