Three Isle Peak (+ Surprise Stn & SKPP)

A number of years ago, while flipping through Dave Jones’ Rockies South book I came across a peak that instantly went on the “sooner than later” list. He briefly described a class 2 route to an unofficial summit high above Three Isle Lake on the BC/AB border. This is such a scenic area that having any excuse to go back was worth it - and a class 2 route sounded perfect for a casual day hike. What could possibly go wrong?

In early September 2020, Jake and Holly had the same thought about the peak as I did and beat me to it. Unfortunately, Jake reported back that there was no class 2 route and the route was very likely class 4! Dang it Jones, what’s with the sandbagging? (I partially jest, but I have previous experience with routes of his that are much harder than forecast. Since Jones is relying on others’ ratings I give him a pass on routes that look easy on a map.) With a rating of 4th or even 5th class the peak dropped down my radar and sat there gathering dust.

Then, as often happens, Andrew Nugara attempted the same mountain in August last year with Doug Robson. Although he and Doug did manage to tag the summit of Surprise Station - located along the approach ridge to Three Isle - they did not continue along the ridge. They reported 3rd and 4th class sections and once again more beta didn’t inspire me. I did note that I could take an easy rubble valley to the Putnik / Surprise Stn col and ascend to the Surprise Stn / Three Isle col on easy terrain. Nugara and Robson used that slope for their descent route. This would avoid most of the ridge, but not the bits that mattered.

Earlier this year everything was resolved. Devan Peterson scrambled the entire route. When I texted him for details, his response was that the route was no more than 3rd class. I pushed him a bit and he insisted it really wasn’t nearly as hard as advertised. I trust Devan’s ratings and have followed many of his trips over the years, so little ol’ Three Isle Peak rocketed back up the dang list. With smoke in the forecast I wasn’t keen on bigger objectives so on August 28 2026 I decided it was time to drive out to the Kananaskis Lakes and go for a nice long hike to a favorite area of mine.

I’ve done the trail from the Interlakes parking lot many times over the years, and I’ve learned that despite only allowing bikes on the first 4 kms it’s worth cycling it. 8 kms biking vs. walking makes a big difference at the end of the day. As I left the parking lot under a cool morning sky I didn’t realize that I wasn’t going quite as far as expected on the 2-wheel steed today. 🚵

As I cycled across annoying rubble and shale slopes under the south slopes of Mount Indefatigable, I spotted yellow tape across the trail right at the Point intersection. As I approached there were multiple signs blocking the trail ahead. Uh oh. And then I remembered that a key bridge along the Three Isle Trail had washed away earlier this year and had closed the trail ahead. CRAP. I also recalled that there was a temporary by-pass trail set up to allow access into the area using the Kananaskis Lake Trail to cross the river near The Point campground. The signs confirmed it. My ride was over, I was hiking from just over 2 kms from the parking lot today.

I locked my bike to a nearby tree and fumbled with my poles before realizing that another lemon was biting me today. One of my BD z-poles was busted - literally broken in half somehow. WTF?! Apparently it was going to be “one of those days”. 🙁 I wasn’t out here to sulk about my life so I shrugged, grabbed my one remaining hiking pole and started off down the trail towards The Point. The morning was gorgeously cool and the smoke wasn’t nearly as bad as predicted, so I wasn’t losing at everything today.

After a few kilometers of easy hiking I came to The Point CG and turned towards the bridge over the Kananaskis River. I had to smile at the “no biking past this point” sign. The trail is so rough from the Three Isle Trail that there is very little point riding it all the way here.

After crossing the Kananaskis River I immediately came upon signs and ribbons pointing up river to the newly cut by-pass trail. I had no idea what to expect from a “temporary” trail, but it far surpassed all expectations. Winding its way first along river flats and then through deep forest, there is no way that this trail was brand new. Seeing old blazes and cuts along the way confirmed my suspicions that this was likely the original Three Isle Trail. Whatever the case, I loved it. I ran into my first backpackers of the day at the junction with the Three Isle Trail and continued on to The Forks campground just ahead.

