Helen Lake
Flying in from Toronto, we landed in Calgary late in the afternoon. We jumped in our rental car and drove to the Tunnel Mountain Campground in Banff National Park to book our campsite for the next two nights. We stopped in town to buy a few last-minute items before our multi-day trip on the Molar Pass Loop two days later. The campground was almost empty, the advantage of travelling after the back-to-school period!
The temperature dropped below freezing overnight and everything was covered with frost. Our tent was soaked and I was getting tired of being cramped in there. This was a tent I had purchased a few years back and while it served us well, I decided to store it in the car and go get something more appropriate for our backpacking trips (a MSR Hubba Hubba NX and we love it!). We stopped in town to get it and decided to warm up our legs on a day hike to Helen Lake.
We were told that the trail leading to Helen Lake had a lot of elevation gain in the beginning and that it was one of the shortest day hike (approx. 12km out and back) to gain access to spectacular views of the mountains. It was indeed steep for the most part, fulfilling our wish to warm up our legs!
The views soon opened up and they were incredible. With my eternal fascination for glaciers, I was delighted by Bow Glacier and the emerald Bow Lake below it. The air was a little bit smoky because of the ongoing wildfires West of us in British Columbia.
After leaving the treeline, we walked on an open trail that was really exposed. The wind was blowing really hard and the temperature was a few degrees colder. The sub-alpine vegetation is always interesting. So small but yet so rugged and robust.
We reached Helen Lake but quickly turned around. While the area was pretty, the wind was too strong to enjoy it. The only thing I was able to do was to look at the map to identify the surrounding peaks. The Dolomites, named after the mountain range in Italy with the same look, were standing tall across a deep valley. We would be hiking the area behind them the next day. We took our time to walk back despite the wind. The views were too beautiful to rush our hike!
A closer look at the Dolomites, the Canadian version.
Walking down below the treeline sheltered us from the elements and soon enough the temperature climbed back up.
The only wildlife we spotted was this Spruce Grouse. They are so good at making themselves invisible with their natural camouflage colors. I mistook it for a rock while walking until it suddenly moved from the trail.
Spent a few moments observing Mother Nature doing its thing, slowly but steadily recovering from a forest fire.
Across the road from the trailhead is a look-out area in front of Bow Peak.
There is not much to say about this hike except that it should be enjoyed by everyone driving North on the Icefields Parkway from Banff. The views are worth the efforts for the first part of the trail. It was a great way to start our trip in the Rockies.