Runner Leana

...sometimes with a little swimming and biking thrown in...

  • home
  • 2018 Race Schedule
  • 140.6 & 70.3 Race Results
  • Race Report Archive
    • Running Race Reports
    • runDisney Race Reports
    • Triathlon Race Reports
  • Favorite Hikes in Alberta
  • About Me

Highwood Pass Cycling

June 3, 2016 By: Runner Leana

Highwood Pass is the highest paved pass in Canada, travelling through Peter Lougheed Provincial Park.  A section of the road is closed to cars between December 1st and June 15th.  This makes the road a haven for cyclists when spring arrives as we hope the road is clear enough for riding before cars are allowed through.

Highwood Pass Cycling

Spring in Calgary and the Rockies has been pretty phenomenal this year.  In the middle of May a friend and I headed out to Highwood to take advantage!  We parked at the Ribbon Creek parking lot to start our ride, which is about 25 or 26 km to the gate.  This helps to make for a nice warm up to get your legs used to climbing.

IMG_7662

The views weren’t too bad either!

IMG_7665

Because it was the middle of the week the road wasn’t super busy with cars.  This was good as the shoulder was a bit rough in spots.  You’ll reach Fortress Junction about 20 km from Ribbon Creek.  This is your last opportunity to purchase drinks or snacks from the gas station and cell phone service cuts out around here.  Keep riding and you’ll reach the gate soon!

IMG_7668

IMG_7672

Given that I was just coming off of Ironman 70.3 St. George I wasn’t sure if I was going to be able to make it to the summit.  I wanted to ride as much of the road that was closed to cars as possible though!

IMG_7677

There was one vehicle on the road, and Alberta Parks truck.  He would drive a bit ahead of me, pull over to the shoulder and hang out for a little bit.  When I finally caught up to the driver he was getting out, holding this funky antennae thing in his hands.  He was looking for known bears in the area!  There had been two out on the road earlier in the morning.

I had set myself a turn around time of 2.5 hours  but I had a feeling the summit was ahead.  I’ve ridden Highwood a few times (south from Longview – where I bonked and didn’t make it to the summit, and from Kananaskis several times) but I’ve never actually ridden to the summit before.  I was starting to get summit fever and I wanted to keep going!

Finally just as I reached 2.5 hours of riding time I turned the corner and saw the summit.

IMG_7679

Screen Shot 2016-06-01 at 9.14.21 AM

It was an incredible feeling to climb all the way to the top!

IMG_7684

The only snow I saw all day was in the shoulder at the summit.  Road conditions were great!  After grabbing a few photos it was time to start the fun descent back to the car.  It was a chilly one though and I had to stop and put my arm warmers back on.

IMG_7688

When I reached the gate I spotted these guys having a drink.

IMG_7690

The way down was a lot of fun and I was thankful there wasn’t a crazy headwind.  It only took 1.5 hours to ride down. 🙂

If you want to take advantage of riding Highwood Pass before it opens to cars this year you still have two weekends left!

Riding Highwood Pass before the road opens to cars on June 15th via @runner_leana #cycling #kananaskis

Click To Tweet

more from Runner Leana

  • Suck It Up Buttercup!Suck It Up Buttercup!
  • Hanging in the Hunter ValleyHanging in the Hunter Valley
  • Rain, rain….go awayRain, rain….go away
  • April GoalsApril Goals
  • Done!Done!

Comments

  1. 1

    Amy says

    June 3, 2016 at 6:41 am

    I’ve been looking forward to this post-this ride sounds amazing! I only learned about it recently-I would like to try it, but think due to kid stuff going on and lack of experience that I better wait until next year.

  2. 2

    Keith says

    June 3, 2016 at 7:45 am

    It’s an awesome ride, and your buddy was telling me about it. I’m tempted for this years since the weather is so nice, but I’m not in shape for it. Maybe next year.
    Keith recently posted…Face slapping revisitedMy Profile

  3. 3

    Calvin Green says

    June 5, 2016 at 8:31 am

    Sounds like a good route to do some biking..
    Calvin Green recently posted…BeatTheMarketAnalyzer.com – Btma Premium Stock Analyzer (6 Month Membership)My Profile

  4. 4

    lacey says

    June 15, 2016 at 1:52 pm

    Wow! Sounds like a fun ride! The views look beautiful!
    lacey recently posted…Relay For Life 5KMy Profile

who is runner leana?

6 x Ironman Finisher, 11 x 70.3 Finisher, geeky engineer and recent MBA grad.

The Latest on Instagram

2020 SOAS Racing Ambassador

2020 SOAS Racing Ambassador

Oiselle Volée Ambassador & Canada Regional Leader

Oiselle Volée Ambassador & Canada Regional Leader

The Next Big Goal Race:

Ironman 70.3 Oceanside

blogging since April 2007

looking for something?

Categories

Copyright © 2023 · Modern Blogger Pro Theme By, Pretty Darn Cute Design