Grassi Lakes trail is one of Canmore’s most popular hikes. It’s great for walkers of all skill levels and is very popular among families. The trail leads you to two beautiful turquoise blue lakes and allows you the opportunity to watch rock climbers challenge themselves up different routes on the Grassi Lakes Crag. The lakes are named after Lawrence Grassi an ex-coal miner who became a well respected climbing guide, building many of the areas trails.
Check out our Ha Ling and Grassi Lakes Video HERE
Remember the Backcountry Basics
- Carry your Survival Kit & Essentials
- Let someone know where you’re going with a Trip Plan
- Know how to avoid negative wildlife encounters
- Practice Leave No Trace to keep the wilderness pristine
- Carry a Satellite Communicator like SPOT X
Table of Contents
The Breakdown
| Distance (Round Trip) | 3.6km |
| Elevation Gain | 173m |
| Time (Round Trip) | 1-3 hours |
| Dogs | Yes - On Leash |
| Camping | No |
| Season | Year Round |
| Difficulty | Easy |
| Remoteness | Heavily Trafficked |
How to Get There
Drive up Hwy 742 The Three Sisters Parkway from the town of Canmore. Be aware that the highway is gravel and has some pot holes so don’t take your low clearance car up there. At around 4.7km up the road you will see signs to the left pointing towards Grassi Lakes. Hopefully there are some parking spots available still! There is an overflow lot to the right along Hwy 742 if it happens to be full.
The Route
There are two different difficulty levels to choose from on the Grassi lakes hike. There is an easy route and a more difficult route. The easy route is super mellow and follows a very wide gravel road all the way up to the lakes. The more difficult route is tighter, more wooded, a tad steep, and involves some footing over loose rocks and roots.
The “more difficult” trail is still extremely moderate and is what I would recommend to hike on the way up. On the more difficult trail you have the opportunity to get a birds-eye view of Canmore, the Bow Valley and get to see views of the waterfall. The hike up to the lakes is about 2km and should take most hikers 30-45 minutes. When you get up there you can take a walk around, stare into the emerald green water and enjoy the rock-climbing show on the huge grey wall behind the second lake. When I was last up there I even saw a young woman swimming.
On the way down, I would recommend you take the easy route as it is less steep and will turn your hike into a loop.
My Two Cents
Overall, this hike is worthwhile, but don’t expect it to take a whole day or be overly strenuous. It gets very busy in the day, so my personal recommendation would be to add this to your itinerary at the end of a day of adventure and enjoy a crisp beer at the top.
Let me know if you have any questions in the comments.
Happy Hiking!
