Parking
Use the upper Red Rock Canyon parking lot, where Snowshoe Trail begins. The kitchen shelter is at the lower lot.
Overview
About Sage Pass Trail
Why go
- The pass opens to a first clear view toward Sage Senior.
Heads up
- A 25 km return with a steep final climb.
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Waterton Lakes map
Full mapElevation1,507–2,133 m
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
7 active Waterton Lakes alerts
- ClosureBelly River Campground closedBelly River Campground is closed to all traffic and travel because a carcass is in the area. - Violators may be charged under the Canada National Parks Act, with a maximum penalty of $25,000.Official details
- ClosureBlakiston Fan closed to protect rutting elkThe Blakiston Fan area is closed to traffic and travel to prevent disturbance of elk rutting there.Official details
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Waterton Lakes Tour Guide
Your drive to Sage Pass Trail, narrated.
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Waterton Lakes National 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 Waterton Lakes audio tourRecorded for this trailhead
Red Rock Canyon0:00 / 0:32
“You’re coming up on Red Rock Canyon, where a creek cuts through red and green rock. This is a good stop for a close look at the landscape without a long hike.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Waterton Lakes Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Lost Horse Creek Day Use Area
- Older Rock on Top
- Coppermine Day Use Area
- A Squirrel's Cone Store
- 51 audio storiesacross Waterton Lakes’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Bison, Black Bear, Elk, and 13 more
- Works offlinemaps, 47 trails, 70 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 Sage Pass Trail
The full returnSage Pass Trail is a 15.6-mile (25 km) out-and-back from the Red Rock Canyon upper parking lot.
Sage Pass Trail is a 15.6-mile (25 km) out-and-back from the Red Rock Canyon upper parking lot. Follow Snowshoe Trail west along the old fire-road approach to the Twin Lakes corridor, continue on Twin Lakes Trail, then climb the 1.4 km Sage Pass segment to the saddle. Return by the same route. Allow about eight hours; the short named segment is only the last part of this full-day hike.
The climbMost of the distance comes before the final climb.
Most of the distance comes before the final climb. Snowshoe is a long, relatively gradual approach; Parks Canada gives that section 150 m of gain over 16.4 km return. Twin Lakes adds roughly 3 km each way before Sage Pass Trail turns uphill. Its switchbacks climb a steep, forested hillside, and the trees thin as views open toward the Great Divide’s rock walls.
At the passSage Pass is a saddle on the Great Divide, with a first clear view toward Sage Senior.
Sage Pass is a saddle on the Great Divide, with a first clear view toward Sage Senior. Turn around here and retrace the route. The Great Divide Trail continues beyond the saddle toward Castle Mountain, while the unmaintained Mount Rowe alternate is a different route; neither belongs to this day hike.
Planning and accessParks Canada rates the Sage Pass segment difficult, so plan for a hard day even though the…
Parks Canada rates the Sage Pass segment difficult, so plan for a hard day even though the Snowshoe approach is moderate. Snow can linger on alpine routes into summer; most passes are typically snow-free by mid-July. Dogs are allowed on park trails if kept on leash and under control. The lower Red Rock Canyon lot has a kitchen shelter, but Snowshoe starts at the upper lot.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Waterton Lakes
83 sightingsBisonMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
563 sightingsBlack BearMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
146 sightingsElkMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
113 sightingsBighorn SheepMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
55 sightingsBald EagleMost seen around 9 AMSighting map
53 sightingsTrumpeter SwanMost seen around 6 PMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Waterton Lakes. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
