KANANASKIS COUNTRY - Canadian Rockies: Including Banff and Jasper National Parks - page 230

monstration Forest, 18 kilometers (11.2 miles) from the highway. The forest is circled by
a 10-kilometer (6.2-mile) driving tour, with signs identifying species in the surrounding
forest. It also passes a portable sawmill, a small picnic area, and a wetland. Meanwhile,
Highway 68 continues westward, passing a turnoff to Sibbald Lake, the Ole Buck Loop
and Deer Ridge Circuit Trails, a picnic area, and a campground. It then crosses a low di-
vide (look for impressive beaver ponds on the south side of the road) and descends through
a narrow valley to Highway 40, the main route through Kananaskis Country. The only oth-
er road in Sibbald is the 35-kilometer (22-mile) Powderface Trail, a rough, unsealed road
(usually passable by two-wheel drive) that leads south from west of Sibbald Lake to High-
way 66 through the Elbow River Valley.
Fishing is a popular activity in Sibbald. Sibbald Lake is stocked with rainbow trout and
gets busy. To the west, Sibbald Meadows Pond is a quieter body of water, also stocked
with fish and surrounded by reeds.
HIKING
Ole Buck Loop
• Length: 4.4 kilometers/2.7 miles (90 minutes) round-trip
• Elevation gain: 170 meters/560 feet
• Rating: easy/moderate
• Trailhead: Sibbald Lake day-use area
This trail makes a loop around the south-facing slopes of Ole Buck Mountain, which rises
to the northeast of Sibbald Lake. From the Sibbald Forestry Exhibit, follow a trail between
the lake and campground for one kilometer (0.6 mile). The Ole Buck Loop Trail branches
to the left at this point, crossing Bateman Creek, from where the 2.4-kilometer (1.5-mile)
loop begins. Views from high points along the trail extend south to Moose Mountain.
Deer Ridge Circuit
• Length: 6 kilometers/3.7 miles (2 hours) round-trip
• Elevation gain: 210 meters/690 feet
• Rating: easy/moderate
• Trailhead: Sibbald Lake day-use area
Take the trail south, following the access road for 150 meters (0.1 mile), then skirt the
south shore of Moose Pond to a trail junction. The left fork is the Eagle Hill Trail, while
the trail to the right climbs steadily up Deer Ridge. A short spur from the ridge leads to a