Parking
Use Sawmill Day Use Area on Highway 742. The winter access starts at the far end of the lot; follow the High Rockies Trail south for about 0.5 km to the loop.
Overview
About South Sawmill Loop
Why go
- Easy, wide winter route with modest elevation gain
- Short approach from Sawmill Day Use
Heads up
- The loop has limited views
- Winter-only access
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Peter Lougheed map
Full mapElevation1,825–1,906 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 South Sawmill Loop, 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
Sawmill: Picnic Views and Ski Roots0:00 / 0:19
“Sawmill Day Use Area is coming up, with picnic tables and benches looking toward Mount Murray and Kent Ridge. I'd stop for a short break and the view; you don't need to take on a hike.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Peter Lougheed Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- A Jay That Glues Its Groceries
- The Pine That Waits for Fire
- A Pika's Winter Pantry
- The Woodpecker That Peels Bark
- 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 South Sawmill Loop
The easy winter outingSouth Sawmill Loop is a winter-only route on Mount Kent's west-facing forest slope.
South Sawmill Loop is a winter-only route on Mount Kent's west-facing forest slope. From Sawmill Day Use, the full outing is about 3.8 km: follow the High Rockies Trail south for roughly 0.5 km, complete the 2.8 km loop, then return along the same access path. Allow about 1.5 hours. It is rated easy, with roughly 80 m of gain. Go counterclockwise for the best use of the limited views; this is a forest walk, not a panoramic summit hike.
Along the routeThe approach follows the High Rockies Trail south from the day-use area.
The approach follows the High Rockies Trail south from the day-use area. The loop then winds through forest on Mount Kent's west-facing slope. The trails are described as good and wide, with a modest climb; the winter route is designated for winter hiking, snowshoeing and fat biking. Dogs are allowed on leash, and riders share the track, so listen for fat bikes.
Sawmill's winter rootsThe loop follows an old ski trail that volunteers brushed out over two summers.
The loop follows an old ski trail that volunteers brushed out over two summers. Sawmill has a longer cross-country-ski story too: local volunteers cleared 10 km of trails in 1983, and a Western Canadian championship was held from the area the following winter. Benches at Sawmill Day Use look toward Mount Murray and Kent Ridge. A washroom and food lockers are at the separate hiker-cyclist campground.
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.
