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Scenic Byways

Smith-Dorrien Trail:
Canmore to the Kananaskis Lakes

Seventy kilometres of gravel road through the Spray Valley — the quiet way around the Rockies, with a famous afternoon tea in the middle.

  • 📍 Canmore → Lower Kananaskis Lake, Alberta
  • 📅 1 long day (or 2 days with an overnight at Mount Engadine Lodge)
  • 🚗 About 140 km round trip (70 km one way on gravel Hwy 742)
  • 🏘️ 17 places (+ optional overnight)
  • 🍂 Year-round, but best from mid-June to October. Gravel road is slow and dusty in summer, snow-covered in winter.

The Smith-Dorrien Spray Trail — Highway 742 — is the quiet way through Kananaskis. Seventy kilometres of mostly gravel road climb out of Canmore behind the Nordic Centre, run along the length of the Spray Lakes Reservoir, then drop into Peter Lougheed Provincial Park near Lower Kananaskis Lake. Slow, dusty, rough on rental cars, and one of the most rewarding drives in the Canadian Rockies.

This is where Canmore locals come to escape Banff. The road links a string of trailheads that are familiar names to anyone serious about hiking the Rockies — Ha Ling, Burstall Pass, Chester Lake — and an afternoon tea at Mount Engadine Lodge that is, on its own, worth the drive.

Plan a long day, leave Canmore early, and bring everything you’ll need — there are no gas stations and almost no cell signal between the Nordic Centre and Lower Kananaskis Lake. The single mid-route restaurant is Mount Engadine, by reservation only.

Day 1 — Canmore to Lower Kananaskis Lake

→ 140 km round trip

🚗 Start in Canmore — about 1 hour west of Calgary on the Trans-Canad

☕ Breakfast

Breakfast in Canmore

★ 5.0 Downtown Canmore, AB

Fuel up before the gravel road. Communitea Café (8th St) does a strong all-day breakfast and packs sandwiches to go. Beamer’s Coffee Bar in the Engine Bridge plaza is the quick coffee-and-pastry alternative. Either way, bring water, snacks, and a full tank — the south end of Hwy 742 has no services and no cell signal.

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Communitea Café (8th St, Canmore) — all-day breakfast and takeaway sandwiches Beamer’s Coffee Bar — quick coffee and baked goods Rocky Mountain Bagel Co. — a Canmore institution for bagels and breakfast wraps

🚗 3 km · 5 minutes south from downtown Canmore via Ken Ritchie Way

Scenic Drive · Outdoor

Smith Dorrien Trail (Highway 742 — start)

★ 5.0 10509 Smith Dorrien Spray Trail, Canmore

Hwy 742 — the Smith-Dorrien Spray Trail — is 70 km of mostly gravel road that leaves Canmore at the back of the Nordic Centre, climbs past Spray Lakes Reservoir, and reconnects with Hwy 40 near Lower Kananaskis Lake. Slow, dusty in summer, and one of the highest paved-then-gravel routes in Canada. Rental-car insurance may not cover gravel — check before you go.

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Kananaskis Conservation Pass (buy before parking) Smith-Dorrien road conditions (Alberta 511) — check before driving, especially shoulder season Canmore Nordic Centre Provincial Park — the 1988 Olympic Nordic venue right at the road’s start

🚗 1 km · 2 minutes south (Ken Ritchie Way trailhead, on the right)

Hike · Family · Outdoor

Grassi Lakes

★ 5.0 Ken Ritchie Way, Canmore, AB

Two turquoise lakes at 1,525 m, reached by a short, popular trail with two routes — an easy interpretive path (1.5 km, gentle) and a more difficult route (1.7 km, with views and a small waterfall). Walls above the lakes are a busy climbing crag. Best early in the morning to beat the crowd.

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Grassi Lakes Trail (AllTrails) — easy 4 km return; both routes mapped Grassi Lakes climbing area — sport-climbing crag above the upper lake Lawrence Grassi (the trail’s namesake) — Italian-Canadian coal miner who built many trails in the Rockies

🚗 2 km · 3 minutes south past Grassi (road climbs steeply)

Viewpoint · Photo Spot

Whiteman’s Pond Viewpoint

★ 5.0 Whiteman’s Pond Viewpoint, Riders of Rohan, Canmore

A small reservoir pond at the base of the East End of Rundle. Pull off for the reflective water and the look back over Canmore in the valley below. The road from Grassi up to the pond is unpaved and bumpy but short. Most people stop here on the way up to Ha Ling.

