The Highwood is a lovely Eastern Slopes freestone out of Kananaskis, clear and cold through riffles, runs and canyon pockets, holding native cutthroat and bull trout with rainbows below. It's a genuine summer dry-fly river once it opens in mid-June after the spawning closure, fishing well through to October. Respect the closure and the native-trout rules — this is protected water.
The Highwood is a classic Eastern Slopes freestone south-west of Calgary, running clear and cold out of Kananaskis country through riffles, runs and canyon pockets. It holds native westslope cutthroat and bull trout with rainbows and some browns lower down, and it's a fine summer dry-fly river — but it carries a hard spawning closure into mid-June and strong native-trout protections that must be respected.
Wading: Swift cold water, slick rock, flashy after storms
- Limestone
- Confined
- Pool riffle
- Pocket water
