Grotto Mountain Direct Route and back via Grotto Buttress

August 12, 2019 by Bill Rowe ·

Grotto Mountain towers over Canmore

August 9th 2019.

OK that is all the routes up Grotto that I know of completed. There are five routes I have called them #1 A.C.C. Route #2 Right Side Edge of Cougar Creek #3 Direct Route #4 Grotto Buttress Route Rats Nest Cave #5 Cougar Creek Gully. https://willski.ca/grotto-mountain-traverse/ https://willski.ca/grotto-mountain-via-route-5/ This blog deals with the Direct Route #3 and down Route #4 Grotto Buttress . We started at the wood pile at the ACC hut. Cut across the watershed of Echo Canyon to find the trail. At the stream bed usually dry walk up 100 m left look for the trail to exit and turn immediately left towards Echo Canyon then carried on at the sign. There is more scramble to this route than all but route #5 I liked it because you end up directly at the Summit which is officially 2706 m. There is some interesting rock through the trees before the final rubble slog. On return we came down east towards the Grotto Buttress ( Rats Nest Cave Route ) Come off the summit passed the transmitters and down to the Col. I tried to cut across right of a sub peak but I think it may be best to stay high. Cloud was rolling around and it made it hard to see the way. At the col again stay higher left rather than short cutting low across. There is loose scree and a large drop over a rock band. In my trips up from the Buttress I have always wanted to cut across to the col but the lay of the rocks pushes you higher and this is good thing so do it going down.Find the big rib of rock coming up from the Buttress to descend on. At the Buttress walk east first before turning on the trail north to come around the canyon. One small down climb to go and back to the Rats Nest Parking.

David on the Grotto direct route

A more interesting route than the ACC route

View into Echo Canyon

Part of the direct route

This was found at where the previous photo was taken

Do not be deterred walk around this

Going around small cliff

Typical trail up Grotto direct

A little scramble through here

It was a day of swirling cloud but that is the summit

The route is on the right east of Echo Canyon

Another view into Echo Canyon

My street from high on Grotto

Out of the trees and the summit in view about 350 m to go

JR leads the way

This Marmot was about 2 m away and was not interested in moving

A bit of a trail through the rubble

Summit view

Getting closer to the summit

This guy was at a small col below the summit

Doesn’t matter where you are if you are high enough Mt Assiniboine is in view

On descent saw this colourful rock

Looking back up to one of the many sub peaks. We came across above the cliff left. I think we should have been higher This is the descent to the Rats Cave parking