Loder Peak 302616 via Door Jamb Scramble on 13-May-2026

Participants: Leslie, Jeannette, David, Kevin, Jane, Eszter, Cristina

Scramble Mount Loder

In mid-May, a number of Ramblers decided to hike up Loder Peak via Door Jamb Mountain. This peak is located along the 1A highway, just east of the town of Exshaw. Loder is a good early season hike because it is south-facing and often dries off more quickly than other mountains in the area. The rocky slabs on the trip offer good traction, and the route as a whole has great views of the Bow Valley.

Numerous weather reports for the day had been quite positive: sunny with a high of 19; slight chance of showers after 4 pm. However, upon reaching the parking lot, there was a strong, cold wind, and grey and black clouds gathering to the west. After a brief discussion, we decided to go ahead with the trip, keeping a close eye on the weather. We hoped to get up Loder but were prepared to turn back if the weather took a turn for the worst.

There are two ways to start up Loder. Slightly to the east of Loder, there is a small, unofficial area where people often park. From there, it is a short walk to some buttresses which lead up the ridge. However, after a new parking lot was built at Jura Creek, most people park at the new lot because it offers abundant parking and a new washroom. From the new lot, people need to hike back a short distance to the east to access the ridge up Loder. There is also a newish forest trail that starts not far from the Jura Creek parking lot. Because of the wind, I thought it would be better to stay in the forest where there was more cover. After hiking up the trail for about 15 minutes, however, I felt that we might be going too far to the west, so we turned east and after a short bushwack, made our way to the ridge.

Although there is a myriad of trails on Loder, the going was fairly straightforward, and Ramblers could either take the trail, or ascend the slabs.

Three ramblers ascending the slabs up Door Jamb Mountain

The route up Door Jamb and Loder offers wonderful views of the Bow Valley below. We had been the only people on the route for most of the way; however, about halfway up, a group of trail runners passed us. They were clad only in shorts and t-shirts, with no packs; however, they were going a lot faster than us, so their pace hopefully kept them warm.

Cristina, Dave, Eszter, and Jane on the way up to the summit of Door Jamb.

We made our way to the top of Door Jamb and took a short break, trying to find a place with some shelter from the wind. From Door Jamb, Loder looks quite steep; however, there is a good trail all the way to the top.

Dave taking a break on Door Jamb. The route up Loder can be clearly seen from here.

As the weather was not getting worse, we decided to continue along to Loder Peak. That meant a slight descent from Door Jamb, and a short walk along a well-treed ridge, to get to the base of Loder. We trekked up the well-worn trail and made it to the summit easily.

From the top of Loder, the route back down Door Jamb can be seen clearly.

From the summit of Loder, the route down the ridge to Door Jamb can be seen clearly

The wind actually lessened at the top, which gave us a chance to enjoy the summit and the views. To the west, Exshaw Ridge can be seen rolling along with Mount Fable to the north.

Cristina enjoying the view from the summit of Loder; Exshaw Ridge to the west

The weather continued to be quite changeable; one moment, dark clouds; next moment, the clouds lifted and the sun came out.

Kevin, Jane, Jeannette, Eszter, Cristina, and Dave at the summit with dark clouds rolling in

Cristina and friends at the summit

After enjoying the views and having lunch, we descended down the ridge.

Descending from the summit of Loder

Eszter, Dave, Jeannette, Leslie and Kevin on a well-travelled trail

Leslie, Jane, and Dave heading down on one of the many rock steps

We again stopped at the top of Door Jamb for a brief break. One of our members noticed a few ticks, including one on her pack. Throughout the climb, we had been aware of the possibility of encountering ticks and some of us had sprayed our boots and clothing with a tick repellant. There are several species of ticks found in Alberta, including the Rocky Mountain Wood Tick, the American Dog Tick, and the Blacklegged Tick, which can carry Lyme disease. A “new” species of tick, called the Lonestar Tick, which is normally found in the southern U.S. and Mexico, has been making its way north towards Canada. This tick carries a pathogen which may cause an allergy to red meat. After discussing how to prevent and treat tick bites, we again made our way back down the ridge.

There were a few patches of snow at the summit of Door Jamb but most of the route was dry.

The trip down was largely uneventful and we mostly kept to the trail, only descending on the slabs that had a gentle angle. Near the bottom of the climb, one of our members mentioned that she was out of water. A few people had cut back on the amount of water thinking they would not need it because it was not a hot day. Regardless of the temperature, the trip up Loder has quite a lot of elevation, and so it’s important to always carry a few liters.

Although the weather wasn’t the best, and there were a couple of route-finding errors on my part, we enjoyed quite a good day, and we all made it up and down safely. Many thanks to Eszter, Jeannette, Cristina, Dave, and Jane for joining me (Leslie c/s) on this trip. Thank you to Cristina for providing three of the photos. Many thanks also to Kevin (a full coordinator) for accompanying me (a probationary coordinator) on Loder and for providing kind and helpful suggestions.

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