Evan-Thomas & Wedge Pond XC Ski Trail

When there has been recent snowfall, then consider a trip to the Evan-Thomas section of cross-country ski trails in the Kananaskis. These XC ski trails offer wonderful views and a fun day out XC skiing, though beware that some parts melt very easily, particularly along the summer bike path.

From the Evan-Thomas Day Use area, head out at the far end of the parking lot, heading SW and then SE on a clear trail that soon roughly parallels Evan-Thomas Creek, though you can’t see the creek yet.

After roughly 1.1mi the trail goes right, and you enter a wide floodplain of Evan-Thomas Creek, and there are wonderful views here.

Re-enter the trees on the other side of the creek and follow the ski trail for roughly 1.4mi, until you reach a junction with the trail to Wedge Pond. We recommend continuing straight here and exploring Wedge Pond, as it has very nice views, especially if you descend to the edge of Wedge Pond. The round-trip distance to Wedge Pond and back is about 1.2mi.

Retrace your trail from Wedge Pond back to the junction and now go left, soon coming down to Highway 40 (Kananaskis Trail). Take your skis off and you will have to carefully cross the highway. Cars aren’t expecting pedestrians here, so be careful, especially if it’s slippery out.

Once on the other side of the highway, you are now often on a paved summer cycle trail, so the sun can melt the snow on this route quite quickly, so the route can be a little bare here. You also need to cross several roads along the way; always being wary as cars do not expect pedestrians. Continue along the XC Ski trail as it heads to the edge of the Mount Kidd RV Park.

From Mount Kidd, continue on the trail for 1.1mi as it roughly parallels the highway, until you reach the Kananaskis Golf Course. We turned around here, and retraced our steps for roughly 2625ft, until we came back to the highway, where we crossed and walked the 328ft to the Evan-Thomas car park.