Bataan Rock Climbing

Access is changing for Bataan - do not take the old trail through the mine disposition!

There are two ways to access Bataan. 

1. Echo Parking: Park down below the Alpine Club of Canada and follow the trail for Echo canyon until the faint offshoot after about 30 minutes. As of May 2025, this turn is marked by a CASA sandwich board sign. If you make it to the Echo Canyon / Notch sign, you've gone too far. Follow the offshoot until you reach a faint turn off to the left marked by a poor quality cairn and maybe some pink flagging tape, go left when the trail merges with the old Bataan trail. Expect ~70 minutes to First Cave

2. Bataan Parking: Park in the small pull out (51.070191950155206, -115.29722065012436) 2.25 km from where the Canmore West-bound Trans-Canada exit turns left onto the 1A. 

Pick up the trail on the NW side of the parking area. After a few minutes the trail merges onto an old road (double track trails in the grass) along a plateau. Take the left branch when you come to the fork. From here, hug right and watch for a faint animal that branches towards Bataan from the main trail, as the main trail heads towards Canmore. Follow the path of least resistance (very faint game trails) until you hit a bike trail. Turn left and walk for about 20m, again watching for a game trail on your right, marked by a piece of pink flagging tape. Follow the path of least resistance again until you intersect another bike trail, go left again, this time for maybe 40 m until you have a clear view of a dirt slope. Pick your way up the dirt slope on extra faint game trails and aim for the tree above the broken rock border on the left of the slope. Head above this tree and continue left, picking up a less faint game trail that weaves up to the bench. Once on the bench, turn right and then walk a few meters to a faint trail on your left, marked by a poor quality cairn and maybe some pink flagging tape. Go left when the trail merges with the old Bataan trail. Expect ~60 minutes to First Cave if you manage the goat trail adventure well. 

Once you're at First Cave, you can continue up the trail to your choice destination - expect another ~30 minutes to get to the Eyes. Depending on your psyche, this either doesn't count as approach time (you're just walking along the climbs now), or the Cave marks halfway.