Cirque Peak via Helen Lake

Cirque Peak is a 2,993 metre mountain located west of Dolomite Pass in the Bow River Valley accessible from the Icefields Parkway in Banff National Park. Cirque Peak is an aesthetically pleasing mountain nearby Helen Lake. The parking lot can fill up quickly so arrive early!

Helen Lake

The hike to Helen Lake is very straightforward. The Helen Lake Trail is located at a signed parking lot on the Icefields Parkway (Hwy 93), right next to Bow Lake, and roughly 30km northwest of Lake Louise. From the parking lot, follow the obvious trail to Helen Lake.

The Hike

From Helen Lake, the route to Cirque peak and scramble to the summit is easy. From Helen Lake, there is an obvious trail that traverses around the lake. In the picture below, you can see the trail on the right side. The trail wraps around the lake to below the first bench on the right of the picture. From there, the trail traverses left then ascends to the top of the first bench. From this point, there is a simple hike up a few rocky spots to the prominent plateau.

Staying close to the ridge, hike along the plateau toward Cirque Peak. You will encounter a simple scramble through some rocky steps that will lead to the scree slopes of Cirque Peak. The scree slopes will lead to the short scramble to the summit. Below is a picture of the slope. It is a bit of a slog up the scree.

The Scramble

The short scramble to the summit offers a few options. You can pick your preferred way to the top. The picture below shows the true summit in the foreground with the false summit in the background. If you scramble from the scree straight up the rock, you'll reach the false summit. Then you'll need to descend to the left of the picture then ascend to the true summit.

For the easiest way, hike to the point where it transitions from a scree slope to rocky section. Then, traverse to the right along the base of the rocky section. Once around it, you'll see the true summit of Cirque peak with a short easy scramble to the summit.

Final Thoughts

Helen Lake is a spectacular hike with beautiful views. The flora and fauna of this area is truly special. Cirque Peak offers a perfect introduction to easy scrambling in an alpine environment. The popularity of this area attests to its beauty.