I passed a busy Forks CG within 2 hours of the parking lot and continued marching along. As usual in this area, the birds were happy, the trees were happy and I was happy. I was long past the frustrated feelings earlier in the day. It’s been a while since I ascended the Three Isle headwall, I don’t even remember the last time I was here. It all went easy and quick and soon I was approaching the first campground at the lake.

I walked through the backcountry site before turning up a shallow draw past the biffy - surprised to be following an obvious trail. Soon the trail ran out and from here I started up a light bushwhack leading to the SE end of my ascent ridge. Within a few minutes I popped out of the trees and started up the most interesting few hours of my day.

As soon as I started gaining height on the lower SE ridge I started to miss my 2nd hiking pole. I use my poles for more than just balance, they help greatly on ascent and of course take a ton of weight off my poor knees on descent. I was here now, there wasn’t much to do but continue up. Turning around on the lower ridge I was surprised by how much height I’d already gained and by the views opening up behind me to Northover Mountain.

The next few hours were pure fun scrambling. The ridge started out wide ‘n easy but eventually it narrowed and grew more interesting.

While it was certainly the case that you wouldn’t want to slip in many places along the ridge, why would you slip? For the most part it was a nice wide sidewalk. So far I was enjoying the heck outta this route.

A downclimb along the ridge was the first bit of true SC6 terrain that I encountered. The first cairned high point is likely most hikers’ turnaround as it’s well before Surprise Station. Already before this point I was treated to some exposed hiking and easy scrambling that would certainly be intimidating for anyone expecting nothing more than a “class 2 hike”.

I immediately recognized the crux slab wall that Nugara and Robson encountered but found it very straightforward (SC6) once I started up it. Rather than tackle it directly I simply did a “zig” to my left and then a “zag” back to the right near the top making everything feel very reasonable. My sticky alpine runners certainly assisted here and in many places along the ridge.

As I stepped onto the summit of Surprise Station I was blown away by the views and surprised I was already there - the route was easier than expected. I want to be very careful that I don’t sandbag this scramble after doing some intense route finding and terrain on the big, remote Icefall Mountain a week previous. There is a tendency to undersell difficult terrain when you spend a summer acclimatizing to it but even with all the exposure to the summit of Surprise Station I stand behind Devan’s rating of “3rd class”.

It’s a common misconception among hikers and scramblers that exposure dictates alpine rating. It does not. In climbing and mountaineering, exposure does not change a technical alpine rating because grades are designed to measure physical and technical difficulty, not psychological difficulty or risk. Technical components of alpine ratings (such as the Yosemite Decimal System or specific UIAA rock/ice sub-grades) strictly measure the physical skills, muscle power, and technique required to ascend.

A flat, two-foot-wide sidewalk is physically effortless to walk across on the ground. If you place that exact same sidewalk on a knife-edge ridge with a 3,000-foot drop on both sides, the physical movement remains exactly the same. Therefore, its technical difficulty does not change. This is why it’s very important to read a route’s description before committing to it based purely on its technical rating. Hence my “exposed 3rd class” rating. The physical moves on the route are no more than SC6 or SC6+ but I’m rating it as “SC7” just to ensure folks take it seriously.

I didn’t linger on the summit of my first peak - the wind was cool and I wanted to keep moving. My single hiking pole continued to feel inadequate as I descended more moderate terrain, continuing along the ridge towards a still distant looking Three Isle Peak.

The next difficulty along the ridge was a strange dirt and shale rib that I confidently started down before humming and hawing and backing off. A fall wouldn’t kill here but it would certainly be painful! Nugara mentions the same section and they solved it the same way I did. I backed up a few feet and turned down the west side of the rib on semi-exposed and very loose terrain. It was relatively short but a slip here is ill advised. From here I soon arrived at the Surprise Stn / Three Isle Peak col.

