Grizzly Should Uptrack

From the Rogers Pass Discovery Centre parking you skin up Connaught Creek on the north bank, then climb the east side of the Grizzly slidepath into mature forest on the shoulder. Expect a well-established highway most days, with multiple parallel tracks and plenty of guided groups using the same line.

The uptrack winds through dense forest on a south-facing rib, with short steeper pitches and awkward kick turns where people have pushed the angle. After traffic and warm temps, the track can turn into a rutted, side-slipping mess that’s hard on skins and ankles. Small avalanches are common in the surrounding treed slopes and slidepaths, and there is significant overhead hazard from the Grizzly slidepath and higher alpine terrain, so manage regroup spots carefully and avoid lingering under open paths.

This whole zone sits inside Glacier National Park’s Winter Restricted Area system and is rated at least Challenging avalanche terrain. You must hold a valid winter permit and check daily WRA status before heading up the shoulder; wardens frequently check permits near the Connaught drainage access. Time your laps around solar input on the south-facing slopes, watching for rapid warming, pinwheeling and storm slabs on convex rolls near treeline.