Cochrane walking club

🥾 CHESTER LAKE HIKE 🏔️

Join us this Sunday for a beautiful hike to Chester Lake in Kananaskis! Enjoy stunning mountain scenery, peaceful forest trails and the beauty of an alpine lake. 🍂🏔️

📅 Date: Sunday, September 27
📍 Meeting Location: Good Earth Coffee Shop, Cochrane
🕗 Meeting Time: 8:00 a.m.
🚗 We’ll coordinate carpooling from there.

📏 Distance: Approximately 10 km return
⬆️ Elevation Gain: Approximately 300 m
⏱️ Estimated Time: 3–4 hours
🥾 Difficulty: Moderate

We’ll take our time, enjoy the scenery and stop for photos along the way. 📸

🎒 What to Bring

• Water and snacks
• Hiking boots or shoes with good traction
• Layers for changing mountain weather
• Bear spray — please check the expiry date
• Kananaskis Conservation Pass, if required

🐻 Bear Safety: Please carry bear spray and review bear-safety practices before heading out.

👋 New People: If you’re new and would like to join us, please join us for a local Cochrane walk before participating in our mountain hikes. This gives everyone a chance to get to know one another and helps ensure you’re comfortable with the pace and distance.

📌 Meeting Reminder: Please arrive at Good Earth Coffee Shop by 8:00 a.m. so we can get organized and coordinate carpooling before heading out.

Come ready for a fantastic day in the mountains! 🏔️🥾❤️

✨ What a magical day on the Ptermanigan! 🥾🏔️

Another incredible day out with our Cochrane Walking & Hiking Club crew. The mountains gave us the perfect day to explore, laugh, connect and enjoy the beauty around us. ❤️

There’s just something special about being out on the trails with such a wonderful group of people. The views, the fresh air, the conversations and the little moments along the way all add up to days we remember.

Thank you to everyone who came out and made today so special! 🥾💚

Already looking forward to the next adventure! ⛰️

🥾 Sunday Hike – Ptarmigan Cirque

This Sunday, September 20, we will be hiking the beautiful Ptarmigan Cirque Interpretive Loop in Kananaskis. This short alpine hike offers spectacular mountain scenery, open meadows, a small waterfall and hopefully some early golden-larch colour!

📍 Meeting location: Good Earth Coffeehouse in Cochrane
⏰ Meeting time: 8:00 a.m.
🚙 Departure: Shortly after everyone arrives
🕙 Estimated drive: Approximately 1 hour and 40 minutes each way
🥾 Hiking time: Approximately 1½–2½ hours, including time for photographs and a break
📏 Distance: Approximately 4–4.5 km
⛰️ Elevation gain: Approximately 200–250 metres
📈 Difficulty: Moderate

The first 20–30 minutes involve a moderately steep climb from Highwood Pass into the cirque. Once we reach the alpine basin, the trail becomes considerably gentler. We will remain on the interpretive loop and will not continue toward the Mount Rae scramble.

Please bring:

Hiking boots or sturdy trail shoes
Bear spray carried somewhere immediately accessible
Water
Substantial snack
Warm layers and a windproof jacket—the weather at Highwood Pass can be considerably cooler than Cochrane
Hiking poles, if you use them

A Kananaskis Conservation Pass for anyone willing to drive
There is currently no official bear warning posted for Ptarmigan Cirque; however, this is bear country, so everyone must carry bear spray and stay with the group.

A gentle reminder for anyone new who would like to join our mountain hikes: we ask that you first attend one of our local walks. This gives everyone a chance to meet, allows us to get a sense of walking pace and comfort level, and helps ensure the group is a good fit before heading into the mountains together. A local walk will be posted shortly.

Please comment below if you are joining us and indicate whether you are willing to drive and how many passengers you can take. We will organize carpooling at Good Earth on Sunday morning.

Looking forward to a sensational morning in the mountains! 🏔️🍂

Here is what I know to be true today: if you wake up early and you’re surrounded by fog… go anyway and enjoy the day! ❤️

We drove out to this unbelievable provincial park, and WOW… it did not disappoint.

