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Rockies :: Kananaskis :: South Buller Pass

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Terrific view east from South Buller Pass.  Snowy Guinn Pass right,  Guinn Peak, Kidd South and Mt. Kidd to its left.   Ribbon Lake just left of center

June 12, 2018

Buller Pass Trail is classic K-country.  Starting from Buller Creek Rec area on Spray Road well defined trail provides easy access to wonderful alpine that includes waterfalls, high-alpine passes, view of lakes and several relatively easily attained peaks.  Many options are available, South Buller Pass being most common day hike destination. Others include loop return via North Buller Pass and through hike via Guinn Pass or Ribbon Lake to Hwy40 corridor.  Ribbon Lake back-country campers not wanting to climb infamous Ribbon Chains sometime approach from this side too.  Area is often snowbound till mid-June and as ascent of the pass is fairly steep it is best to wait till snow melts. 

From parking walk back to road and find marked trailhead on east side.  Trail is wide and easy to follow, joining Trans-Canada or "High Rockies" trail briefly, before starting ascent at north side of Buller Creek.  Steep hillside is avalanche prone and blowdown trees sometimes block the trail;  hopefully steep Kananaskis conservation fee will be used for backcountry trail maintenance.   In about 3km trail reaches good bridge where Mt. Buller scramble access branches to the left.  Main trail climbs somewhat steeply for about a kilometre topping in semi-open valley where Buller Creek has created some wonderful cascading waterfalls (Gallery).   North Pass junction is just past small wood bridge and there used to be a sign here, but has been taken down as of July '23.   Main trail continues SE through rockslides and semi-open larch forest reaching alpine bowl below South Buller Pass.   Grade leading to the Pass is somewhat steep but of little consequence when dry as there is good scree trail.   Shelter from the wind can be found by descending a bit east from 2530m high saddle that often has a cairn.

Fastest return back to Spray road is the same way and will be shorter.  Popular - and recommended - extension is loop return via North Buller Pass, fully described here.  It is more involved as there is some off trail hiking and North Pass is more difficult, but still in non-technical realm.

Gallery