Grassi Lakes in Canmore is Open Again

Alberta Parks has switched the status of access to Grassi Lakes in Canmore from being closed to open, which means after a year of closure climbers will once again be able to go rock climbing there.

Al Black, who works with the Climbers’ Access Society of Alberta, shared the news on social media, saying, “Great news, and it seems like its been a long time coming! Alberta Parks had indicated a few weeks ago that Grassi Lakes and the surrounding area might be open for climbing earlier than mid-summer. Construction is finished, and Grassi Lakes area is open now.”

The lower and upper trails that are used to access the steep limestone cliffs and two aquamarine lakes were closed due to construction on the surrounding parking lots. Along with Grassi Lakes, the rock climbing on Ha Ling and EEOR is now open again. You’ll need a Kananaskis Conservation Pass to park, which you can buy here.

Grassi Lakes has some of the best 5.10 and 5.11 sport routes close to Canmore. There are dozens of high-quality pocket lines that often get a little greasy on hot summer days. This is also one of the Rockies’ busiest hiking areas, so climbers should be aware that people will be walking below them. Parking and route info can be found on Mountain Project here.