DeirdrePocaterra Cirque is a fantastic half-day hike in Alberta’s Kananaskis region and is a perfect alternative to the more challenging Pocaterra Ridge walk.
This easy 7km hike is best enjoyed during larch season, when the deciduous pines transform from green to golden yellow, illuminating the mountain valley.
This stunning trail passes through many terrains, including forests, valleys, and cirques, making each section an exciting new experience.
This walking guide will assist you in planning your trip to view the larches and experience a quieter side of the trail.
Trailhead information, as well as tips along the way will be provided in this Pocaterra Cirque Guide.
Pocaterra Cirque Trail Information
- Distance: 7km roundtrip (+2km road)
- Duration: 3-4 hours with breaks
- Elevation Gain: 400m
- Trail Type: Out & Back
- Difficulty: Easy/Moderate
- Facilities: Washrooms at Highwood Meadows parking lot
- Required permits: Kananaskis Conservation Pass
Getting to the Trailhead
Pocaterra Cirque trail is in Kananaskis Country, approximately 67 km south on highway 40. From Calgary, it takes around 1.5 hours to reach the trail by car and 1 hour from Canmore.
Unfortunately, public transit does not venture this far out in Kananaskis.
The trailheads for Pocaterra Ridge, Pocaterra Cirque and Ptarmigan Cirque all originate from the Highwood Meadows Day Use parking lot.
Driving route from Calgary here
Driving route from Canmore here
Also, something to keep in mind while visiting outside of larch season, this road has seasonal closures that lasts from December 1st until June 14th.
The Forest
Leaving the parking lot, the trail will cross a small bridge and walk a short distance along a grassy area toward the forest.
This forest tends to be extremely muddy during the autumn months. While this can be a minor annoyance, the proper footwear will help you get through the muddy terrain with ease.
The path is rooted and slanted during times but requires no additional skill to master. Sure footedness, proper shoes and a pole/stick can help you during the muddy sections.
There are many trails that veer off during the forest. I am a big fan of AllTrails, however even the app did not account for the various path deviations. I believe the trails all join up eventually and lead to the same place.
Overall, this hike is not clearly marked through the forest.
Valley of the Larches
Around 1.5km from the parking lot, you will leave behind the forest and descend into the valley of the larches.
Leaving behind the trees, the wide-open space provides excellent views of Pocaterra Ridge and surrounding mountains of Highwood Ridge and Grizzly Ridge.
During the autumn, this valley is filled with hundreds of beautiful golden larches.
Proceed through this valley for another half a kilometer to reach Pocaterra Tarn, a small glacier pond, set to a stunning background of mountain and larches.
This is another popular area for day trippers to visit and congregate.
The terrain through the valley is rocky, but easy to navigate at this stage. Here is where a lot of the visitors would flock to.
During my hike, I found that most of the visitors stayed within the valley. We did see quite a few groups going towards the ridge, but nothing like the valley.
The cirque, on the other hand, was practically empty.
The Cirque
Continue along the trail past the tarn for another half kilometer. At the intersection, take the path on the left-hand side, as this will lead to the cirque.
The trail on the right will lead to the ridge.
This short but surprisingly steep hill will climb through more larches before flattening out. At this point, you will start to have excellent views of Mount Tyrwhitt.
The larches will begin to fade in the distance, as you slowly begin to climb up towards the cirque. The terrain turns rockier and barren, yet beautiful.
The color contrast of the larches and grey barren landscape in the distance is so unique.
This final climb can be a little tiring, especially in the wind. I’d recommend packing lots of layers and a hat for this section, especially during larch season.
I found the last 100 meters a little unclear to follow but found a rock cairn at the end (upon a rocky hill) that indicated the ending.
Careful when ascending this hill, as the rocks are very loose.
The Return Trip
The return trip down through the cirque and barren landscape is surprisingly a little more challenging.
While the ascent was slow and didn’t feel like a climb, the descent is slippery and requires a little more patience (especially with a 5-year-old).
Take your time and enjoy the larches are they come into view once more.
Once at the ridge intersection, the trail becomes easier.
If you were unfortunate like me and had to park on the road, there is a better route adjacent to the highway. It’s a much more peaceful and quieter path approximately 50 meters into the tree line.
It does not extend very far but will save you the headache of watching for traffic while you proceed to your vehicle.
This path can be found on the southern side of the parking lot.
Larch Season Tips
With recent changes in climate, larch season can be a little unpredictable.
Typically, the larch season occurs for a short period of time during the autumn months of mid-September to early October. However, depending on the year, that can begin earlier or extend into late October.
Larch season can be chaotic in the Canadian Rocky Mountains, especially in Banff and Kananaskis. Visitors from around the globe travel to see the golden larches, often crowding once peaceful narrow trails and roadways.
On my visit to Pocaterra Cirque, the main parking lot and roadway were filled by 8:45am on a weekend. We had no choice but to park at the side of the road with the other cars and walk an extra 1km to reach the trailhead. On the return, the line of parked cars extended for another km, past my own.
If you wish to find parking during larch season, I’d recommend getting to the trailhead by 7am (or earlier). Outside of larch season, the trailhead parking will usually have available spots until 9 or 10am
Additional portable bathroom stalls were added to the parking lot, for the influx of visitors.
I would recommend sticking to the regular drop compost toilets, as they are cleaned more regularly and have more space to move around it.
The trails are going to be crowded, especially to the scenic viewpoints. Adjust your expectations and have patience on the trail. Most crowds tend to thin out past the trees and rarely extend past towards the cirque.
I found this to be true during my hike. There was a lot of congestion in the forest and towards the larches, but the crowds disappeared past that.
The further you go, the more likely you will find peace along the trail, even during these hectic times.
I missed larch season here in the PNW so maybe next year I should head up to CAN instead!