Photo: Dwayne Reilander
Kananaskis without a doubt has some of the most beautiful beautiful mountain scenery that Alberta has to offer. With seasonal road closures on certain routes, it provides cyclists the opportunity to ride some amazing routes, without having to deal with highway traffic. In this case Sheep River Falls is a great ride that can be enjoyed without the interference of cars before May 15th. This provides the opportunity to experience everything from Bighorn Sheep, deer, the odd bear, and the a beautiful set of falls.
Being Alberta, just be aware and prepared, as people often joke about snowstorms in May (May Long weekend in particular), so it is possible you can get snow even after the road opens. Also note that in areas of this ride, you are likely to be out of cell phone coverage, so be prepared in terms of riding gear, just in case the weather turns, you aren’t out there without a jacket, and first aid supplies aren’t a bad idea either.
This is an out and back ride, as the road will loop back on itself at the top of the climb, so it is a very straight forward in terms of navigation. So you really have two options, start at the winter gate, or for a longer ride start in Diamond Valley (Tuner Valley). Turner Valley and Black Diamond into Diamond Valley in 2022, maps at this time still show the town as it’s older names, and even at the time of writing this, much of the road signage still refers to the old town names, so just be aware at some pint there may be changes on things such as google maps.
Ultimately this route travels along Highway 546, with 18 kilometers (36 kilometers return) of the road closed until May 15th. For a little more of a challenge leaving from Diamond Valley (Turner Valley) the route is a total of 77.86 kilometers, with a total of 825 meters of elevation. Public parking is available near the Diamond Valley Public Campground, as well as the Sheep River Library. Just be aware that when the pool opens for the summer, you may have to find street parking.
Elevation Map Diamond Valley (Tuner Valley) to Sheep River Summit
Getting onto the route is as simple as heading down main street and turning west on to Sunset Boulevard when you hit the big four way stop. Then it is simply follow the road, and as you leave town it turns into Highway 546.
It is also important to note that especially when the road is closed, that there can be a fair amount of wild life from goats to bears. Just be aware, and keep a respectful distance for any wild life. Just know on the descent that it isn’t uncommon for a pack of sheep to congregate on the road, so be aware on your descents. Bears are also frequent enough that groups will also pack some bear spray just in case.
Finally even after the gates open you can do this route, but just be known that the shoulder has seen better days in sections of this climb, and I for one would want to avoid descending in the shoulder. Ultimately nothing beats a great day of riding in the mountains. You can download the GPS data over on Kamoot, and if you do this ride please do share your experience, photos and video links in the comments below!