Saddleback (+Paradise Valley via Sheol Trail)
- lotzacurls
- Oct 25
- 3 min read
* Day hike, loop. Trail mostly signed. Dogs must be leashed.
* Distance: Roughly 16 kms (4-5 hrs total)
* Elevation gain: Roughly 7o0m
* Trailhead: Lake Louise parking lot
Sheol-Paradise Connector - AllTrails (partial description)
We hiked this trail on October 13th, 2025 and it had snowed the night before. The mountain views dusted with snow were absolutely sublime - it never gets old!
Lake Louise has recently started implementing a 36.74$ parking fee (not at the ski hill, but at the château). Despite this tourist-deterrent fee, you’ll still have to keep your cool whilst searching for a spot, even early in the morning on a snowy fall day.
Make sure to purchase a Parks Canada Discovery Pass before coming out. Also, check the Government of Canada Trail Report for possible trail closures and warnings (you are in grizzly territory). Be prepared/equipped for a sudden shift in weather and bring your bear spray.
Today, we will combine four trails on this loop (Saddleback, then Sheol, then Paradise Valley, then a horse trail back to Lake Louise).
TRAIL DESCRIPTION
The Saddleback trail begins right near the parking lots, and is wide and well-maintained. Signs are helpful but sparse. Most of the crowd will go right toward Fairview Lookout; you will go left toward Saddleback.
From the parking lot, you’ll climb steadily through thick forest for about one kilometer before reaching the avalanche path on Fairview’s slopes. (This trail is often closed in the winter due to avalanche risk). At about 2kms, you’ll come to a signed fork in the trail; at right is the steeper but quicker option and at left, the easier trail that offers views of the valley. Both lead to the same place.
When these two trails eventually converge, views open up to the Bow Valley below. The forest thins out and the trail continues to meander upward along the slope, eventually topping off on Saddleback Pass.
Views improve here, below the ‘summit’ of the pass. In the fall, this trail is peppered with old larch trees; this would make a beautiful fall hike.
Saddleback Pass (3.7 kms) is a great spot to have your lunch. What did you bring to eat today? (Let’s face it: hiking is just an excuse to eat good food in spectacular settings). You can spot Mount Temple from here (I have no photos, as it was cloud-covered today). There are also two summits you can reach from the Pass: Saddleback Mountain itself (Saddle Peak, the easiest option) and Fairview Mountain (a steeper and longer option, adding 1.3 kms, and offering spectacular 360 views).
From the pass, the trail to Sheol Valley leads into the forest, to the right of the Grizzly Warning sign (read it carefully). After just a few minutes of downward walking, the views will open up to offer this spectacular vista:
This is by far the best part of the hike. We were both completely unaware of how stunning this section would be! How have I lived here for 22 years and never heard of the Sheol Valley connector trail??!?!
The trail is fairly straightforward and easy to follow; you will be traipsing down this steep valley for the next hour or so. Some sections were overgrown; you'd be scratching your legs on the bushes in summertime. We were in awe of the beautiful views the whole time.
After a 4.1 km descent from Saddleback (via Sheol), your trail joins up with another, along the banks of Paradise Creek. There is a sign indicating that the trail to Annette Lake is to your left; you will take a right to head back towards Lake Louise. You are now on the Paradise Valley trail, and you will follow it for roughly 3.5 kms until an obvious, open and signed junction.
At this junction, turn left onto the horse trail, which heads back to Lake Louise over another 4 kms. (Don’t continue onto the Paradise Valley trail; it leads back to the Moraine Lake Road parking lot, at the Paradise Valley trailhead - a loooong way from your car!)
These last kms were a bit tedious as they are uneventful, in the forest and without views. The horsetrail ascends lightly though the trees, before descending and finally joining up with the Saddleback trail right at the very end (you’ll recognize it). Hug your car when you see it, as you’ve just hiked a good 16 kms!!
And there you have it! See you on the trails!
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