Hiking Ha Ling Peak in Winter.

Hiking Ha Ling Peak in Winter.

Hiking Ha Ling Peak is just one of many Canmore hikes, but it is one of the more popular probably due to the fact it is one of the easiest in the area. Being easy though does not mean that it is any less glorious, so if you’re looking for a winter hike in Canmore that is one of the easier hikes in the Banff region and still has incredible views then this one could be for you.

Distance:           6 Kms return. (3.7 Miles)

Elevation gain: 737 Meters

Time:                 3 hours more or less depending on your fitness.

Difficulty:          Moderate.

So the Ha Ling Peak hike in winter is super straight forward, it is one trail up and down and due to the fact it is the most popular hike in Canmore the track is pretty easy to follow even after fresh snowfall.

Ha Ling was the second Canmore hike we attempted. But after being caught in the blizzard a few hundred meters from the top of East End of Rundle we decided to make an attempt at Ha Ling for a slightly easier summit for our first winter hike in Canmore.

If you’re looking into hiking East End of Rundle as well you can check out or post about it in the link.

How to get to Ha Ling Peak:

To get to Ha Ling Peak all you have to do is head out of Canmore and take the Three Sisters Parkway towards Spray lakes. You travel about 10 kilometers until the Whiteman’s Pond near the Goats Creek Trail. You will come up to the parking lot on the right. The trailhead is across the road after you cross a small lake you will head into the forest and up the mountain.

We started the hike fairly early, not as early as I would have liked but it was minus 26C and hard to get out of bed haha so we just kind of stayed in our bed for a little longer but once we did get going the sun was already starting to climb and the weather was perfect. Heading up we saw one couple that was having a little bit of a struggle but we did eventually see them at the summit. They were the only two people we saw all day though and considering I heard stories of hiking Ha Ling Peak in Sumer and the thickness of the crowds it was pretty nice to see this place with almost no one.

Hiking Ha Ling in Winter.

The first half of the hike is all below the tree line making for some beautiful light early morning with the sun dancing between the trees as you climb. Once you leave the tree line though that’s where the view becomes really spectacular as you start to get an incredible view over the Rockies. The second half of the Ha Ling peak hike is where it starts to become a little steeper than the rest of the route, although not that difficult that it is not achievable by everyone.

Once you have summited you will be greeted with some of the most amazing views you may have ever seen depending on where you are from and the amount of hiking you have done. However, this was a pretty special view for me not being used to this kind of mountain range.

Where to stay.

There are multiple options for places to stay in and around Canmore. Canmore itself is only a short drive from Banff which has a slightly more bustling scene in the middle of winter. We chose to stay in the Hi Banff Alpine Centre where we actually got our own private log cabin which was a pretty nice touch seeing as its kind of fitting the whole Canada snow mountain log cabin theme, it even had a fireplace. It was actually incredibly beautiful and the rest of the hostel was nice also. There was even live music a couple of nights per week.

If you’re looking to stay in Canmore though there are so many options.

Budget: Canmore Inn and Suites
Midrange: Coast Canmore Hotel
Luxury: Malcolm Hotel

While you’re looking for somewhere to stay you may also be looking for other things to do. Check out this list of things to do in Banff while you’re there.

Other options are Samesun Banff and Hi Lake Louise both beautiful places to stay also with the option of dorms or private rooms both starting from about $25 per night.