Fortress Mountain Hike

Where:

• Fortress Mountain

 

When:

• August 9, 2025

 

Where:

• Ed, Carolyn, Roger, Craig, Neil, Dave, Janet, Murray, Dave, Erin, Rod, Dally, Dallas, Michael

 

Trailhead:

• on Highway 40, drive south from the Trans-Canada Highway for 41 km (30 minutes)
• turn right at the Esso Station and drive 100 yards down the road to a locked gate
• drive 8 km up the road to the base station, where vehicles are not allowed beyond this point
• hike up the ski hill to the first ridge, where you have several hiking options
• we hiked down the backside and up onto Fortress Ridge

 

 

Degree of difficulty:

• 8 km
• 600 meters
• 3.5 hours total time on the trail
• we got a bit off the road system and ended up with a steeper climb up the backside and a steep descent down from the backside

 

 

Interesting notes:

• Fortress Mountain is named for it’s resemblance to a fortress, specifically it’s castle-like appearance when viewed from the north
• you have to have access to the property as it’s private land, which I do by virtue of my ownership position

• there are beautiful views of Fortress Mountain, Mt. Kidd, Mount Bogart, The Wedge, and several others
• several noteworthy movies have been filmed on the property, including Inception, The Revenant, Jumanji, Cold Pursuit, Bourne Identity 4, Planet of the Apes, and Brokeback Mountain
• the ski hill first opened in 1967 and was named Snowridge at the time, but it closed in 2004
• there is a memorial cairn at the top of the Farside ski chairlift for Blair Griffiths and three Sherpas who lost their lives on Everest in 1982