Parking
Use the Elbow Pass Day-use Area on Highway 40, the same trailhead as Elbow Lake. The lot can fill on busy weekends. A Kananaskis Conservation Pass is required for parked vehicles.
Overview
About Rae Lake Trail
Why go
- Rae Lake beneath Mount Rae, with fall larches near shore
Heads up
- A long walk to an unsigned turn
- The shared road section also carries mountain bikes
Rae Lake Trail is a 17.2 km (10.7 mi) out-and-back from Elbow Pass Day-use Area, following the Elbow Lake approach before an unsigned branch reaches Rae Lake below Mount Rae. Plan for 5 to 7 hours and about 432 m of cumulative climbing. It is a long, moderate day; I’d choose it when Rae Lake is the goal and you’re comfortable watching for cairns. Elbow Lake is the much shorter walk from the same trailhead.
Parkwolf’s verdictIs this the hike for you?Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Peter Lougheed map
Full mapElevation1,966–2,223 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 Rae Lake 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
Elbow Lake: A Short, Steep Lake Hike0:00 / 0:24
“You're nearing Elbow Pass Day Use Area, the starting point for a short, steep hike to Elbow Lake.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Peter Lougheed Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Little Highwood: Mount Roberta and Ridge Access
- Rock Glacier: A Short Walk and Pikas
- Follow a Fold in the Rock
- Highwood Pass and the Meadow Walk
- 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 Rae Lake Trail
The Elbow Lake approachFollow the trail along Elbow Lake’s west shore, cross a small creeklet on a log, then stay left…
Follow the trail along Elbow Lake’s west shore, cross a small creeklet on a log, then stay left onto a road that climbs into a meadow. Mountain bikes use this section too. About 4.3 km from the start, a view opens over Piper Creek Canyon. Stones mark a short optional side trip to Edworthy Falls.
Find the Rae Lake turnRoughly a kilometre beyond the canyon view, you’ll reach cairns for Piper Pass.
Roughly a kilometre beyond the canyon view, you’ll reach cairns for Piper Pass. The Rae Lake cairn is about 50 paces farther on the right as you head northeast. That turn is unsigned; once you’re on the boot-beaten branch, the path is described as clear. Missing the cairn is the main route-finding risk.
Rae LakeRae Lake sits below the north end of Mount Rae, east of Tombstone Pass.
Rae Lake sits below the north end of Mount Rae, east of Tombstone Pass. Larches grow near the lake and turn color in fall. The route starts at the Elbow Lake trailhead and continues into adjoining Elbow-Sheep Wildland Provincial Park, so expect a less formal route than a signed day-use walk.
Access and logisticsUse the Elbow Pass Day-use Area on Highway 40, the same access as Elbow Lake.
Use the Elbow Pass Day-use Area on Highway 40, the same access as Elbow Lake. The parking lot can fill on busy weekends. A Kananaskis Conservation Pass is required for vehicles parked here, and pets must stay leashed to no more than 2 m. Highway 40 closes seasonally; check current road access before setting out.
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.
