Perdition Peak

Summit Elevation (m): 2771
Trip Date: July 18, 2024
Elevation Gain (m): 1300
Round Trip Time (hr): 5.5
Total Trip Distance (km): 21.5
Quick ‘n Dirty Rating: Class 3 – you fall, you sprain or break something.
Difficulty Notes: A surprisingly scenic and fun, moderate scramble. No real difficulties.
Technical Rating: SC6
GPS Track: Gaia
Map: Google Maps
First Recorded Ascent: John Martin (solo), November 20 1978

I didn’t think this would happen! Less than a week after struggling up Evan Thomas Creek with Wietse, I was back. This time however, I was planning to be a little smarter with the approach. Sara McLean and I haven’t been out in a while and we were hoping for a quick little morning ascent in Kananaskis Country before tstorms cropped up for the afternoon. Perdition Peak has been on my radar for a few years now. In September 2023 Doug Lutz made an ascent and reported a confusion on where exactly the peak was relative to David P. Jones’ Climbers Guide (Rockies South, pg. 40) which reportedly has the wrong photo for the peak. With the proper peak sorted, I planned a day trip to check out another of John Martin’s incredible list of FRA’s throughout the Rockies. He gives Rick Collier a good run for his money on being one of the more prolific early peakbaggers long before satellite maps and iPhones made the job so much easier and simpler.

Sara and I met in the Evan Thomas parking lot at 06:45 and proceeded to bike the trail to our ascent drainage. It just so happens that the ascent drainage for Perdition Peak is pretty much exactly at the end of any “reasonable” riding – something I learned the hard way 4 days previous on an outing for Shoulder Peak with Wietse. This is why it was on my radar for today – while doing my maps from Shoulder Peak I asked myself why not go back and bag something significantly easier to access in the same area? The alders really close in on the trail just before the rideable section ends – some folks might stop biking there already but we put up with the scratching branches and rode to the top of the final hill before locking the bikes and continuing on foot. Rather than try sidehill into the SW access drainage, we simply descended to the creek before turning left up the obvious creek.

At first glance we worried about a significant narrowing in the approach canyon but there were no difficulties hiking through it. The drainage and creek continued to be very easy to follow and extremely scenic. I think we were both pleasantly surprised by how much we enjoyed the next hour or so, wandering up a little hidden paradise.

As smoke filled our nostrils and made our throats sore (yes – it’s that season again in the Rockies), we enjoyed the proliferation of wildflowers and interesting slabs along the creek. Fossils were underfoot and song birds were serenading us as we chatted and caught up on our lives since our last outing many months previous.

As we neared the end of the approach valley we both commented how remote this little valley felt, considering how front range it is. I love trips like this! For some reason I always have very low expectations for front range, Kananaskis scrambles and they often surprise me with their beauty and tranquility. We scoped an obvious line from the back of the valley, up scree and a prominent rock rib to an upper col under the slabby upper west face.

From the col, the upper west face looked a little more intimidating than I expected. As usual, however, once we started up it was all pretty mellow stuff. No more than SC6 at most and there were easier and harder lines as usual. Before long we were popped out on the summit with smokey views to many familiar peaks and valleys.

Descent was easier than expected to the col and pretty quick on scree and snow from there. It doesn’t get much better than this – solid rock and slab on ascent and snow and scree on the way down!

Wandering down the upper valley we commented more than once that this trip far exceeded our expectations. The smoke almost gave the landscape a mystical quality and caused extra “pop” in the colors of the wildflowers flourishing in the alpine meadows.

We finished the day with a fast ride back to the parking lot, completing a relatively relaxed pace in only 5.5 hours. It’s surprising how many peaks remain in Kananaskis Country that are relatively unknown and unpopular – this is definitely one that deserves much more attention. It’s easy to access, offers a scenic, short, bushwhack-free approach and fun, moderate scrambling to the top. What more do you need as a Rockies scrambler?