Distance: 6.16 km

Elevation Gain: 215 m

Total Time: 1 hour 50 mins

This trail came heavily recommended to me. It had great reviews on AllTrails and seemed fit for Kira and I to accomplish before we drove back to Edmonton in March. Bonus points – it had red chairs! If you have been around awhile, you know I always love the red chairs from Parks Canada!

Kira and I wanted to stay away from the crowds so we got to the trail at 9:30am. This parking lot is close to the Pyramid Island trailhead so I knew it could get very busy. Since it was a Wednesday morning, there was only one other vehicle in the parking lot.

The red chairs are not far from the trailhead after only about 20 m of elevation gain. Kira and I didn’t want to stop here for too long as we had just started.

This trail was wide and the snow was not deep. Much different than Wilcox Pass! The sun was just starting to peak above the treetops and the birds were starting to sing. We enjoyed listening to them as we hiked. It’s amazing how birds can bring down stress levels and keep you moving.

The ascent up to the ridge was gradual in the beginning. Just after a kilometer though, the trail became more steep as we started climbing up the rocky ridge. It was not difficult, but the climb was moderate and will definitely get your heart going. I had to stop and shed layers as we climbed!

The short climb was worth it for the views we got at the top. You could see Pyramid Lake, Jasper, and the surrounding mountain ranges. I took my time at the top of the ridge to enjoy the view. The trail at this point had also received quite a bit of sun as the snow was almost completely gone, leaving only a gravel path behind. I decided to shed my micro spikes on the ridge.

I couldn’t get enough of the views from here. There was less snow at this vantage point so Kira was enjoying sniffing the ground while I took in the views. It wasn’t a blue bird day, but the clouds didn’t seem to be whispering of any incoming precipitation so I took that as a good sign.

We took our time on the ridge. We looked at the view, explored, listened to the birds, and meandered our way along the ridge. Eventually, we had to start our descent and made our way back into the forest below. Kira and I found a lot of evidence of wild creatures – tracks and scat mostly. I don’t know about you, but I am ok to not meet large wildlife on our hiking adventures.

At about the 4.3 km mark, we reached a small pond (I couldn’t find the name of it!) It was frozen but with a view of Pyramid Mountain behind it, this little area held it’s own kind of charm. Kira wanted to continue exploring so we watched our footing and went along the edge of the pond. When the temperatures get warm, this one would be hard to maneuver around! The trail was frozen with some trees having frozen “ponds” around their roots so in the middle of spring things would get slushy in this area.

After this point, the trail was fairly straight forward and simple. Around 4.6 km, you walk near Pyramid Lake Resort. The trail is very straight forward with little elevation gained or lost. You walk along Pyramid Lake Road for the remainder of the hike. You can take a detour and walk out to Pyramid Island if you want to. Kira and I chose not to because the parking lot was filling up and we didn’t want to experience the crowds.

Even in the winter, I love Pyramid Mountain. I love the deep reds and oranges that the mountain shows off. It is a very photogenic mountain!

The trail in total was well worth the effort. The views from the top were great and the hike itself was not too intense. I felt refreshed after this and Kira slept the whole drive home.

Have you hiked this trail before?