Home»Photo Galleries»Canadian Northwest»Banff National Park 2019»Helen Lake

It’s not easy to identify our favorite hike in Banff National Park, but the Helen Lake Trail was full of amazing views from beginning to end. The trail winds up through a fir-spruce forest across from Crowfoot Glacier, and it’s not long before some beautiful views of the glacier and Bow Lake appear across the Icefield Parkway, with Crowfoot Mountain towering above the west side of the lake. Not long afterwards, the trees give way to meadows, and Mount Andromache and Mount Hector rise in the distance to the southeast.

As we hiked toward Helen Lake, we traversed through meadows scattered with conifers and wildflowers, with Helen Creek far below. Dolomite Peak towers above the creek on the east side, and Cirque Peak at the head of the valley. Eventually we crossed Helen Creek and continued through a large meadow to reach the south shore of Helen Lake, where Cirque Peak dominates the view at the north end of the lake. There we enjoyed our lunch while debating whether or not to continue on the trail to the ridge, where we were promised some amazing views in all directions, but after starting out on the trail, we thought better of it and headed back down. It was a good move, as it allowed us to take our time on the return and enjoy the wonderful afternoon light.

On our return, Mount Andromache and Mount Hector were in front of us most of the way, and they were nearly perfectly illuminated by the soft light of the afternoon sun, as were the meadows we were walking through. The nearly full moon was rising high above, playing hide and seek with the passing clouds. Bow Valley stretched toward the distant mountains, providing the perfect foreground for viewing these beautiful peaks, with gorgeous clouds sitting above.

This was a truly impressive hike, from beginning to end, and this time there was no set time we needed to arrive back for dinner. So we enjoyed every bit of daylight, knowing that this was our last day in Banff – until next time!