Helen Lake

Dist: 15km    Elev: 610m    Time: 5h    Difficulty: 3/5

After a busy July, Melinda and I finally escaped the city for an epic mountain adventure together. I had been wanting to take her to Helen Lake since last spring due to the "sweet spot" distance/elevation profile and promise of prolific wildflowers. The 2.5 hour drive from Calgary may be off-putting for some but for us this proved to be a win-win: I got lots of time to admire the mountain scenery and Melinda got a couple extra hours of pre-hiking sleep :)

We arrived at the Helen Lake trailhead shortly after 10am, just in time to grab the last available parking spot in the small lot. Clearly we were not going to be alone on this trip. The trail began by ascending at a modest yet consistent grade for the first hour or so through pine forest with just enough creek crossings and views of the Crowfoot Glacier across the highway to keep us motivated. Soon the trail leveled off and views of the Helen Lake valley and surrounding peaks expanded in all directions. From here the obvious route meandered through flowery alpine meadows while gradually climbing towards the lake. We arrived at Helen Lake about another hour later and decided to stop for a snack before continuing to our final goal - the ridge overlooking the area. Lovely views of the lake and Cirque Peak beyond were unfortunately tainted by a thick swarm of mosquitoes and we decided not to linger for much longer than was required to finish our granola bars and jerky. From Helen Lake, roughly 20 minutes on short-but-steep switchbacks had us at the highpoint of the rocky ridge overlooking the valley we had just come through as well as the the Dolomite Pass wilderness further east. These amazing vistas more than justified the extra climbing and we stopped here for a short lunch while soaking in the scenery before returning the way we came.

This trail was busy from start to finish and it's easy to see why: massive icy glaciers, pristine alpine meadows and lakes, towering rocky ridges and peaks - all for relatively little physical effort. Topped with the blue-bird weather day we had, Melinda and I agreed Helen Lake was a strong contender for our new favourite outing together.

Crowfoot Glacier and Bow Lake during the initial climb.

Melinda admiring Dolomite Peak as we emerge from the trees.

Alpine wonderland!

Meadowy trail to Helen Lake, directly below Cirque Peak (centre).

Helen Lake. We climbed to the ridge on the right.

Looking back at Helen Lake as we climb.

Cirque Peak from the ridge. Many brave scramblers were attempting the summit.

Looking west from the ridge, at Helen Lake and Cirque Peak.

Looking east from the ridge, at massive Dolomite Peak and Lake Katherine below.

Lunchtime selfie!

Helen Lake as we descend the ridge.

Views were equally great on the way back. A truly epic day in the mountains!