Forestry Trunk Road — Hwy 940 Highwood River to Cataract Creek South (Alberta)

Drop off Highwood Junction and head south on Highway 940 and the character shifts immediately — pavement disappears, the Livingstone Range rises to your west, and the road narrows into a two-track gravel corridor threading between cattle range and Crown land. The Livingstone River crossing at the Livingstone Falls recreation area is a legitimate ford when spring runoff is running hard, and the approach through Livingstone Gap is one of the more dramatic canyon pinch points on the entire Forestry Trunk Road system. Dispersed camps dot the river benches throughout, and the horizon stays wide open until the timber closes back in south of Plateau Mountain ecological reserve access.

This stretch is moderate in summer — high-clearance 4WD handles it in dry conditions, but the Livingstone ford turns sketchy in June and the clay sections become axle-deep grease after heavy rain. Stock up on fuel in Longview or Nanton before you leave because there is nothing between those towns and Crowsnest Pass. No permit required on the Trunk Road itself, though the Cataract Creek campground at the south end is a designated Kananaskis site. Best run July through September. Cell service drops to nothing once you clear Highwood Junction.