Mount Lipsett, THe Highwood, Kananaskis - September 22, 2025

Ben was home on a week off from work, the weather conditions were almost perfect, so we decided to head out past Longview to one of our all-time favourite hikes - Mount Lipsett.  Despite having done it several times before in different combinations of people, we were still surprised at how nice a hike it is, and how much beautiful scenery it offers.

We left the house at 7:30, and were on the trail at 9:00.  The sky was clear with a few cloudy patches in the distance, the sun was shining, and the breeze was just right.  The car indicated 2 degrees Celsius as we hit the trail, and would show 18 degrees on our way back home.

Three Happy Hikers - Elk Peak And Storelk Mountain Ridges In Background

Ben Grabbing Some Photos Of Mist Mountain

As we approached the final ascent we noticed a group of six scramblers on the col between Mount Lipsett and Mist Mountain.  I knew some of the maps show a "trail" but I had never seen anybody attempting it.  It took us about five seconds to reach a consensus that none of us would ever be on that trail in this lifetime... 😱

Once we got to the Lipsett summit we hunkered down for a well-earned snack and water break.  We kept our eye on the group of six scramblers who continued to make their way from the col towards Mist summit at a steady pace. While beautiful and sunny on our summit it was pretty cool, so after about twenty minutes it was time to get going again.

Snack Time Summit Shot

Starting Our Descent

Beautiful Lipsett/Mist Valley:

The way down was quite a bit quicker, stopping only once for a bathroom break.  After lots of great discussion we were back at the car on our way back to Longview for the customary pop and chips stop at the Esso gas station.  We added one more stop at the Longview Jerky Shop and then headed home for a nice soak in the hot tub!

As mentioned above, we really enjoyed the hike and couldn't stop discussing how great a choice it was.  It was a real treat for Amanda and I to have some time with Ben, and as always he made it a special day with his insight, humour, and love of the outdoors.  We all had a great day, and had a great sleep that night!