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Brokeback Mountain
I don't know how widely known it is that the movie Brokeback Mountain was filmed mostly in the Kananaskis region of Alberta. Here is some info on the sites featured in the film as best I could discover it! There is no Brokeback mountain and the mountain featured in the film is actually a composite of Moose Mountain and the Three Sisters. For anyone interested in visiting some of the locations that were featured in the movie I've created references below to some of the hikes that we have done over the years in those locations. The sheep herding and grazing area encompasses Moose Mountain and Canyon Creek. Note that the thumbnail for the Moose Mountain hike in 2000 is taken from a different angle as the actual movie photo above but you should be able to make out that the ridge is the same!
The Moose Mountain hike has been done a number of times over the years, see the references below, as well as Prairie Mountain to the south and the Jumping Pound Mountain and Coxhill ridge traverse. In fact, Coxhill was the first trail I did after getting my digital camera in the spring of 2000! Many scenes were filmed in Burstall - Chester lake area, as well as near and around Elbow falls (there may be scenes from around or near Nihahi Ridge), Kananaskis Lakes and also King Creek which is just east of the Lakes! The cliff jumping scene was on Indian land in a secret location. Probably the Bow River. Brave souls because that water is always damn cold! |
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 The Moose Mountain area Map |
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Below are links to some of the hikes we have taken in the Moose Mountain area In 2002 we did Moose Mountain in October, but there was a lot of snow and we did not attempt the summit. |
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Coxhill Ridge - 2000 |
Moose Mountain - 2000 |
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Prairie Mountain - 2001 |
Jumping Pound Mountain - 2003 |
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Jumping Pound Coxhill Ridge Traverse - 2003 |
Moose Mountain - 2003 |
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 The Kananaskis Lakes Area Map |
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As far as I can determine, the "fishing" expeditions ended with scenes taken from the North Interlakes parking lot at the Upper Kananaskis Lake. This is also the trailhead for the Mount Indefatigable hike. The thumbnail for this shows the parking lot in the lower left and you should be able to see the island that was also visible in the movie shots.
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Mount Indefatigable - 2000 |
Mount Indefatigable - 2002 |
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The scene of the Grizzly Bear
encounter was shot along King Creek. 
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King Creek Ridge - 2000 |
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The bridge where Ennis picks up
supplies was along the Galetea trail (to Lillian Lake, the Galetea Lakes or Guinns Pass). 
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Guinn's Pass - 2003 |
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 The Burstall - Chester Area Map |
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Campfire scenes were shot at Mud Lake or along Burstall Creek with Mount Chester seen in the background. Burstall Pass is one of our favourite hikes, along with Chester Lake (and Headwall to the south of Chester). Chester is the easiest hike to do (even if you include the Elephant rocks) and Burstall is maybe the prettiest with the views over the continental divide towards Lyman Lake, but wait until after mid-July or you may find the pass snowbound. Headwall is also a beautiful area but the trail is more rugged. All three trail heads are within metres of each other (Chester and Headwall from the same parking lot and Burstall just across the road!) |
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Burstall Pass - 2000 |
Burstall Pass - 2003 |
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Chester Lake - 2002 |
Headwall Lake - 2003 |
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 The Three Sisters Area Map |
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Finally we have the Three Sisters area. This mountain, with its three distinctive peaks (the sisters) was used as a composite with Moose Mountain as the mountain representing Brokeback Mountain. The best hike I have getting close to the sisters is the Wind Ridge hike. Although not a popular hike, I really like this one and you can often see the Rocky Mountain sheep on the mountain side. From the ridge, the three sisters loom large. From the opposite (north) side of the Bow Valley, is the Lady Macdonald hike which also provides nice views of the three sisters. |
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Wind Ridge - 2002 |
Lady Macdonald - 2003 |
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