Paget Fire Lookout and Paget Peak

Posted on September 24, 2026 by alisendopf — Leave a comment

September 3, 2026

Right before the long weekend, Gail and I took a chance on the weather and headed out to Paget Peak. While it rained all around us, we stayed dry. Gail’s knee is still trashed, but she now has a brace. This was the trial hike.

The Paget Fire Lookout is a classic hike in Yoho National Park. The trailhead is right on the TransCanada Highway, so it gets a lot of attention. At only 7 km return and 500 m of elevation gain, this is a quick win for many tourists travelling through. For local hikers, nabbing the very accessible summit above is a must.

Gear

Hiking boots, poles and regular day pack kit.

Overview

Start hiking from the Sherbrooke Lake trailhead. At the junction, go right (uphill) for Paget Fire Lookout. Hike past the lookout, and start gaining elevation up to the ridge. Hike the ridge to Paget Peak. Return the same way.

Video

Totals – Downloadable Tracks on Gaia, Displayed on Strava

Date: September 3, 2026
Group: Two (Alisen & Gail)
Distance: 10.03 km return
Elevation: 1,000, m (3,300′)
Time: 5 hours 3 minutes (includes lunch and breaks)

The route to the Fire Lookout follows a perfectly graded Mountain Park switchback trail. Above the Lookout is a typical scrambler created straight up grind to the summit. I love them both!

A typical mountain profile. The flat bit at the top is the short ridge hike.

Parking and Trail Head

Parking is at the Sherbrooke Lake parking lot on the north side of the Trans-Canada Highway. The lot is ONLY accessible by westbound traffic.

IMPORTANT: to exit the Sherbrooke Lake lot, traffic must turn right (westbound) towards the village of Field. Turn around and head east further down the highway.

Sometimes the West Louise parking lot is open and accessible. This is the preferable parking lot, and is often plowed in the winter for backcountry skiers. From this parking lot, the trail connects with the main Sherbrooke Lake/Paget Peak trail on the other side of the gate.

The parking lot at Sherbrooke Lake. This view overlooks Wapta Lake, but there is no access as the highway is below. The weather was not looking good for our hike, but decided to go anyway.

Gail at the trailhead. Gail goes out a lot with Pro Photographer Lynn Martel, so she knows what’s expected of her in terms of being a good model. So, she only has herself to blame for these pics 🙂

Main Trail

Once parked, step up and over the barrier. Hike the trail for 1.5 km.

Pass over this gate to get through the animal fence. Our National Parks have several animal overpasses so the herds and carnivores can have free range. They are so high because we get a lot of snow in the winter.

This sign is on the other side of the gate. When the West Lake Louise parking lot is open, hikers/skiers come from the right, and continue on.

At the junction, go right (uphill) for Paget Fire Lookout.

The one and only junction. Sherbrooke Lake is straight ahead.

Paget Lookout and Peak are to the right.

Keep hiking in the trees. When a large rock wall appeared, we knew we were close to the Fire Lookout.

When the trees started to thin, and this rock wall appeared, the Fire Lookout is not much further.

Paget Fire Lookout

Distance to Fire Lookout was about 3.5 km, and just over 500 m elevation gain. Time to summit was about an hour and 10 minutes.

The Paget Fire Lookout was built in 1944, and was in use up until the late 1970s, when it was retired. This is the only remaining fire lookout in Yoho National Park.

Gail used to work at a Fire Lookout, and told me awesome stories. One time, her tower got hit by lightening and knocked out her radio. Unable to reach her, a helicopter showed up to ensure she was okay, and fix her radio. She also had a curious black bear visit her nightly. The waste system at her tower was less than desirable. The waste water would just flow out from the hut, and the bear loved to dig through it, looking for treats.

Gail had to do a lot of maintenance, and had some Forestry Green paint for exterior touch ups. The curious black bear managed to get into the paint, and was soon streaked with green.

First glimpse of the Paget Fire Lookout. We are so lucky that this was preserved because most are now gone.

Inside the Lookout is some history. Gail used a spotter like the one shown in the photo, but hers had a telescope attached.

Gail at the Fire Lookout, sharing stories. Paget Peak is above, but that bump is not the summit.

This poor thing used to be a bench. If you look closely, it is one photo spread over three snowboards. This is a picture of Emerald Lake Lodge with a peak towering above.

Paget Peak Summit

After some snacks and water, we continued up to Paget Peak. The trail was very strong, and gained elevation quickly. There was an option to avoid the rock wall, but where’s the fun in that? Very easy scrambling got us to the top of the ridge.

There was a good trail heading up from the Fire Lookout.

Looking back down. Across is Cathedral Shoulder and Narao Lakes, on the way to Lake O’Hara.

At the start of the scramble section, just below the top of the ridge.

Good, grippy rock. The top of the ridge is just above.

We then hiked the ridge top to the summit of Paget Peak, going past one small downclimb.

The ridge hike is fantastic. The only downfall is it’s way too short.

Looking down onto Sherbrooke Lake. Like true skiers, Gail and I discussed backcountry ski routes on Ogden Shoulder across the way.

The short downclimb on the way to the summit.

Interesting rock formation along the way.

Time to summit was 2 hours and 50 minutes (includes stay at Fire Lookout). Distance was 5 km and ~1,000 m elevation gain.

North end of Sherbrooke Lake. To the right is the ski out of the Wapta Traverse.

Paget Peak Return

After a bit of a summit lounge, and noticing that rain was coming down everywhere but on us, we made our way down. We took a slightly lower route from the summit, and hiked along a bench. There were multiple trails to follow on the descent, and we followed what looked like the easiest. Both Gail and I do not have the best knees, so an easier descent is always better.

Lots of trails on the descent, but this one has a cairn. Cool seeing the clouds through the opening. The clouds were coming in and out as we descended. On the drive back to Canmore, we passed through several rain-soaked areas but we miraculously stayed dry.

Once back at the Fire Lookout, I took some more photos, and we then continued down to the trail head.

Wrap Up

Paget Peak and Fire Lookout are both quick wins for Yoho National Park. The trail was not busy, despite being so close to the highway AND a long weekend. No one but us ventured past the Fire Lookout. An awesome summit to add to your list.

Thanks for reading! You can follow my blog, join my FaceBook page Al’s Adventurers, or follow me on Instagram

Alisen

About alisendopf

I love all things mountains! I live next door to the Canadian Rocky Mountains, however I travel the world to enjoy the many different mountain environments and cultures that I can. I hope you enjoy these trip reports, and that it inspires you to accomplish your own adventure goals.

Tagged with: Adventure, Adventures, Al's Adventurers, Al's Adventurers Facebook Group, Backpacking, Hike, Hiking, Microadventure, mountains, nature, Paget Fire Lookout, Paget Peak, Travel, Yoho National Park
Posted in Adventures, Hiking, Scrambling