Chester Lake and Elephant Rocks is a stunning hike in Kananaskis. To be more specific, the Peter Lougheed Provincial Park in Alberta.

Depending on how long and how much energy you have, you can get some of the best views of peaks like Little Galatea, The Fist and Pig’s Tail – from a distance.

To make this post a little easier to read and understand, I’ve divided this huge loop into three distinct sections.

Please note, all the distances and estimates of time, etc, are for the total of the trail talked about under the individual headings.

Hiking to Chester Lake and Elephant Rocks

• Length – 8km
• Elevation Gain – 449 meters
• Difficulty – Moderate
• Route Type – Out and Back Trail
• Time – 3 to 4 hours

If you’re looking for a short hike in Kananaskis, Chester Lake and Elephant Rocks have to be up there with the best of them.

You’ll start from the carpark (this trail is pretty well signposted, at least to start). There was an “alternate Chester Lake route” not too far along the trail and I believe this would be a steeper but shorter route to the lake.

The lake itself is beautiful. Surrounded by the towering peak of Mount Chester, lush green forests the same color as the lake itself.

There are plenty of lunch spots dotted around the lake and there were a number of fishermen casting lines into the water – even if the only fish I saw were tiny.

There is a rocky trail along the base of Mount Chester just above the level of the lake that you can use to loop the lake.

From here, Elephant Rocks are a short 5-10 minute walk away. The trail is narrow, uneven and steep in sections.

There are two massive chunks of rock and they are pretty fun to climb on and explore.

Headwall Lakes Hike 

• Length – 15.9km
• Elevation Gain – 652 meters
• Difficulty – Moderate
• Route Type – Out and Back
• Time – 3 to 4 Hours

I’m going to jump to the end of the trail here. If you’re not into completing the loop, you can complete these hikes as an out and back style trek.

As I mentioned above, I completed this hike as part of the entire loop, so I can only speak for going down and quite exhausted at times.

This hike would be much more challenging on the way up, in my opinion. There was a recent flood/heavy rain in the area, so the trail can be difficult to follow. Spotting cairns in the distance is a great way of keeping your sense of direction.

The trail (at least the one I took) was overgrown and plenty of visible roots to trip on.

But in saying that, I think the views of peaks, lakes and mountains are well worth the effort.

The best is the Headwall Lakes and waterfall. There are two lakes, one higher elevation, that feeds the lower lake through an underground stream that shoots out from the ground and then cascades down the rocky stream.

There were a few snow shelves overhanging sections of the lake, so depending on what time of year you visit, be wary of this, as the drop into the lake can be steep.

Chester Lake and Headwall Lakes Loop

• Length – 19.2km
• Elevation Gain – 1,162 meters
• Difficulty – Hard
• Route Type – Loop
• Time – 8 hours for the full loop

If you add Chester Lake and Headwall Lakes into a loop, as well as The Fortress viewpoint at the peak, you come out with a 19.2km hike with 1162 meters of elevation gain.

Yeah, I hope you’re feeling energetic…

As you would expect with a loop, there are two ways to go. Personally, I went clockwise (hiking to Chester Lake first) and would recommend it that way.

I’ve already talked about the hikes to Chester Lake and Headwall Lakes below, but there is a huge chunk of trail between the two to cover.

From Chester Lake, there is a trail leading off to the left around the backside of the lake. Although the narrow and uneven trail does disappear, this section was alright.

Continuing up over a few mounds of rock and into an open green valley along a small, mossy stream. This section is my personal favorite views – look behind you.

The valley and the peaks on the opposite side of Chester Lake are incredible.

Head along the trail and cairns that mark the trail through the boulder field.

When I did this trail in August 2020, there was a small lake at the base of the bowl here.

Look to your right, you’ll see a steep scree field – this is the scramble to the valley on the opposite side.

This was one of my most challenging scrambles to date. It took way longer to reach the top than I expected.

Once here, you’ll see a trail snaking to your left – this is the trail for The Fortress peak. It is a bit of a scramble at the top of this and can be incredibly windy – so be prepared.

Descending the other side, it’s a lot rockier and prolonged trail down. The boulder field doesn’t really end until you reach the small lake. The trail here leads to the left.

Good news, you’re close to the Headwall Lakes. There are a few small false peaks before reaching the top lake. The trail sticks to the left of these two lakes (assuming your walking away from The Fortress peak).

Extra things to know about the Chester Lake and Headwall Loop

Here are a few extra things to note about this hike:

• Both the Chester Lake and Headwalls Lake hike star from the same parking lot.
• You’ll find this parking lot on the 742 highway, around 47km south of Canmore.
• The 742 highway from Canmore is mostly gravel road. The 47km can take around 2.5 hours if the road is particularly bad. It might be quicker to head down Highway 40 and loop around.
• Dogs are welcome on this trail, but I’m not so sure they would do well with the scramble and final summit to The Fortress. It’s steep and uneven.
• Should go without saying, but this area is bear (and other dangerous wildlife) country. You should be equipped and understand what to do in an encounter.

Chester and Headwall Lakes, Plus The Fortress Loop? Worth it?

Yes, definitely worth it. But I would recommend being well prepared. Looking back over Chester Lake gave me some of the best views Kananaskis has to offer.

Did I miss something out? Something changed? Got other hiking recommendations? Questions? I’d love to hear from you in the comments below!

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Thanks for reading!

Happy and safe travels,

Ben – Horizon Unknown