Steven's Peak-bagging Journey

December 23, 2011

1884m

Banff, AB

Despite the official status, Stoney Squaw Mountain is a mere joke. It’s perhaps the most insignificant forested bump guarding the nearby Banff townsite and before starting the hike, you’ve already dispatched most of the elevation gain by driving up the twisting Mt. Norquay Ski Area access road. You might argue that Tunnel Mountain which I did two days ago is even smaller in nature (lower in elevation), but I’d say that Tunnel Mountain is also much more isolated. I combined Stony Squaw “Mountain” with Sanson’s Peak to make a day.

The trail was very well packed so I didn’t need to use snowshoes. But I still recommend bring the ‘shoes just in case the previous hikers didn’t pack the trail all the way up. I did remember there were a few confusing places with some micro-terrain. The view was very limited from the forested summit making it a mere why-bother objective. Other than getting some work-out there’s no real point in bagging this summit…