Hunchback Hills or Lusk Ridge

Lee with the foothill beyond on the summit plateau

October 05 2018

Yes this is October 5th . No this should have been a snowshoe trip not a hike. It took us 3hrs to do 3km to get to the summit. That says it all as it was only 641 m elevation gain. So do this hike in the summer and enjoy the waterfall and the greenery. The views at the top were spectacular for such a short hike, near to Canmore. To get there take Hwy 40 to the Sibbald Creek road Hwy 68  Travel 4.5 km and park on the Hwy at the old logging road or clearing. From the road walk 150 m to the left turn to the waterfall. A steep climb through the wood brings you out onto a cut block section. Head toward the hill with a lonely tree. Then turn right back into the trees as the cut block ends. Make a note of direction as you will not see the summit for sometime. Come a cross a small rock band and head a little right with views of Barrier Lake. Then into an open area to the summit. At the summit go through the trees for a nice lunch outlook of Cox Hill and Moose Mountain. Views of Tiara and Belmore Brown and south. Note the track on my Gaia show the route coming up through the cut block Valley, which was probably an old logging way. This way you would miss the waterfall but it could be a route back down.

Route through the cut block to the summit. It may also be called Lusk Ridge

 

A few hundred meters from Hwy 68

The trail to take to the waterfall 150m from Hwy 68

Frozen Waterfall

Summer waterfall

 

 

First view of Barrier lake

Entering the cut block

Just at end of cut block will turn to the right into the trees

This small cliff band is a good marker for route progress

Below is the alternative route to come up the cut block valley

Bill and one or two of the Lougheed Peaks

Last push to the summit snow deep pitch steep

Deep snow all the way to the summit

Summit shot looking north west

Lee on the summit plateau

Lee heads into the trees so we could get the view from the other side

Lee with the foothill beyond on the summit plateau

To the left of the open area is our route

Coming back through the trees to the waterfall

 


Distance return 5.8 km Time return 5 hrs ( inc 30 min lunch ) Elevation Accumulated gain 641 m Elevation to Summit 575 m Summit height 2077 m

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Google Earth KML

3360-a-view-of-the-foothills

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