Two kilometres can past quickly or it can seem like an eternity.
Hiking up the King Creek Ridge trail definitely gets your heart racing. There was little reprieve as I tried to keep a steady pace, and ahead of the two hikers that were gaining ground behind me.
Two other couples, another soloist and a group of three all started around the same time as I did. While I am not concerned about being on the trail alone, I always find comfort in knowing there’s others around me.
I parked at the King Creek Ridge dayuse area. I started from highway – there’s a well-beaten trail that runs adjacent to Highway 40 – which leads to climb. There’s other options to connect to the trail but I chose the more direct one.
I noticed a couple of Alberta Parks vehicles parked at the entrance of the dayuse area. I learned later that conservation officers were warning hikers of a grizzly and her cubs across the highway. They didn’t say anything to me when I ran by them.
All the work in this hike/run is done over the first two kilometres. The trick is to keep putting one foot in front of the other. The trail is well defined and it doesn’t matter if you got off trail slightly because the trails all seemed to lead to the ridge.
My legs were a little tired from doing Prairie on Friday but otherwise I felt amazing. No doubt if I had fresher legs I would have made better time but I wasn’t worried about my pace. Secretly I was just happy not to be the last person to reach the ridge out of all the people who started around the same time.
Almost immediately I had to remove my jacket because it was getting quite warm but I toughed it out for most of the way. Sweat is good. Thankfully the trail cut through the trees eventually where I welcomed the shade. Out of the trees, the surrounding mountains quickly came into view.
While it would be easy to stop here to marvel at the beauty, there’s still much more to see. I chatted with a couple for a bit as they waited for friends. As I mentioned in the video (below), it was challenging to keep moving because I just wanted to take it all in.
There’s still more climbing to do (about 200 metres) along another kilometre and half before the ridge but it didn’t seem like work because the magic of the mountains. A cairn pointed in the direction of the ridge.
Just before the actual summit, another spot to the left of the ridge is an option for resting. There is a little rocky bit to the ridge so some people may be intimidated to continue. The well-worn footholds help reduce the risk of falling to your death.
I had a few minutes alone on the ridge before I was joined with a guy and a dog who seemingly came from nowhere. Actually he came up from a lower trail after summiting Mount Hood. We chatted for a few minutes about the trails and nearby mountains before he went down and I was joined with more and more people.
I took out my poles for the descent. I didn’t use them on the steep climb because I find they can be more of a hindrance than actually helping . (I have tripped more than once trying to run with poles.) I would need all the help I could get going down because of the sketchy rocks and roots.
Thankfully it wasn’t so bad and I stayed upright the entire descent. I was slowed down by the scores of people beginning their climbs to the summit. I was asked several times about “how much longer” is the trail? Also in the parking lot, I was asked by two different families how long it should take and whether their children could do the hike.
I don’t want to discourage anyone so I just always positively and advise them to take their time. The outdoors should be enjoyed by all.
Have you done the King Creek Ridge hike? What do you say to families about the length/difficulty of a hike? I would love to hear from you in the comments below.