Summit Elevations (m): 2412, 2239, 2416
Trip Date: Friday, July 25, 2024
Elevation Gain (m): 1650
Round Trip Time (hrs): 7
Total Trip Distance (km): 25
Quick ‘n Dirty Rating: Class 2 – you fall, you sprain your ego and maybe your big toe.
Difficulty Notes: No major difficulties on this trip, assuming you follow the same path as me.
Technical Rating: SC5
GPS Track: Gaia
Map: Google Maps
Ever since meeting Andrew, Dave and Brad on their way to tag Hollebeke Mountain back in July 2020 while I was on my way to tag Mount McCarty, I’ve wanted to explore the North Kootenay Pass area. I’ve enjoyed the Middle Kootenay Pass on many trips and the South Kootenay Pass on an ascent of Kishinena Peak in 2021. It was a matter of time before the north pass would show up on explor8ion and a day after an extensive heat wave ended in Alberta, I decided to drive south and check it out. Unfortunately there was a very good chance of intense wildfire smoke but I don’t sit at home any more with smoke in the forecast. Firstly, half my season would be ruined and secondly, the smoke forecasts have a habit of being wildly inaccurate. I’ve sat at home too many times only to see wonderfully clear photos from nearby the peaks I wanted to tag. Now I just go with greatly lowered expectations.
On the long drive down hwy 22 I was surprised to see threatening clouds over the Divide and the Castle Wilderness. The forecast was calling for mostly clear skies with a very small chance of rain late afternoon. The good thing was that I could see the clouds – there was smoke but not nearly as much as forecast. I decided that I wasn’t driving 2.5 hours to not even give it a shot.
After driving down an extremely rough and very quiet Carbondale River Road, I parked 500m from the trailhead, deciding that biking would be prudent from here. All the random camping areas along this stretch of road were closed and taped off presumably for construction and reclamation work. This meant that I was all alone on a Thursday as I set off on my bike for the first bridge across the Carbondale River.
I’d walked this road before, on my way up Mount McCarty with KC, but this was my first time biking it. Everything started off pretty easy and stayed that way – at least until I reached the end of my ride. Because I was planning a loop up Hollebeke and down North Kootenay Peak, I would not be riding as far as you normally would if just doing one or the other peak. I was happy to note an obvious road running off to the south up Macdonald Creek towards a still unseen pass of the same name.
After locking my bike to a nearby tree I headed off on another solo adventure up another trail that I haven’t trod before. It’s surprising to me that even after 25 years of tramping all over the Alberta Rockies I still have many unexplored trails and areas. Not as many as 25 years ago though!
The trail to Macdonald Pass continued to be very open and easy to hike, even as it steepened dramatically from lovely meadows at the headwaters of the creek. This is where most folks would stop biking but you could push your bike to the pass if you were only focused on Hollebeke from here. (IMHO, if I was only doing Hollebeke I would bike to North Kootenay Pass and do it from there, but I usually push the biking further than most peakbaggers.)
After grunting to the pass I was delighted to note a clear blue sky and minimal smoke. It looked like my gamble to travel south was going to pay off after all. I love it when that happens. The pass offered some dramatic views on its own, but I didn’t linger long before starting up steep east slopes of an intervening peak just off the trail.
A short bushwhack brought me to very loose, gritty slopes leading steeply upward on an obvious line. I balanced Krummholz-bashing with the loose stuff and intermittent greenery to assist in my ascent, it all worked fairly quickly, easily and straightforward. My views back over Macdonald Pass to McCarty and an unnamed peak east of the pass were dramatic in the morning air.
As I made my way over the intervening peak I took in views of North Kootenay Peak and another intervening summit on route to Hollebeke. At this point I still couldn’t see my first objective. Easy hiking brought me first down to a col and then back up the 2nd intermittent peak and my first views of Hollebeke Mountain and the dramatic south end of the Flathead Range. North Kootenay Peak also featured prominently in this view and looked higher than I first thought it might be.
A straightforward descent brought me to a broad col and further easy hiking under a brilliant blue sky brought me up the east side of Hollebeke to my first summit of the day. Slightly maring the experience – and very common for this area of the Rockies – the wind was fierce and almost blowing me off my feet at times!
Views were very respectable including McCarty to the east and several peaks over North Kootenay Pass including Mount Borsato and Centre Mountain to the west. I had a long day ahead of me at this point and didn’t linger too long before wandering my way slowly down the north ridge towards what Nugara dubbed “North Kootenay Point”.
I don’t really consider the “point” to be a separate peak, but it does add some distance and elevation to the day compared to other options and it made sense to tag it onto my efforts. After scrambling easily over an intervening high point on the ridge I descended to a low col before slogging back up the point.
Wind continued to be a factor on the traverse, almost taking me off my feet several times. It was nuts! The views continued to hold as I took in the impressive south end of the Flathead Range over the North Kootenay Pass access road below. North Kootenay Peak looked like a proper, albeit small, peak from here.
Descent to the North Kootenay Pass road was fast and easy via very loose scree and rubble slopes from atop the point. I was glad to be descending rather than ascending here. Once on the road I continued traveling north towards my third and last objective for the day.
It was very quiet in this remote alpine bowl where the wind was blocked by mountains to the west. Warm sunshine on my neck, the sound of birds chirping and the smell of wildflowers reminded me why I was here. To be honest, 2024 has not been an epic year in the mountains for me for several reasons. I was squeezing in this trip before heading back to Manitoba for another canoe and family trip and wasn’t sure I even felt like it while planning it out the day previous. But now that I was out here again I was happy to be hiking – maybe my mountain mojo is slowly returning? Who knows with these things…
After following an obvious road toward the west end of North Kootenay Peak’s west ridge I made a beeline bushwhack before getting back on clean slopes. The ascent was very straightforward and quick despite terribly strong gusts of wind on my back. The good part was the effort it saved me while pushing me upwards!
Soon I was enjoying dramatic views over North Kootenay Pass and Hollebeke, not to mention unnamed outliers of Centre Mountain and the Flathead Range to the west.
Descent back to the road was pretty quick and obvious on a mix of loose shale and scree and some routefinding near the bottom of the south slopes to avoid cliffs just above the road. I walked out to my bike, before enjoying a fast, fun descent ride to the truck, thankful to finally be free of the intense wind gusts.
I enjoyed this trip more than I thought I would when first researching it. Although the mountains are small and there are no huge, dramatic views of lakes or glaciers as elsewhere in the Rockies, there is plenty to keep the retinas active in this cozy valley.
The rocks are a brilliant mix of reds, purples, yellows and greens. The vegetation is thick and the wildflowers are amazing in this corner of Alberta where it abuts our equally scenic neighboring province to the west. Creeks bubble down the valleys and old roads and trails allow for relatively easy and quick access. A highly recommended loop for adventurers looking for something off the beaten path and some serious alone time.
