Alberta trails · Compression Ridge Route

Compression Ridge Route

A 9.0-mile out-and-back in Alberta, with 2,768 ft of climbing. Reaches Compression Ridge.

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Length

9.0 mi

Elevation gain

2,768 ft

Difficulty

Expert

Max grade

60%

Steepest mile

+1,694 ft

Tread at ≥10% grade

4.5 mi

Shape

out-and-back

Elevation profile

The climbing leans toward the middle third: 48% of the ascent falls between mile 3.0 and mile 6.0. It gives back about 3,304 ft along the way, so it rolls rather than climbing steadily.

3-D terrain

NRCAN MRDEM ELEVATION × ESRI WORLD IMAGERY · VERTICAL ×1.5

Reaches

Compression Ridge (summit)

Heads up

Stream ford: expect at least one unbridged crossing.

Sections reported faint or hard to follow — carry a map or download this area offline.

Getting there

Ford Creek access. 50.87902, -114.89114 · directions

Daylight at the trailhead

On October 14, 2026 — the day this page was generated — first light reaches this trailhead at 7:27 a.m., the sun rises at 8:00 a.m. and sets at 6:49 p.m., and the last usable light fades about 7:22 p.m. (MDT) — 10 h 49 min of daylight. At about 2.7 mph plus 30 minutes per 1,000 feet of climbing, the 17.9-mile round trip takes roughly 9 h 25 min, so leaving the trailhead at sunrise puts you back around 5:25 p.m. — 1 h 24 min before sunset.