By Rory Diacono
Originally Published – Jun 27, 2023
Overlooking the town of Canmore, on the Massif of Ehagay Nakoda lies Ha Ling Peak, no we’re not in Tibet, it’s yee-haw Alberta! (although the least yee-haw-ey part…)
Ha Ling Peak in Canmore (Bogdan Teodoru 2015)
Standing at 2,407 m (7,897 ft) it’s the northernmost peak of the Massif and sits alongside Miners peak, Mt Lawrence Grassi (the tallest in the Massif) and Ship’s Prow to the south. To access the peak you’ll need to purchase a park pass from the Canmore Nordic centre (or any other pass vendors in the area), after that drive up Three Sisters Pass for 10km to the Ha Ling Peak Trailhead and start the 7.2km out and back trail to the top.
Route to Trailhead via the Nordic Centre
Name Origins
Ha Ling Peak used to go via another name before the turn of the century, The Beehive or “Chinaman’s Peak”. In 1896 A Chinese cook for Canadian Pacific Railway named Ha Ling was bet $50 (an estimated $1803 in today’s money) that he couldn’t summit the peak in less than 10 hours. Accepting the challenge, Ha Ling rose early in the morning, started his ascent and before lunch he had returned back into town empty handed. The flag he took up with him was left at the peak as proof he made it.
People didn’t believe him! So Ha Ling gathered up his doubters and a bigger flag, still quicker then the time limit, the group marched up and reached the top of the mountain. This time you could see the flag from Canmore and for his achievement the peak gained the nickname “Chinaman’s Peak!” Right next to “Whiteman’s Pond” and “the-Italian-that-won’t-stop-talking-about-his-mama’s… mother.”
Up until the 1980s “Chinaman’s Peak” was still just a nickname however it became official that year. This name only lasted for 17 years when it was changed again because of the derogatory term. In 1997 the Peak became one of the first mountains in the west to be named after a non-European, a immigrant cook who astonished his doubters, was renamed “Ha Ling.”
Calligraphy (Kit Au, 2021)
The Hike
On the 23rd of May after a long night of post Sunshine Slush Cup shenanigans, I woke up hungover in the back of my car parked outside the town of Banff. It was a beautiful morning, made better with kitchen sink porridge and a cup of Joe heated by my camp cooker. The porridge had a big heaping of peanut butter, a squashed banana, a pre crushed up muesli bar that I forgot about in my lunch box and a final splash of oat milk from my esky; I threw everything at it… including the kitchen sink.
I was waiting for my friend Declan to meander over so we could drive 20 mins south to Canmore to meet our other friend, Josh, who’s had his eye set on Ha Ling Peak all week.
“huff… I need to do more cardio” – Josh
After getting our park pass and parking up at the trailhead at 10:30am Josh, Declan and I set off up the trail. This was gonna be our first alpine hike of the season and after an hour we were all starting to feel the burn. This happens with every hike, the first part sucks and then you eventually warm up and start feeling great. To keep us occupied we admired the unforested valley behind and how the trees tapered off to reveal the rocky peaks. We also kept an eye on the rain clouds working their way through the valley too, they pushed us onwards so we could avoid the pour.
Goat Creek Valley
When the rain finally hit us it was light, harmless, sluff like snow. At this point we had reached the first large wooden staircase supported by beams and chains. I love things like this, dramatic trail features that break up the monotony of dirt trails and re-engage your interest in the area.
Lower Wooden Staircase
After the stairs we were starting to enter the alpine area, the trees dissipated and the rocks and gravel of Limestone and Slate started to dominate the area. We could see our end goal as well as Miners Peak and Mt Lawrence Grassi in clear view (a challenge for another day). Now the fun begins, the rock scrambling up the mountainside whilst the sleet and wind became stronger. Fortunately, because it’s such a popular hike there was a flattened trail with decent rock stairs marking the way up to the peak making it an easy assent.
Mt Lawrence Grassi in the Distance
Final Climb with Ha Ling in the Distance
Although Declan was only running on Tim Hortons coffee, a bagel and no sleep he powered far ahead of us, eventually rendezvousing with him at the peak. Behind Declan’s sitting rock of choice was a massive drop off, with nothing below for 1000 metres and the outskirts of Canmore on the Bow River. It was a tremendous view even with the clouds and snow in the sky!
The Free Beer Selfie
Like Ha Ling we also completed the hike just before lunchtime, which we spent tucked behind a windbreaker made of rocks and watched a chipmunk scurry around through the nooks and the cracks. We may not have won $1803 that day but we did complete a third of the Georgetown Pub Free Beer Trinity, now all we have to do is come back to Canmore and climb The East end of Rundle and Mt Lady Macdonald (and all the other numinous mountains in the area.)
Alvin, Declan and Canmore, Cloudy Bow Valley, Lunch Rock Wall
Sited Works
Edwards, W.A.D. “Sand an Gravel Deposits in the Canmore Corridor Area, Alberta.” Alberta Geology Survey, 31 Dec. 1979.
“The Dark Side of the Mountain, the History of Ha Ling Peak — a Bear and Bison Inn.” Abearandbisoninn.com, 2021, abearandbisoninn.com/the-dark-side-of-the-mountain-the-history-of-ha-ling-peak/. Accessed 26 June 2023.