Cascading out of the misty Highwood Pass—the highest paved road in Canada—the Highwood River plunges through alpine canyons, spruce foothills and open ranchlands before joining the Bow near Calgary. Its cold, turquoise water sustains healthy native westslope cutthroat and bull-trout populations alongside wild rainbows and browns. Tight access roads, sweeping grass-valley scenery and a strict catch-and-release mandate create a true Rockies wilderness feel less than 90 minutes from the city.
**Upper Canyon (Highwood Pass → Cataract Creek):** pocket-water, plunge pools and eager cutthroat. **Mid-River Foothills (Cataract Creek → Longview):** classic riffle-run glides with under-cut willow banks holding large bull trout in late summer. **Lower Prairie Reach (Longview → Bow confluence):** broader meanders, pea-gravel flats and a mix of browns, bows and seasonal whitefish. Most anglers wade-fish the forestry trunk road pull-offs or float the 20 km stretch between Longview and Sandstone Bridge.
Native westslope cutthroat trout dominate the upper canyon, averaging 25–35 cm, while threatened bull trout patrol deeper pools—both species are strictly catch-and-release. Mid-river holds wild rainbows and browns to 50 cm, plus mountain whitefish and the occasional brook-trout stray from cold tributaries like Cataract Creek.
Late-April skwala stones and March browns spark the first surface action in sheltered eddies. June’s golden-stone hatch produces explosive takes along cut banks, followed by prolific green drakes and caddis until snow-melt subsides. Windy July afternoons drop spruce budworms and hoppers that big browns gulp with abandon. August–September sees bull trout ambushing whitefish and juvenile trout—swinging 10 cm streamers can move bruisers.
A 9 ft 5-wt excels for dry-fly sight-fishing; add a 6-wt with sink-tip for chiselled bull-trout streamers. Standard midsummer rig: 9 ft 4X leader to a #10 foam hopper with a #16 bead-head pheasant-tail dropper. Euro-nymphing with 10 ft 3-wts and 3 mm tungsten Perdigons is deadly in shoulder-season pocket water. Stealth is critical—kneel behind boulders and wear earth tones to match grey limestone.
The Cataract Creek confluence offers cold inflow and is a magnet for late-summer bulls. Gorge-Creek trailhead provides angler access to deep emerald pools beneath limestone cliffs. South of Longview, the Brown-Lowery bridge section features long gravel bars perfect for hopper-dropper drifts. Evening green-drake spinner falls under the Sentinel Bridge can be epic on calm nights.
Highway 40 (Kananaskis Trail) parallels the upper river with multiple gravel pull-offs; note it is closed 1 Dec–14 Jun for wildlife. South Coal Road and Forestry Trunk Road (734) offer mid-section access at Cataract, Gorge and Falls Creek bridges. The MD of Foothills maintains public easements at Sandstone and Brown-Lowery bridges. Most floats launch at Longview and take out above the Bow confluence—check flows; under 10 m³/s makes rafting impractical.
Dry box: #10 golden stone, #12 green drake dun, #14 elk-hair caddis, #10 tan hopper. Nymphs: #14 wire worm, #16 Frenchie, #18 zebra midge. Streamers: #4 white/olive belly-scratcher minnow, #6 black leech. Leaders: 12 ft 5X mono for dries, 10 ft 4X fluoro for nymphs, 7.5 ft 0X for streamers. Felt or studded-rubber boots grip slick limestone; Clean-Drain-Dry mandatory at AIS checkpoints.
The Highwood is critical for threatened bull-trout recovery. Trout Unlimited Canada installs temperature loggers and stream-side fencing to curb silt. 2013 flood scars still erode banks—avoid trampling young willow plantings. All bull trout must be released; photograph in the water and keep them wet. Report invasive didymo blooms to Alberta Environment.
High-elevation snowfields can double flows after hot afternoons—check gauges and keep an escape line to high banks. Bears and cougars roam the upper valley; carry spray and make noise on brushy trails. Sudden chinook winds topple spruce, creating river-wide sweepers—scout blind corners when floating. Winter anglers beware shelf ice and −30 °C wind chills.
**Cuttbow Fly Shop & Guiding** (Okotoks) offers Highwood-specific green-drake patterns and shuttle service. **Country Pleasures** (Calgary) hosts weekend high-stick nymph clinics on the upper river. **Bow River Troutfitters** texts daily flow and clarity updates and sells Alberta licences online. All can arrange heli-drops into remote canyon beats.
Support **Trout Unlimited Canada – Calgary Chapter** for willow-planting and temperature-logger projects, join the **Oldman Watershed Council** in watershed health monitoring, or donate to the **Alberta Conservation Association** which funds bank-stabilization and fish-habitat improvements along the Highwood. Volunteer days and citizen-science data keep native cutthroat and threatened bull trout thriving.
The Highwood River (ES1 Zone) is **catch-and-release only for all trout and mountain whitefish**; bait fish and barbed hooks are prohibited. Open season 16 June – 31 October (upstream of the Forestry Trunk Road) and 1 June – 31 October (downstream). All tributaries above and including Cataract Creek close 1 September – 31 October to protect spawning bull trout. Anglers aged 16–64 require an Alberta Sportfishing Licence, and trailered boats must clear AIS inspection when stations are operating. See the 2025 Alberta Guide to Sportfishing Regulations for exact boundaries and in-season updates.