Calgary Foothills, AB, Canada
28 February 2021
Solo
Short workout hike without the crowds
I was looking for something short, close to Calgary, and preferably uncrowded. Ben’s Hill is exactly that. There were literally more than 100 cars parked on the side of the road before the winter gate, with 99% of people heading up Prairie Mountain. On Ben’s Hill, there were about 10 people max.
Somebody had snowshoed up a few days earlier, allowing me to just walk up the semi-packed trail through the forest. It’s all in the woods and there are no views until you get to the top, but that didn’t bother me. I passed by only one other couple on the way up, so at least it was quiet, very much in contrast to the neighboring Prairie Mountain trail which was teeming with people today as I could see from the broad open top.
Ben’s Hill is really just a side bump of Prairie, nevertheless it has its own trails. These are primarily mountain bike trails, and I did run into a few fat bikers on my way down the SE side. As a hiker, I think it’s only the respectful thing to do to make sure you step off the trail and make plenty of room when you hear bikes approach. We’re all out here to have fun and enjoy these trails together, and after all they’re a little faster on the way down, too!
Overall a good short workout loop without many views but also without any crowds.
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Elevation: |
1932 m |
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Elevation gain: |
470 m |
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Time: |
2.5 h |
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Distance: |
8.3 km |
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Difficulty level: |
Easy (Kane), T2 (SAC) |
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Reference: |
Local maps |
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Personal rating: |
2 (out of 5) |
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