Calgary 
August in Alberta brings plenty of harvest-related activities — from apple picking to corn mazes. But, if you are looking for a unique harvest activity to partake in before summer ends, then hike a ski mountain to pick huckleberries.
Castle Mountain Resort
Located in Castle Mountain Resort, just a couple of hours south of Calgary, Huckleberry Fest is a great way to spend some time if you find yourself in the Pincher Creek area.
Get tickets for the chairlift to get an aerial view of the mountains and the valley. Once you are at the top, you can hike the trails and pick huckleberries, which can be found off the main Huckleberry ski runs, Haig Ridge and in the Haig Valley on the way out to Haig Lake.
Remember to carry a basket or a bag to store your huckleberries, sunscreen, a hat, bear spray and some snacks for your hike to pick berries
Huckleberry Chairlift, which runs on the Saturday of the festival, provides easy access to the berries that grow in the higher elevations of the sub-alpine regions of Castle Mountain Resort.
Castle Mountain Resort
The chairlift operates from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm, with the last chairlift down at 4:00 p.m. If you miss the ride down or want to enjoy a hike down to the festival site at the base, take the Haig Ridge trail to the Haig Lake South trail, and follow it all the way to the base.
Castle Mountain Resort
The Annual Huckleberry Festival runs on August 22 and 23, with the main festivities happening on Saturday.
The festival is free to attend with a ticketed chairlift ride. Tickets, priced at $39.95 for adults, $29.95 for seniors, and as low as $14.95 for children, include one trip up and down.
Saturday, August 23, features a full slate of entertainment. The day begins with a pancake breakfast fundraiser, followed by kids’ contests, games, and face painting. Live performances on the ATCO Stage include Receiver, Aly Williams, and Shaela Miller, with a line dancing workshop led by Paige Kopchia. Festival traditions such as the four-legged race and watermelon eating contest return in the afternoon.
Food and drink options include an outdoor BBQ with $18.99 meal vouchers, a beer tent open from noon to 8 p.m., and an evening Smoked Meat Feast designed to feed four or more for $94.99.
The T-Bar Pub will extend its hours throughout the weekend, hosting late-night shows by Southern Comforts on Friday and Ferny Turbull on Saturday.
Organizers remind festival-goers that while bear encounters are rare, the area is backcountry terrain. Visitors are advised to hike in groups and keep bear spray handy.
Huckleberry Festival is Castle Mountain Resort’s biggest summer event, and it’s a fantastic way for the whole family to enjoy some time together outdoors in a beautiful location.
Located near Alberta and B.C. Border, Castle Mountain Resort is about a 35-minute drive from Pincher Creek, and 250 km (2 hours and 30 minutes drive) from Calgary.
