Three sisters is the absolute classic Fernie through-hike. It is a must do. On the classic route, a visit to Bisaro Cave is very much recommended. It is also pleasant to spend a night in the meadow under Three Sisters.
Access
The classic route or ‘Heiko’s Trail’ starts north of Hartley Lake rec site. The road gets worse and worse. It is reasonable to get to the trailhead with an SUV but a 4×4 is recommended. The other end of the trail is near the Island Lake resort which has easy access.
There are a couple alternate routes. First is the ‘Three Sisters Trail’ which starts a little closer to Hartley Lake. This route is a bit more direct to the Three Sisters area but bypasses Bisaro Cave. Another alternate route is to forego the lacklustre section near Island Lake and instead head on Heiko’s rocky road trail past mount Fernie. The Mt. Fernie trail ends just north of (Fernie) town.
Camping
There isn’t much at the official campsite in the meadow below 3 Sisters. Essentially just a picnic table. No bear cache, pit toilet or anything else.
Mt. Fernie addon
Another ‘higher peak’ in the area that is worth summiting is Mt. Fernie. It is a bit of a scramble but one can walk around the U-shape ridge and back down a different slope. See map for details.
