The trail starts immediately in a forested area. Go left at the first junction, then take a right at the Nihahi Ridge sign. You then navigate through switchbacks until you reach an open meadow and are rewarded with scenic views of the mountains. Continue on this trail which starts heading west. At this point you start ascending a steeper slope, with one area having a roped handrail. A few more stretches of uphill takes you to a scenic viewpoint of the Elbow Valley. This area can get quite windy, but there are trees in which you can take shelter and enjoy a meal. If you are comfortable with scrambling, and walking on an exposed area with loose rocks, you can summit the ridge by hiking another 400 meters.
Directions:
Drive west on Elbow Falls Trail (Hwy 66) for 29 km. (Be aware part of this road is closed from Dec 1 to May 14). Turn left into the access road for Little Elbow Recreation Area. Turn left at the "Trailhead Parking." Walk down the gravel fire road southwest past the Little Elbow Campground Loop C, D & E or take the Little Elbow Trail along the north bank of the river until you reach a gate with a Kiosk which has maps of trails of the area. Continue down this road until you see a sign on the right indicating the trailhead for Nihahi Ridge. There are two locations to access this trail.
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ByPosted By: longleggedhiker
- Sun Jul 11 10:39:00 EDT 2010
UpsideOutstanding views with not a whole lot of effort required
DownsideHigher up on the ridge, there are scree slopes that can get quite steep
CommentThis is an excellent walk located near the Little Elbow Campground that quickly provides the hiker with incredible views. I reccomend that you start early in the day in the heat of summer as you will be hiking right in the open.
ByPosted By: jsab0
- Thu Jul 16 22:59:30 EDT 2009
UpsideIncredible view!
DownsideI didn't quite go all the way to the top due to the extreme wind at the top. It was the kind of wind where you stand hunched over, legs wide apart, and arms out for balance due to fear of being blown off the mountain.
CommentWhile this trail is marked for hiking only on maps, it was a warm Wednesday afternoon in October, and there was absolutely nobody else around, so I biked it. I had the entire trail to myself. While the climb is quite steep, it was still doable on a bike, until you get near the top of the ridge and then it's literally impossible to take a bike any further.
ByPosted By: mikeb
- Sun Jun 14 13:49:42 EDT 2009
Not Rated
Questioni want to print the satellite map of the trail, but there is just a "hand" showing on the map. I can't right-click it to print it. Is there a way to print it, or another site where I can print air photos or satellite views?
ThanksANSWERS are in this forum: HOW DO I PRINT THE GOOGLE SATELLITE VIEW OF THE TRAIL?
ByPosted By: calneffy
- Sat Mar 01 02:19:08 EST 2008
UpsideWow, such an amazing view, seems like you could go forever along the ridge, always a higher summit on the other side of the one you just climb!
DownsideExtremely hard in winter! Avalanche danger on entire east side of ridge. Hard to get on to the ridge during winter.
CommentDid this hike in early February, hiked in from the winter gate at elbow falls and spent the night at the Powderface rd intersection. Hiked Nihahi in the morning, extremely deep snow sometimes up to armpits made for a hard climb but well worth it! Need to come back and do it again in the summer so I can cover more ground on the actual ridge.
ByPosted By: sisabits
- Sun Sep 09 22:25:13 EDT 2007
UpsideGreat views, lots of diversity, kids 3, 5 & 7 yrs made it up to 2200m, just below the ridge.
DownsideSome very steep parts and slippery.
CommentLove this area, great day hike as not too far drive from west Calgary.
ByPosted By: Hermanater
- Mon Jun 04 17:12:33 EDT 2007
UpsideNice hike...great views... nicely marked trails.... Our 13 year old liked it a lot
DownsideToo many people. The lightning, rain and hailstorm that started 20 minutes after we reached the top.
CommentEnjoyed. would like to hike it again someday.
ByPosted By: Bretan
- Mon Jul 31 11:48:48 EDT 2006
UpsideA rather quick hike to get up above the treeline onto the ridge. The meadow below the ridge is very scenic.
DownsideDay hikers won't want to go much farther than the first scree slope. The ridge itself is a pretty fun scramble.
CommentGreat hike, you can make it as long as you want by traversing the ridge (It's 9km of ridge) or go on a nice 3 hour hike to the first summit and back.
ByPosted By: sdecarie
- Sat Jul 08 22:44:46 EDT 2006
UpsideIt has some great view, plus you could elect to make this a very extended walk along to the complete ridge.
DownsideThere are places that aren't great walking, it can be steep and there is scree to cross. It's almost 500 meters of elevation to the start of ridge.
CommentIt's a decent hike with great scenery. There are pathes along most of the ridge, one can scramble in places but it's not essential
Posted By: longleggedhiker
Posted By: jsab0
Posted By: sisabits
Posted By: Hermanater
Posted By: Bretan
Posted By: sdecarie
