"More Hiking in Banff National Park" Top 5 Page for this destination Banff National Park Travelogue by madamx

This is a fairly easy hike, round trip 6km, elevation gain 260 m. The trail head is located near Peyto Lake. You get a fantastic view of the Icefields Parkway from here as well as a good view of Crowfoot Mountain and Glacier. The only downside of the hike is getting past the crowds admiring Peyto Lake. I recommend a really early start to get a space in the parking lot ( 8 a.m.) or if you can manage a later afternoon start (5 p.m.) which is quite possible during the summer. It doesn't seem like this is too popular a hike, as our only company was a curious marmot.

The trail is an old fire road all the way to the end. The view was even stunning through the haze of forest fires.

Trail to Helen Lake

This is a moderate hike to an alpine lake which is approx 12 km, and you should plan about 2 1/2 to 3 hours one way if you are fairly fit. This hike is quite popular with two-legged animals as well as four-legged. Namely, bears! This is a popular grizzly hangout . I recommend hiking in a group, and avoid early hours as well as evening hours. If you aren't in a group, usually the area is busy enough that you don't have to worry.

We ended up having to turn back , as hard to believe as it is from this picture, a severe rainstorm blew in 15 minutes after it was taken. We were approx 1 km from the lake! Ah, well, there's always next year. And it proves how quickly the weather can change in the rockies.

When there was a lull in the rain, I managed to get this shot of some scenery near Helen Lake.

Athabasca Glacier

Wilcox Pass is located just inside Jasper National Park.
This hike is 8 km and more if you
want to wander around the alpine meadows of Wilcox Pass. I would rate this hike easy to moderate(elevation gain 335m) ; you don't notice the hard parts because the scenery is so outstanding, with excellent views of the Columbia Icefields

This is only a sample of the spectacular views from the meadows of Wilcox Pass. If you look carefully to the left, you can see the trail.

You can do this gentle hike any time of the year. I suggest if you are staying in the Banff area to go around 5-6 pm when most of the tourists have left, as this area can get quite crowded. Round trip is 6.2 km to the upper falls with an elevation gain of 215 m. In the winter, the falls are frozen into fantastic sculptures and there are icewalk tours available.