Forgetmenot Mountain is not a scramble. It is a hike to the top of a gentle summit. It was a good one to do on my own because there wasn’t any technical scrambling. I did feel pretty remote, being over 11 km from the road. Also, the trail ended at the start of the upper ridge. Then, there was a long way to go off-trail following a map app.
I did this hike on a Monday (July 24, 2023) and I saw one person who went as far as Forgetmenot Ridge and then turned around.
It was an interesting hike overall and I would recommend it if you are looking for a long hike where you are not likely to see many people and you don’t mind doing some off trail navigating.
Beta:
- This is an out-and-back trail.
- Parking near the Little Elbow Recreation Area.
- The trail begins at the suspension bridge.
- Elevation gain: 1,130 meters
- Distance: 21.4 km total out and back
- Difficulty: Steep hiking, some loose rocks. Off-trail route finding. The distance and the lack of other people made it feel remote.
- Gear: no special gear was needed.
Permit Required
A Kananaskis Conservation Pass is required to park at the trailhead.
Helpful Apps
- AllTrails
- FATMAP
Trip Report
The trail starts out nice and easy. Cross the suspension bridge over the Little Elbow River. Then hike down the river on a good trail.
The trail comes out at the Big Elbow River, dry here at this time of year. Cross the rocky river bed and look for a red diamond in the trees on the other side which marks the trail.
You are heading to the treed ridge in the background. This is where the trail goes up to Forgetmenot Ridge which you must travel to get to the mountain.
Hike up the trail on the other side of the dry river bed until arriving here, where the trail splits. The uphill trail on the right is the one that goes up to the ridge.
Peaches is in front of a small pile of rocks, marking the trail junction.
Gaining the Ridge
After a short gentle uphill slope, the trail begins to climb steeply through the trees.
It traverses across the slope, through the forest.
The trail emerges at the bottom of a steep rocky slope. It then begins to switch back up the slope. The switchbacks go on for a very long time. It begins to feel like a way of life.
Peaches, have we always been climbing these switchbacks?
The views looking back are a great reward. Below is the river I crossed to start the hike. The beautiful blue pond is Forgetmenot Pond. Nihahi Ridge dominates the skyline on the right. The summit in the distance is Mount Remus. Both are climbs I am saving for a day when Dan can join me.
Finally the steep slope starts to become more gentle as we make it to the top of the ridge. We hike back into trees just ahead.
The trail breaks out of the trees and heads up to the ridge in the distance.
At the top of the ridge, the trail disappears in high meadows. We hike along toward the ridge in the distance which is the top of Forgetmenot Ridge. Our mountain lies beyond that.
Here a trail picks up through the meadow. It heads up into the trees and up onto the rocky hill top from the left. A little bit of scrambling is required to reach the top but there is no exposure.
Up on this higher part of the ridge, we hike across rocky meadows. Our route goes up to the left. There are no more trails now and we make our way refering to my map app.
The summit of Forgetmenot Ridge is covered with big rocks. Some of them tip as you step on to them. Careful feet!
In the distance is Forgetmenot Mountain, no higher than the ridge. The route is on the right side of the photo and just out of sight.
Beyond the Ridge – Forgetmenot Mountain
Having come down from the ridge a bit, I can now see the full summit route. It takes the green meadow corridor, first dropping down and then hiking up to the top of the meadows. A left turn will take us along the top of the summit ridge to a high point, Forgetmenot Mountain.
Here at the top of the meadows, we have turned left. We walk across these high meadows towards the high point in the distance. It is not the summit. The summit waits beyond, out of sight.
At last we are hiking up to the summit. A strange metal pole sticks up from the ground. I couldn’t figure out what it had been used for. Perhaps an old weather station?
Summit selfie. No register here. No cairn to mark the top. I don’t think many folks head out this far. It feels remote.
This photo is looking back at Forgetmenot Ridge from Forgetmenot Mountain. This was a long walk on a hot day. Peaches and I enjoyed it though. And although it was longer and more elevation gain than Mount Bryant, it did not feel as hard.
The summit of Forgetmenot Mountain made 13 summits for me in 2023. It was hard to go up on my own. I did not climb any more summits in 2023 and I let go of my goal to climb 20 Peaks in 2023.
Reach the peak!
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