The entire hike was truly something special — one of those days that reminds you how lucky we are to get outside, explore, and simply take it all in. Thank you to all of those who joined this fabulous morning. 🌲🥾❤️

🥾 Sunday Walking Club – Brown-Lowery Provincial Park Perimeter Loop 🌲

This Sunday we’re heading to Brown-Lowery Provincial Park for a beautiful morning hike through the foothills forest.

📍 Meeting Point: Good Earth
🚗 We will carpool from Good Earth
🕘 Departure: 8:00 a.m. sharp
🥾 Trail: Brown-Lowery Provincial Park Perimeter Loop
📏 Distance: Approximately 7.5 km
⛰️ Elevation Gain: Approximately 150–185 m
⏱️ Hiking Time: Roughly 2–2½ hours
🌲 Difficulty: Easy to moderate

Please arrive a few minutes early so we can organize vehicles and be ready to leave Good Earth at 8:00 a.m.
Bring good hiking shoes, water, layers for changing weather and hiking poles if you like using them. Bear spray is also recommended for hiking in the foothills.
As always, we’ll stay together and enjoy a comfortable, social pace.

And naturally, there may need to be a coffee stop afterward! ☕😊

Looking forward to another beautiful Sunday morning outside with everyone! 🍂🌲🥾

🌿 COCHRANE WALKING CLUB — SUNDAY WALK 🌿

Join us this Sunday for a beautiful local walk through Cochrane’s river valley! 🚶‍♀️🌿

📍 Meet at Good Earth Coffee Shop
🕘 9:00 a.m.
🌦️ Rain or shine — keep an eye on the forecast and dress accordingly!

We’ll head out together for a relaxed walk along the river valley, enjoy some fresh air and great conversation.

💚 ALL NEW PEOPLE ARE WELCOME!

You don’t need to know anyone — just show up and walk with us!

Bring your walking shoes, a light rain jacket and your smile. 😊

See you Sunday at Good Earth at 9:00 a.m.!

We decided to embrace the rain 🌧️🥾 and venture into Grotto Canyon! Sheltered from the wind, fueled by great conversation, lots of laughs, and the promise of warm beverages waiting for us ☕️❤️… we did it!! 🙌⛰️🌲
A little rain certainly wasn’t going to stop this crew! 🌧️💪🥾

🥾 COCHRANE WALKING CLUB — GROTTO CANYON!

This Sunday, we’re heading out to Grotto Canyon near Exshaw for a beautiful hike through a spectacular canyon! 🏔️🌲

📅 Sunday, August 30
⏰ Meet at 8:00 a.m.
📍 Good Earth Coffeehouse, Cochrane
🚗 Carpooling: We’ll meet at Good Earth and carpool from there.

🥾 Grotto Canyon Trail
📏 Approximately 7 km return
⏱️ Allow about 2–2.5 hours
⛰️ Moderate hike with some rocky and uneven terrain.

The trail takes us through the canyon with beautiful mountain scenery, rock walls and a chance to see some of the fascinating pictographs along the way. It’s a great one to get out and enjoy the mountains without committing to a huge hike!

🐻 BEAR SAFETY:
As always in Kananaskis/Bow Valley, we need to be bear aware. Please bring bear spray if you have it, keep it accessible (not buried in your backpack!), and stay together as a group. We’ll make plenty of noise as we hike.

👟 What to bring:
✔️ Good hiking shoes/boots
✔️ Water
✔️ Snacks
✔️ Bear spray
✔️ Layers — mountain weather can change quickly
✔️ Hiking poles if you use them

New to the Cochrane Walking Club? 👋
Welcome! New members are asked to join us for a local in-town walk before coming along on an out-of-town hike. There will be a local walk posted very shortly.

Come join us for another great Sunday adventure! ❤️

Please comment below if you’re coming and whether you can drive or need a ride.

See you Sunday! 🥾🏔️

Sorry for the short notice but due to weather we are cancelling the walk today. We will meet at 8:30 for coffee at Good Earth

We are going to change our walk to Grotto Canyon tomorrow due to a bear advisory for our original hike. We will still meet at Good Earth at 8:00am. Please check the original post for things to bring.