Despite being only an hour and a half’s drive away from Calgary, “the Ghost” is as remote and pristine as many other parts of the Rockies that take much longer to get to. It is definitely one of my favourite areas not only because its proximity, but because it is relatively under-explored in terms of scrambling opportunities and because the region’s frequent low-lying clouds, empty valleys, and uncanny ghost-themed peak names always impart an air of mystery when you find yourself in this area. I’ve only explored a few peaks and hope to be back for many more visits in the future!
Astral Peak 29 September 2017 With Trevor Astral Peak is one of those rare examples in the southern Canadian Rockies of a mountain that nobody seems to know anything about – or perhaps nobody cares about. With no published routes or reports of any ascents, it is admittedly exactly this exploration potential that attracted Trevor and me […]
Black Rock Mountain 7 February 2016 With Wen This is an easy hike with a touch of adventure, mostly due to the remote location and feeling of isolation in this area. And getting there is an adventure in itself! We were lucky to make it with our Honda CRV, which is only a 2WD but a slightly higher […]
Burnt Timber Lookout Ghost, AB, Canada 26 April 2020 With Richard & Marcelina Great snowshoeing in a remote corner of the Rockies This isn’t exactly a popular destination for hikers and snowshoers, mostly because of its remoteness and long drive from Calgary (about 2.5 hours). It’s really just a small hill with the remains of a […]
Castle Rock 6 October 2017 With Trevor & Vern A week earlier Trevor and I had ventured up the remote Astral Peak in the Ghost area where we had enjoyed a clear sunny day with gorgeous views of many neighboring summits unknown to us. One peak in particular – Castle Rock – was particularly fascinating to look at […]
Ghost Peak 30 April 2016 With Priyesh This is one of the very few mountains that I had absolutely no information on before setting out – no online trip reports, published routes, recorded summit ascents, not even a name for the peak – but one that turned out to be straightforward and easily accessible on a good […]
Mockingbird Lookout Ghost, AB, Canada 20 March 2020 With Richard Short and easy with fantastic panoramic views of the Ghost Mockingbird Lookout sits atop a small forested hill in the Foothills of the Ghost, about a two hour drive from Calgary. Richard and I didn’t have high expectations for this one, but we hadn’t been […]
Mount Costigan 29 June 2017 Solo Mount Costigan is one of the highest mountains in the Ghost area and has several well-documented ice climbing routes around its approach valleys and buttresses. As a scrambling objective, curiously, the mountain has been largely overlooked. Although it can be reached via a good path along the north shore of Lake […]
Mount Davidson & Waiparous Peak Ghost, AB, Canada 12 + 13 September 2019 Solo A beautiful trip into the Ghost along Waiparous Creek Although clearly visible from Calgary as a major peak, Mount Davidson is rarely ascended due to its remote location in the northern part of the Ghost. I’ve been toying with the idea of hiking into […]
Mount Oliver 24 September 2017 With Richard Mount Oliver, a lonely peak at the edge of the Ghost, has never gained much attraction from climbers and scramblers in the past. It is situated in the “armpit of the front ranges”, as I call it – that remote corner where the N-S trending Rockies of the Ya Ha […]
Phantom Crag 23 August 2014 With Richard This trip was as ghostly as it could get – not only because of the name of the area (The Ghost) and the mountain, but more so because of a persistent dense white fog that shrouded the upper reaches of the mountains and gave the whole trip an air of […]
Sheep Meadow Mountain & Sheep’s Claw Ghost, AB, Canada 18 October 2019 With Kevin Beautiful, remote, uncrowded Ever since ascending Ghost Peak in a white-out with my late friend Priyesh in 2016 I’ve been wanting to come back to this beautiful and remote area. Vern and Phil climbed Ghost in November 2017 and then easily hiked up Sheep Meadow […]
The Prow – Ghost Peak Traverse Ghost, AB, Canada 26 June 2020 With Kevin A long and rewarding ridge walk in a remote part of the Ghost This was my third time to do the long approach along the seismic line and (illegal) dirt bike trails to the lovely saddle between Ghost Peak and Sheep Meadow Mountain. Back in […]
Wigwam Ridge Ghost, AB, Canada 5 January 2020 With Trevor Heavy-duty workout with wonderful views at the end This is a rarely visited local ridge in a remote part of the northern Ghost just east of Zombie Peak. Despite being dwarfed by bigger and more impressive mountains of the Front Ranges to the west, the […]
Zombie Peak Ghost, AB 11 November 2016 With Richard Zombie Peak has always had a special appeal to me. Not only because of its intriguing name, but also because of its remoteness and because there is almost no information available on how to ascend this mountain, and of course I love a good exploration challenge. Richard and I […]