Turtle Mountain
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Turtle Mountain is a nice climb with great views. It's not too hard either, so it's not a bad one to try before trying Crowsnest Mountain, if you haven't gone to the top of many mountains before. It isn't a very long climb, but it is continuous, and depending how many breaks you take, it could take a few hours.
Although you are walking on rocks the whole time, it isn't ever really pure scree. There are loose rocks, but they are almost always partially covering solid rock. For the first few minutes you are walking through trees, but it opens up pretty quickly. There are occasional trees all the way up to the top, but they don't often block the view. They also don't block the wind. It was a beautiful warm sunny day when I went, but I wore my jacket almost the whole way up because the wind was so strong.
There is no water available anywhere along the way, so make sure you have enough along.
This is a pretty popular climb, so expect to meet other people.
Access
The hike starts right Blairmore. Drive to 15th Ave and 135 Street, and then take the back alley to behind the houses. Park in the grass beside the alley. Walk along the track / alley until you get to the ridge of the mountain. The trail starts here and is marked by yellow painted boulders.
Although you are walking on rocks the whole time, it isn't ever really pure scree. There are loose rocks, but they are almost always partially covering solid rock. For the first few minutes you are walking through trees, but it opens up pretty quickly. There are occasional trees all the way up to the top, but they don't often block the view. They also don't block the wind. It was a beautiful warm sunny day when I went, but I wore my jacket almost the whole way up because the wind was so strong.
There is no water available anywhere along the way, so make sure you have enough along.
This is a pretty popular climb, so expect to meet other people.
Access
The hike starts right Blairmore. Drive to 15th Ave and 135 Street, and then take the back alley to behind the houses. Park in the grass beside the alley. Walk along the track / alley until you get to the ridge of the mountain. The trail starts here and is marked by yellow painted boulders.