Mockingbird Lookout - Alberta

Located in the the Ghost Public Land use area is Mockingbird Fire lookout. This hike is up the access road to the fire lookout up top. The summit provides a 360° view of the area. To the west, is the beginning of the Eastern slope to the Canadian Rockies. Located in the Don Getty Wildland Park is the first range of mountains. This pictures shows Devils Head on the left and Castle Rock on the right.

There was about 6-10cm of snow on the ground. It was about -2° Celsius.

This is the first of two the gates. I think Andrew was still waking up.

Of course Cubby was up for the challenge. The Golden Pyrenese was in his element.  

Once you get to the top the view of the private residence greats you. In front of the house is the helicopter landing pad. Waking up to this view every morning must be amazing

Devil’s Head in the Ghost River area is one of the most recognizable mountains from Calgary on the Western skyline even though it is not the highest mountain. It's distinctive blocky black shape is very apparent from any high building and particularly from higher elevation areas in the West or the Northwest part of the city. It is prominent in the view if you drive West from Calgary to the mountains on either the TransCanada Highway 1 or Highway 1A through Cochrane. Devil’s Head is topped with a dark vertical 350 m East face, vertical North and South sides and a square top which is unique in this area. The black cliffs stand out in the winter in contrast to the white snow covered peaks around it. Text Credit www.summitpost.org

Black Rock Mountain (frequently misspelled Blackrock Mountain) is a mountain on the eastern fringe of the Canadian Rockies in Alberta, Canada. Black Rock Mountain was descriptively named. It is located on the north-eastern edge of Kananaskis Country, almost directly west of Calgary. It stands approximately 5 km (3 mi) east of the Central Front Ranges, and is part of the Ghost River Area of the East Banff Ranges. The mountain is a popular hike for locals, as it offers an unimpeded view of the prairies. A lookout was built by Alberta Forest Service on the summit in 1929, and was in service until 1959. Black Rock Mountain was named in 1958 for its black appearance, particularly from the east. Credit Wikipedia

I enjoy the trips back down equally to the anticipation of going up. Down gives you an opportunity to view what you missed the way. Black Rock Mountain in the background. 

This image shows the peaks in the area from a few km's back. Taken at Waiporous Valley View Point