Hike Nihahi Ridge

This year on the summer solstice, I was invited to go up Nihahi Ridge to celebrate. It's in one of my personal most underrated areas of the Rockies just west of Bragg Creek, and it's a popular objective, but less so during the evening. The trail begins once you park your car at the Little Elbow parking lot. 

Follow the campground road for around 1.5 km and you'll come across the fork to continue up Nihahi Ridge to the north. Once again, it's only elevation gain at this point, so take your time if you need to - the mountain isn't going anywhere. 

While the beginning starts off a bit like a slog, there are some really nice parts about the trail up Nihahi Ridge. Quite often it'll open up to a vast meadow and a grand vista of the Rockies to the west. While there is some elevation gain, the trail isn't too taxing either, so it leaves you with a lot of energy to enjoy the company you're with.

The trail kind of braids at certain points - my philosophy is to always take the high road, but it's your call! There's some loose scree/mostly dirt that's a bit tricky to keep your footing (especially going down), but it's only for a short bit. 

After the loose scree, you'll be on the ridge proper which you'll follow all the way up to the ridge plateau. There's a bit of scrambling to get up on the ridge, but it's very manageable even when you need to downclimb. After the scrambling, even though you already had a taste of the views that await for you, it's hard not to have your breath taken away. Particularly when the sun is going down and you're kicking off the start to another wonderful summer. 

The way back down is the way you came up! Make sure to have your headlamp with you!