Helen Lake

Helen Lake is one of the best day trips in the Rockies. After a relatively short and easy climb through the forest, the trail turns into the Helen Creek drainage, revealing a dramatic view of castellated Dolomite Peak and the mountains of the upper Bow valley. The second half of the trail traverses open meadows, and the combination of lush wildflowers and austere mountains provides a striking contrast in alpine scenery. Helen Lake is an attractive spot to spend an afternoon, but for those interested in further exploration, the trail continues past the lake and makes a short ascent to the top of a ridge. Views from the ridge (2,500 m (8,200')) are excellent in all directions, especially toward Dolomite Pass and Katherine Lake. This map (75 KB), based on a Parks Canada pdf brochure, indicates the location of the trail, just east of Bow Lake. Click here for a more detailed view of the area, extracted from the Hector Lake 82 N/9 topographic map.

The meadows and tarns of Dolomite Pass provide further options, and the summit of Cirque Peak is an easy scramble.

If you are driving to the trailhead from the south, the peaks above Helen Lake are visible from several points on the Icefields Parkway. In fact, in early September, 1858, just a week after the famous incident that gave the Kicking Horse River its name, Dr. James Hector, of the Palliser Expedition, recorded these comments as his party travelled up the Bow Valley near what is now known as Hector Lake:

"The mountains to the north of our camp had a very curious outline, the men saying that they were like an old woman's jaw."

The "jaw" was undoubtedly Dolomite Peak.

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This page was modified on May 16, 2006