Jumpingpound Loop North

A classic Kananaskis hiking trail, the Jumpingpound Loop trail has been popular with mountain bikers too for a few decades. It really is a trail-of-two-halves with a different character north and south of the gravel road (Sibbald Creek Trail). However, the whole loop is suitable for almost all levels and kinds of rider. The North half is a little more challenging than the South half, with more elevation gain and a few steeper (but still relatively short) climbs and quite narrow singletrack.

The North trail passes through a variety of woodland and offers beautiful views, especially in early summer and autumn when the leaves change colour. In the winter, the trail gets packed a bit by hikers and snowshoers and is great for fat-biking. As it's on mostly south-facing slopes, it's often one of the first trails in the area to be clear and dry in the spring.

The North trail can be combined with the South for the classic loop or with the new Jumped Up Loops (Kashmir, Trampled Under Foot & Ten Years Gone) to create various figure-eights and other permutations.

This is a popular hiking trail, and cattle range here from mid-June to late September. If you hear the sound of distant gunfire, that's because there's a private shooting range a few km away.

Access Info

Trailhead: Take the TransCanada Hwy 1 to Sibbald Creek Trail Hwy 68 and head south. Park at the Pinetop PRA and start the trail from there – either direction, you choose.