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East End of Rundle (EEOR) hike — steep alternative summit hike from the same area Canmore from above — Three Sisters view — stop on the climb for the classic photo over town Whiteman’s Gap — the mountain pass the road climbs through
🚗 1 km · 2 minutes south to the Goat Creek parking lot
Hike · Alpine · Viewpoint

Ha Ling Peak

★ 5.0 Goat Creek Parking Lot, AB-742, Canmore

Classic Bow Valley summit hike — 7.9 km round trip with 800 m of climbing to a 2,407 m peak. Three or four hours up and down, busy on weekends. If you’re not hiking it, the parking lot itself is worth a stop: rock climbers move through this area constantly, and the cliff wall is right above the cars.

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Ha Ling Peak Trail (AllTrails) — 7.9 km hard out-and-back to the summit • Ha Ling Peak — Wikipedia — history of the name and the Chinese-Canadian miner who first climbed it Miner’s Peak (sub-summit) — add 1.2 km to the ridge for the slightly higher Miner’s Peak
🚗 🚗 Same Goat Creek parking lot — no extra drive
Bike · Ski · Outdoor

Goat Creek Trailhead

★ 5.0 Goat Creek Parking Lot, AB-742, Canmore

The Banff end of the famous Goat Creek Trail — a 19-km point-to-point ride or ski that drops from this trailhead down through the Spray Valley into the town of Banff. Best done with a vehicle shuttle. Easy mountain biking in summer; classic groomed cross-country skiing in winter.

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Goat Creek Trail (AllTrails) — 19 km mostly downhill point-to-point Goat Creek shuttle — Banff Adventures — local shuttle providers if you don’t have two cars Spray River Loop (extension into Banff) — add 8 km along the Spray River to enter Banff townsite
🚗 4 km · 5 minutes south
Photo Spot · Outdoor

Goat Pond Kananaskis

★ 5.0 Goat Pond Kananaskis, AB-742, Canmore

A small mountain pond just before the Spray Lakes Reservoir opens up. Quiet, glassy on still mornings, with peaks reflecting straight back at you. Easy walk down from the road to the water. A reliable photo stop and one of the rare places on the parkway that often has nobody else around.

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Goat Pond Trail (AllTrails) — short walk down to the shore Spray River headwaters — the dam that creates this pond also feeds the Spray Lakes downstream Photography tip — early morning before wind picks up gives the best reflections
🚗 4 km · 5 minutes south
Outdoor · History

Spray Ranger Station

★ 5.0 Spray Ranger Station, Spray Valley PP, AB

An old ranger station from the 1980s and 90s, now repurposed as a basic visitor stop with picnic tables and an outhouse. Park here to walk down to the Spray Lakes shoreline. The first reliable bathroom past the Goat Creek lot — useful if Grassi Lakes coffee is catching up with you.

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Spray Valley Provincial Park — the protected area surrounding the reservoir Spray Lakes Reservoir — TransAlta hydroelectric reservoir, 20 km long Bryant Creek Trail — trailhead for serious backcountry routes into Banff and Mount Assiniboine PP
🚗 8 km · 10 minutes south along the reservoir
Picnic · Outdoor · Photo Spot

Driftwood Day Use Area

★ 5.0 Driftwood Day Use Area, Spray Valley PP, AB

A wide pull-off on the Spray Lakes Reservoir with a boat launch, picnic tables, and open views west to Mount Nestor and Old Goat Mountain, with the folded layers of the Big Sister to the east. Best summer swimming spot on the trail — the water is cold but the gravel beach makes it accessible. In winter, ice fishing and kite skiing.

