Grotto Mountain is a mountain located in the Bow River valley, across from Canmore, Alberta, Canada. It is a popular hiking spot among locals and is home to the Rat's Nest Cave.[1]

Grotto Mountain
Grotto Mountain from Ha Ling Peak, 2005
Highest point
Elevation2,706 m (8,878 ft)[1]
Prominence238 m (781 ft)[2]
Parent peakMount Townsend 2820 m[2]
ListingMountains of Alberta
Coordinates51°05′16″N 115°16′05″W / 51.08778°N 115.26806°W / 51.08778; -115.26806[3]
Geography
Grotto Mountain is located in Alberta
Grotto Mountain
Grotto Mountain
Alberta, Canada
Parent rangeFairholme Range
Topo mapNTS 82O3 Canmore
Climbing
First ascent1858 by Eugène Bourgeau
Easiest routeEasy/Moderate Scramble[4]

The mountain was named for a grotto-like cave within it.[5][1]

The pictographs where the creek first narrows into canyon area warning of FALLING ROCK ! Made ~3000 years ago perhaps by the Hopi tribe, stand under there long enough you will be hit by rock slides as the paintings exhibit broken things and animals ...

There are two main scrambling routes:[4]

  • Northwest Variation - from the ACC clubhouse, ascends the northwest side of the mountain on a good hiking trail. At tree line, the trail narrows to the false summit. From there, it is a gradual ascent to the summit with brief stints of scrambling but mostly hiking.
  • Direct route. Ascends directly under the summit. Shorter but more arduous.

References edit

  1. ^ a b c "Grotto Mountain". cdnrockiesdatabases.ca. Retrieved 2019-08-17.
  2. ^ a b "Grotto Mountain". Bivouac.com. Retrieved 2019-08-17.
  3. ^ "Grotto Mountain". Geographical Names Data Base. Natural Resources Canada. Retrieved 2019-08-17.
  4. ^ a b Kane, Alan (1999). "Grotto Mountain". Scrambles in the Canadian Rockies. Calgary: Rocky Mountain Books. pp. 74–75. ISBN 0-921102-67-4.
  5. ^ Place-names of Alberta. Ottawa: Geographic Board of Canada. 1928. p. 60. Retrieved 2019-08-17.