HWY-774 Construction
While construction on HWY-774 is certainly not what it is last year, when the remaining 11 km of gravel road was being paved, construction crews are working alongside HWY-774 near the Castle Provincial Park boundary. Please be courteous of construction crews and observe all speed reductions / construction related signage. Delays should be minimal.
Ticket Purchase / Pass Pickup
We suggest making Castle Mountain Resort Guest Services, located on the lower level of our day lodge, your first stop upon arrival. Our team can point you in the right direction, equip you with a schedule of all our events / experiences, and get you set up with meal tickets or scenic chairlift ride tickets. For those who pre-purchased Huckleberry Festival all-access passes, they can be picked up at Guest Services as well. Guest Services hours for the weekend are as follows:
- Friday – 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM
- After hours camping check-in through the T-Bar Pub
- Saturday – 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM
- Should any additional Pig Roast tickets remain available, for Saturday night, they can be purchased upstairs starting at 5 PM
- Sunday – 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM
Schedule of Events
You can get a handle on all of the events (and more) over the weekend by visiting the Huckleberry Festival portion of our website, by downloading a PDF version of our schedule, or by picking up a paper schedule on site at Guest Services.
Recognizing Our Team Members
Our staff and volunteers will be ridiculously easy to recognize, in their “extreme orange”, Castle / Huckleberry Festival branded shirts (great smile Hamish!). Don’t hesitate to ask any of our orange shirts a question while you’re here. They’ll be sure to steer you in the right direction.
Hiking Trails
Most of Castle’s hiking trails are exceptionally well marked. Exceptions are the Haig Ridge trail above the Huckleberry Chairlift (which simply runs the length of the ridge) and the trail to Gravenstafel Peak (follows a summer access road to the summit). Keep a sharp eye for hiking markers (orange hiker disc on rebar posts) and be sure to grab a trail guide, if you’re not familiar with the area. In addition, you can download the Trailforks App (click here), where all of our trails are uploaded (compatible with Apple and Android products).
For more information on our trail network, before you arrive, visit our hiking page (click here).
Riding the Chairlift
The Huckleberry Chairlift will upload guests on both Saturday and Sunday. Downloading on the lift is also possible but, due to the design of our triple chair, 1 out of every 5 chairs can be loaded with guests on the way down. This means that wait times at the summit, for downloading, can be a bit lengthy (30 minutes +).
There are washroom facilities at the Huckleberry summit as well as refreshments being available (bottled non-alcoholic beverages, snacks) to help you out if you’re feeling snacky or you really just need to, you know, go! Not down with waiting? Take the Haig Ridge trail downward to where it connects with Haig Lake South trail, and follow it all the way to the base. We’ll have an abundance of summer trail maps on hand or you can click here.
A friendly reminder that infants, necessitating a child carrier, are not permitted on the chairlift. Children and adults are able to ride the chair but pets and bicycles are not permitted on the lift.
Preparing For Mountain Weather
While Saturday is currently looking like an absolutely amazing day, with forecasted valley temperatures into the mid-twenties, morning temps can be cooler (single digits) and weather in our alpine environment much different than what’s found in the main festival area (village). We encourage everyone to tote along a small day pack with essentials such as water, snacks, sunscreen, and an extra layer or two. While not everyone may be looking for a big hike, wearing sturdy footwear such as hiking boots or trail runners can help you make the most of your day and take you to some of the places others just don’t dare venture to!
You’re In Bear Country
While you will be surrounded by friends, family, and soon-to-be friends, you’re still in bear country and hiking in the back country. We would like to suggest that you travel in groups, make lots of noise (talking loudly), and carry bear spray. Bear encounters are rare and extremely unlikely at an event of this size. Still, it’s better safe than sorry and bear spray will be available for purchase at Castle Mountain Resort Guest Services, throughout the weekend. Any bear encounters should be reported to any staff or volunteers, who will be easily identifiable by their extreme orange Huckleberry shirts. For more on being Bear Smart, follow the link to best practices as indicated by Alberta Environment and Parks.
Let’s all be great environmental stewards this weekend. Garbage of any sort, even the peel from your fruit, doesn’t belong in the Castle. Leaving even a trace of food can lead to the wild animals becoming accustomed to human food. Our carelessness can lead to the relocation or even the death of a wild animal; not cool if you ask us.
Garbage receptacles and recycling bins can be found throughout the base area as well as at the summit of Huckleberry Chair. Pack out your trash until you reach one of these locations please! Remember, this pristine mountain environment is the home of the animals. We are only guests.