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Driftwood Day Use (Alberta Parks) — facilities, boat launch, hours Mount Nestor view — the prominent peak across the lake to the west Old Goat Mountain — 3,109 m peak south of Mount Nestor
🚗 11 km · 12 minutes south
Photo Spot · Outdoor · Hike

Buller Pond

★ 5.0 Buller Mountain Day Use, Spray Valley PP, AB

A small pond with one of the only roadside views of Mount Assiniboine — the “Matterhorn of the Rockies” — way off to the west. The Buller Pass Trail starts across the road and climbs into the alpine. Even if you’re not hiking, walk down to the pond for ten minutes and look west.

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Buller Pond to Spray Lakes Reservoir (AllTrails) — short connector with reservoir access Mount Assiniboine view — the 3,618 m peak visible far to the west Buller Pass Trail — 15 km hard return to a high alpine pass
🚗 6 km · 7 minutes south, then 2 km west on Mount Shark Road
🥪 Lunch

Mount Engadine Lodge Afternoon Tea

★ 5.0 1 Mount Shark Rd, Canmore, AB

The mid-trail set-piece. Mount Engadine Lodge runs a daily afternoon tea from 2 to 4 p.m. — local cheeses, fresh-baked scones, smoked meats, Banff Tea Co. teas — served on the deck overlooking a willow meadow where moose often graze in the afternoon. Reservations required. Closed Tuesdays in low season.

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Mount Engadine Lodge (official) — reservations, menus, dietary options
🚗 3 km · 5 minutes further west on Mount Shark Road
Ski · Outdoor

Mount Shark Cross-Country Ski

★ 5.0 Mount Shark Cross Country Ski Trails, Kananaskis

Over 30 km of groomed cross-country ski trails through the Spray Valley, best from December to April. Mount Shark is also the road-end trailhead for the famous Mount Assiniboine helicopter and hiking route — most Assiniboine traffic starts from here. In summer it’s a gentler walking and biking network.

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Mount Shark Ski Trails (AllTrails) — trail map and winter conditions Mount Assiniboine Provincial Park (BC) — the backcountry park accessed from Mount Shark trailhead
🚗 2 km · 3 minutes back east to Hwy 742, then 1 km south
Hike · Alpine · Outdoor

Burstall Pass Trailhead

★ 5.0 Burstall Pass Trail, Smith Dorrien Trail, AB

One of the iconic Kananaskis alpine hikes — 15 km return through forest, willow flats, and glacier-fed lakes to a wide alpine pass at 2,377 m. Plan a full day; the willow flats can be wet and slow. Burstall Lakes are worth the trip on their own if you don’t want the full pass.

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Burstall Pass (AllTrails) — 15 km hard out-and-back to the alpine pass Burstall Pass trail report (Alberta Parks) — official conditions and closures Robertson Glacier — visible from the pass — one of the more accessible glaciers in K-Country French Creek waterfalls — side-trail off the main route, about 2 km in
🚗 5 km · 7 minutes south
Hike · Alpine · Outdoor

Chester Lake Trailhead

★ 5.0 · Chester Lake Trail Head, Chester Lake Trail, AB

A 9.5-km return hike to a quiet alpine lake below Mount Chester. Forested for the first 3 km along an old logging road (bikes allowed), then opens into an alpine meadow. Year-round trail — popular for snowshoeing in winter. The Three Lakes Valley extension adds another 3 km and a second lake worth seeing.

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Chester Lake trail report (Alberta Parks) Three Lakes Valley extension — add ~3 km past Chester Lake for a hidden second lake Headwall Lakes (longer day) — adjacent valley, about 15 km return
🚗 9 km · 10 minutes south
Outdoor · Picnic

Black Prince Day Use

★ 5.0 Black Prince Trail, Highway 742, Smith Dorrien Trail

A quiet day-use area named — like several K-Country peaks — for a British First World War warship. The Black Prince Cirque Interpretive Trail is a 5 km loop through mature forest to a hidden tarn under the cirque. Picnic tables, vault toilets, and the trailhead all share the parking lot. Rarely busy.