Nothing looked too rough from the col so I immediately started up towards my next objective. Again, traversing the terrain and taking the easiest lines was no more than SC6.

Despite appearances the scrambling stayed reasonable to a small cairn perched at a high point along the ridge.

Looking at my GPS I realized that the labeled summit of Three Isle was a wee bit further along the ridge. It didn’t look higher but was so close I wandered over. When I got home this second high point measured 1 or 2 meters higher than the first one despite appearances. Whatever. They are close enough that a short traverse shouldn’t scare anyone off.

I reversed my steps back to the first small cairn and took stock of my day so far. I felt pretty darn good about things and was back to thinking I might add one more peak to my day.

Originally I was planning to try SKPP and Offender (following Nugara’s route) but it was obvious that I wouldn’t have the daylight to do both. Future decision point. I had to get down this thing first. The descent back to the col went quick and soon I was swearing my lack of a 2nd pole to the Putnik col far below.

The terrain wasn’t exactly difficult but it was a giant PITA balancing my way down shale, hard scree and ribs in runners with only a single pole. The views north from the col were stunning.

I wasn’t sure how fast the terrain from the Putnik col back to the lower SE ridge would be but it was all easy, quick and scenic. Because I was now planning to add SKPP to my day, I had to ensure I didn’t take longer than necessary to return to the lake. Within an hour of the summit I was traversing back around the lower SE ridge and tramping my way back through the first Three Isle Lake campground.

With daylight now a serious consideration (it was 1430 hours), I didn’t dilly-dally as I started towards South Kananaskis Pass. Was I really feeling it? No, not really. So why was I doing it? Good question… ❓

In the end I think I added another peak and many more hours and kilometers to my day because I sensed that the summer was ending way too fast for my mental health this year. The numbers of peaks don’t matter but despite getting out on some wonderful adventures in 2026, the year hasn’t been ideal for scrambling. It started late and seems to be ending early. As I type this report in early September the weather is cold and wet and the big peaks are gathering their winter coats already.

It took me only 40 minutes to hike from the first campground, past the second one and up to South Kanasksis Pass. From the pass the peak looked a lot easier and closer than it proved to be.

I was tired but the landscape over the pass was gorgeous as I slowly made my way up steep grassy slopes under the first false summit. Once again I found myself swearing at the lack of a 2nd pole.

Overall the route was easy but had more scrambling and even route finding than I was expecting. It could be that I was simply tired but there were some cliffs and terrain that I felt I had to avoid to keep things within the realm of hiking.

I managed to bypass the first false summit and continued over the next before crossing a few snow patches and ascending steeply to the multi-cairned summit of SKPP. Early evening haze and smoke distracted somewhat from the views but they were still respectable.

I didn’t linger at the summit of my last peak. It was now 1630 and I knew that I’d be pushing against the dark on exit.

I descended back to the slopes guarding the false summit, taking in the views over Three Isle Lake before dropping back onto grass and flowers to the pass.

From South Kananaskis Pass it was one foot in front of the other for 3 hours of speedy hiking. It’s always interesting hiking through campgrounds as people are prepping for the night, knowing that you’re going to exit today yet.

As I hiked the long kilometers back to my bike I kept thinking the next group of backpackers had to be the last ones I’d run into but they kept coming! Some of them were going to be setting up in the dark, that was for sure. I enjoyed the temporary trail even more on return - they should keep it open permanently IMHO.

I returned to my bike at 2030 with just enough time to beat total darkness to the parking lot. Annoyingly some creature chewed through my little gear bag that’s mounted on my bike but thankfully they didn’t chew anything else! 🤬🐿️

I highly recommend this outing for anyone comfortable on exposed terrain. It’s not a short day and reminded me somewhat of Mount Castelnau - just a harder rating and many more folks on the Kananaskis trails than up at the Petain Basin. The good news for the general scrambling community is that it’s definitely within the realm of our craft and I would argue comfortably so.