Mount Sparrowhawk 10

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Mount Sparrowhawk III
  • Location: Kananaskis Country (Highway 742)
  • Activity: Scrambling
  • Height: 3,121 m (10,240 ft)
  • Elevation Gain: 1,415 m (4,643 ft)
  • Distance: 10.0 km / Round Trip (6.2 mi)
  • Avg Steepness: 15.8°
  • Estimated Time: 6-9 hrs
  • Technicality: Advanced
  • Fitness Level: Hard
It was mandatory attendance to a COC event to Mount Sparrowhawk. Wil was coordinating the event and he texted me that he needed a driver… So for the third time, I summited Sparrowhawk. I have to say I like Sparrow. It’s defiantly my top 20 peaks for me and since I have done it 3 times in 3 years in a row in 3 different seasons, now I have to go back to Sparrow in 2011 in winter to complete Sparrowhawk 4 seasons in 4 years in a row.

We parked our cars at Sparrowhawk day use area. Trail starts the other side of the road right behind highway sign. We followed the trail all the way above treeline then followed a ridge to Read’s Tower. Once at the Read’s cliff, we ascended little steeper rubble slope along the cliff for a while. Where the cliff ended now we faced a wide open long long rubble slope all the way up to the summit block. Aim right side (south) of summit block. The route to the summit is behind it and it’s just a steep scree slope.

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I always like the view of Spray Lakes from here.

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Read's Tower.

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Lovely rubble to go up forever and ever.

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Weather for this long weekend was not too nice. This day was the best of all 3 days. Little cold and windy at top, but much better than previous 2 days.

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Route-finding was so difficult. Mouseover for line.

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Can't help taking picture of Assiniboine.

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At the col. Love the look of cliff and drop.

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Going up more rubble to the summit.

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The last part, behind of the summit block is steep but as long as it's dry it's still easy scramble.

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I have been here three times now, but I only realized how far I can see from this summit. I could see Temple and Goodsir. But but but once gain I saw no bikini girls at the lake shore...

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I think there were 4 parties including us, but 3 of them came to the summit at the same time even though we started different times.

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In my opinion, view from Sparrow is the best view of Mount Lougheed.

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Semi-Earth shot. What a drop.

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Wil and I decided to have fun with Sparrow's ridge.

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Sparrow is certainly one of my favorites.

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According to Wil this is where an experienced scrambler was killed by rockfall.

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I will come back in winter. That is one of my next year's goal.

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