Parking
Start at Black Prince Day Use Area; the mapped trailhead is a short walk from the parking access. A Kananaskis Conservation Pass is required to park.
Overview
About Warspite Ridge Trail
Why go
- A high ridge viewpoint above Warspite Lake without taking on the separate summit scramble.
Heads up
- The upper climb is steep and loose, with off-trail route-finding.
Warspite Ridge is a 10 km (6.2 mi) out-and-back from Black Prince Day Use Area to a high point on Mount Warspite’s north ridge. Plan on about 4½ hours and roughly 880 m of climbing. The lower approach follows a creek-side trail past Warspite Lake; above it, the climb gets steep, loose and hands-on. This is a hard outing for hikers comfortable navigating rough mountain terrain. Alberta Parks does not list the ridge route among its maintained trails, and its formal public-access status is unclear, so check with the park before setting out.
Parkwolf’s verdictIs this the hike for you?Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Peter Lougheed map
Full mapElevation1,737–2,542 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 Warspite Ridge 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
Black Prince Day Use: A Picnic Break0:00 / 0:14
“Black Prince Day Use Area is ahead, a practical place to pause for a picnic on the Smith-Dorrien drive. I'd stop here if you've brought lunch and want a break from the road.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Peter Lougheed Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- The Woodpecker That Peels Bark
- Blackshale Bridge: The Forest Crossing
- The Pine That Waits for Fire
- Peninsula Day Use: The Short Viewpoint 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 Warspite Ridge Trail
Follow the creek into the cirqueThe lower trail follows Warspite Creek to pond-sized Warspite Lake.
The lower trail follows Warspite Creek to pond-sized Warspite Lake. Beyond the lake, the route continues through bush and a rock field toward Warspite Cascade. The creek fades above the cascade, but the route keeps climbing until the trees open onto a broad cirque. Expect water crossings on the lower approach.
The steep upper climbFrom the cirque, the route climbs a steep vegetated slope to a col on the ridge.
From the cirque, the route climbs a steep vegetated slope to a col on the ridge. Rock slabs reach the crest nearby, while the route’s mapped line takes the rougher slope; loose footing and route-finding become the main work here. Snow can linger at high elevations into July, making this section harder to read and travel.
The ridge and the returnThe ridge gives you a view down toward Warspite Lake and a satisfying high point before the…
The ridge gives you a view down toward Warspite Lake and a satisfying high point before the return along the same corridor. Mount Warspite’s summit is a separate scrambling objective farther along the cirque; this route ends on the ridge. A longer outing that adds Black Prince Lake uses a different descent and adds distance, so it is not part of this mapped out-and-back.
Practical notesA Kananaskis Conservation Pass is required to park.
A Kananaskis Conservation Pass is required to park. Pets are allowed in Alberta parks but must stay leashed on a lead no longer than 2 m. The upper ridge is informal and partly off trail, so this is a poor choice if you want a signed, maintained path.
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.