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Black Prince Day Use (Alberta Parks) — facilities and trailhead details Black Prince Cirque Trail (AllTrails) — 5 km moderate loop to the tarn HMS Black Prince (1904) — the Royal Navy warship the peak is named for
🚗 2 km · 3 minutes south
Hike · Photo Spot · Outdoor

Blackshale Creek Suspension Bridge

★ 5.0 AB-742, Peter Lougheed Provincial Park, AB

A hidden gem and surprisingly hard to find — no signs from the road, no obvious trailhead, just a small pull-off where the dirt path drops away into the trees. The bridge itself is a 60-metre suspension span high above Blackshale Creek, part of the High Rockies Trail. Busy weekends; nearly empty on weekday mornings.

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Blackshale Suspension Bridge (Hike the Canadian Rockies) — directions, photos, conditions High Rockies Trail Bike Ride Park-and-find tip — the pull-off is on the east side of Hwy 742 — watch for unmarked cars
🚗 8 km · 10 minutes south — final stop before Hwy 742 meets Kananaskis Lakes Trail
Picnic · Outdoor · Photo Spot

Peninsula Day Use

★ 5.0 Peninsula Day Use Area, Kananaskis, AB

A finger of land sticking into Lower Kananaskis Lake with picnic tables, several shoreline viewpoints, and quiet fishing spots. Smith-Dorrien Creek empties into the lake just west — that outlet is closed to fishing year-round. The end of the trail on most maps: from here you’re a few minutes from Hwy 40 and the way back north to Calgary or south to Highwood Pass.

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Peninsula Day Use (Alberta Parks) — facilities, lake access, trail map Lower Kananaskis Lake — the larger lake you’ve been driving toward Smith-Dorrien Creek delta — important spawning habitat — fishing closed year-round Kananaskis Lakes Trail (turnoff) — the paved road that gets you back to Hwy 40, 8 km east
🚗 If staying overnight, return to Mount Engadine Lodge (~45 km back north on Hwy 742)
🛏️ Overnight

Mount Engadine Lodge — Overnight (optional)

★ 5.0 1 Mount Shark Rd, Canmore, AB

For travellers who want to slow down: Mount Engadine Lodge offers cabin and room stays with full board (breakfast, packed lunch, three-course dinner). Wood-burning fireplaces, no TVs, weak cell signal, and moose in the meadow at dawn. Splits the trail into two leisurely days instead of one long one. Book months ahead for summer weekends — only ~20 rooms total.

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Day 2 — Return route

→ ~210 km

🚗

From Peninsula Day Use (Stop 17), you have two ways home. The same way back — 70 km north on Hwy 742, retracing the gravel and stopping at any places you skipped. Or the paved loop — 8 km east on Kananaskis Lakes Trail to Hwy 40, then 50 km north to the Trans-Canada and back to Canmore. The loop is faster (about 1.5 hours vs 2 hours on gravel) and gives you a chance to see Highway 40 too. If you booked an overnight at Mount Engadine, do the southern stops first thing in the morning and finish at the lodge for dinner.

Good to know

Best time

Mid-June to October for the easiest driving. The road is open year-round but turns to snow-packed gravel in winter — drivable in a high-clearance vehicle with winter tires, but slow. Late September is peak for golden larches at the higher trailheads (Chester Lake, Burstall Pass).

Where to stay

Mount Engadine Lodge in the middle of the trail — full-board cabin or room stays, the only true lodging on Hwy 742. Spray Lakes West Campground (Spray Valley PP) for tents and RVs along the reservoir. Otherwise, base yourself in Canmore and do the drive as a long day trip — the Malcolm Hotel, Canmore Inn & Suites, or a vacation rental on the river all work.

Total driving

~140 km round trip on Hwy 742, or ~155 km if you loop back via Kananaskis Lakes Trail and Hwy 40. The drive itself is 1.5–2 hours each way at gravel-road speeds; with stops, plan a full 10–12 hours from Canmore back to Canmore. Rental-car insurance may exclude gravel — check before you go, and avoid Hwy 742 in low-clearance vehicles.

Fuel & food

Fill up in Canmore — there are no gas stations on Hwy 742, and the nearest after Peninsula Day Use is back on Hwy 40. Mount Engadine Lodge is the only restaurant, by reservation. Bring a picnic, water, and snacks. There is no cell signal between the Nordic Centre and Lower Kananaskis Lake — download offline maps before you leave.

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