Cadomin to Luscar Mountain Mining Road — Coal Branch Country

The Coal Branch west of Hinton is industrial history wearing mountain scenery like a disguise. Cadomin itself is a handful of houses at the end of the pavement — beyond it, the roads that once served the Luscar and Gregg River open-pit coal mines now form a loose network of high-clearance tracks that climb into serious alpine terrain. The main push up toward Luscar Mountain takes you across wide, exposed plateau with views into the Athabasca drainage and the peaks of Jasper National Park to the west. The road surface is a mix of gravel, shale, and loose rock with steep pitches on the upper sections. Watch for the headframe ruins and overburden piles — industrial artifacts scattered across terrain that has mostly gone back to wild. Bighorn sheep are thick up here.

This is genuine high-clearance territory. A lifted 4WD with locking differentials handles it confidently; a stock SUV is a gamble on the upper ridge sections, especially if there’s been recent rain. The shale gets slick. No permit required, but check with Alberta Environment for seasonal closures — caribou range overlaps this area and closures do happen. No cell service. Carry water; there are no reliable sources on the upper plateau. Best run July through early October. Cadomin has no services — fuel in Hinton before you leave pavement. This is the kind of place that feels like you shouldn’t be there, which is exactly the point.