The Icefields - Hiking in Banff and Jasper National Parks

Hiking the Icefields

Petyo Lake

Petyo Lake

If you are in Banff, treat yourself to at least one day north of Banff, and at a minimum head to Lake Louise and Petyo Lake.  If you have more time, spend a whole day at Moraine Lake and Lake Louise, and take another day to drive and hike the Icefields.  Note that if you drive from Banff into the Icefields, you will spend a lot of your day in the car if you plan to drive back to Banff in the evening.  Instead, enjoy the Icefields and spend the night in Jasper.  This is some of the most beautiful scenery I have ever hiked in.  Give yourself time to enjoy the Icefields.

For hikes in and around Banff, reference an earlier post: 

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Banff Pin
Banff, Canadian Hiking, Hiking in Banff, City of Banff
Planning Guide To Banff, Canada
Banff, Canadian Hiking, Hiking in Banff, City of Banff

Planning a trip to Banff? Start here with a travel guide. Easily find trailhead locations and basic trail information for hikes in and near the city of Banff.

Banff, Canadian Hiking, Hiking in Banff, City of Banff

This post will start at Boom Lake and heads up the Icefields into Jasper.  Reference the maps for trailhead locations to help you plan out your trip.  

Lake Louise Trailheads

Boom Lake

Boom Lake Trail

Trailhead Location – Take the Castle Junction exit from Trans-Canada Hwy 1.  Go south on Banff-Windermere Hwy 7.1km to the Boom Lake Day Use Area.

Trail Distance – 5.1km from the parking lot to Boom Lake

Elevation Gain – 185m

Moraine Lake

The parking area will fill up quickly.  Plan to arrive early in the day.

Moraine Lake Shoreline

Trailhead Location – Moraine Lake Parking Lot

Trail Distance – 3km loop

Elevation Gain – N/A

Larch Valley and Sentinel Pass

Trailhead Location – Moraine Lake Parking Lot.  The trail takes off from the west side of the lake.

Trail Distance – 5.8km from Parking lot to Sentinel Pass

Elevation Gain – 725m

Lake Louise

Lake Louise - My grandma had a picture of Lake Louise hanging up in the bedroom that I slept in. Hiking here felt like I was walking into that painting.

Lake Louise - My grandma had a picture of Lake Louise hanging up in the bedroom that I slept in. Hiking here felt like I was walking into that painting.

This parking area will fill up quickly as well.  Plan to arrive early or late in the day.  The parking lot is near the Fairmont Chateau, and it is just a short walk to Lake Louise. 

There is a not a trail that loops around Lake Louise.  The Fairview Lookout trail goes off to the left of the lake (past the canoe rental area).  A trail will branch off of the Fairview Lookout trail for Saddleback Pass and Fairview Mountain.  There is also a trail that follows along the lake without elevation gain along the right side, and it reaches just about to the other side of the lake.  A fourth option is to hike up to the teahouses.  This trail branches off just past the chateau towards the right side of the lake. 

Fairview Lookout

Trailhead Location – Go towards the left of the lake (the side with the canoes) for the trailhead.

Trail Distance – 1km from the trailhead to the view of Lake Louise

Elevation Gain – 125m

Saddleback Pass

Trailhead Location – This trail begins with the Fairview Lookout trail and branches off away from the lake

Trail Distance – 3.7km from Chateau to Saddle Peak

Elevation Gain – 595m

Lake Louise Lakeshore Trail

Trailhead Location – Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise (short walk from the Lake Louise Parking Lot)

Trail Distance – 2km from the Chateau to the end of the lake

Elevation Gain – N/A

Fairmont Chateau from the far end of Lake Louise

Fairmont Chateau from the far end of Lake Louise

Lake Agnes Teahouse, Big Beehive, Plain of Six Glaciers Teahouse, and Abbot Pass

Trailhead Location – Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise (short walk from the Lake Louise Parking Lot)

Trail Distance – 1.8 km from Chateau to Lake Agnes tea house.  1.6km from tea house to Big Beehive. 2.2km from Big Beehive to Plain of Six Glaciers Teahouse.  1km from Teahouse to Abbot Pass. 

Elevation Gain – 365m

Other Notes – Other branch-off hikes are Devil’s Thumb and Mount St. Piran.

Ice Fields

View from Icefields Highway

View from Icefields Highway

As you continue to drive north on Trans-Canada Hwy 1 past Lake Louise, you will enter a stretch of highway referred to as the Ice Fields.  I have been on many road trips, and thus far, this stretch of road ranks for me as the most beautiful highway that I’ve ever been on.  Enjoy, take your time, and pay attention to the below mileage from Lake Louise if you plan on returning in the evening to Banff, as it’s easy to lose track of time out here.

Banff and Jasper Icefields - Trailhead locations

Herbert Lake

Distance from Lake Louise – 6km

Trail Distance – 1.6km loop

Elevation Gain – 42m

Hector Lake

Distance from Lake Louise – 19km

Trail Distance – 4.5km from parking lot to the lake

Elevation Gain – 107m

Other Notes – to get to Hector Lake, you will need to ford Bow River (may be waist deep)

Molar Pass

Distance from Lake Louise – 24km – Park on the driveway of Mosquito Creek campground and cross the highway.  The trail starts on the bank of Mosquito Creek.

Trail Distance – 50.7km loop

Elevation Gain – 1,950m

Other Notes – This is likely a multi-day hike

View from Icefields Highway

View from Icefields Highway

Crowfoot Glacier Viewpoint, Helen Lake / Cirque Peak

Distance from Lake Louise – 36km

Trail Distance – Photo opportunity of Crowfoot Glacier from parking lot.  11.5km from parking lot to lake.  Continue 4.5km to Cirque Peak. 

Elevation Gain – 1,129

Bow Glacier Falls

Distance from Lake Louise – 40km

Trail Distance – 8.7km from parking lot

Elevation Gain – 266m

Petyo Lake

Petyo Lake - This picture isn’t filtered, and it doesn’t do the view justice. This hike is worth your time!

Petyo Lake - This picture isn’t filtered, and it doesn’t do the view justice. This hike is worth your time!

Distance from Lake Louise – 43km

Trail Distance – 2.7km loop trail

Elevation Gain – 115m

Other Notes – This is a very heavily populated trail, but you’ll understand why when you are at the viewpoint.


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Bow Summit

Distance from Lake Louise – 43km (shares parking lot with Petyo Lake)

Trail Distance – 5.3km from parking lot to final viewpoint

Elevation Gain – 245m

Chephren Lake

Distance from Lake Louise – 60km – Parking is at Waterfowl Lakes Campground

Trail Distance – 3.5km from trailhead to Chephren Lake

Elevation Gain – 80m

View from Icefields Highway

View from Icefields Highway

Cirque Lake

Distance from Lake Louise – 60km – This trailhead is shared with Chephren Lake

Trail Distance – 4.2km from trailhead to Cirque Lake

Elevation Gain – 150m

Mistaya Canyon

Distance from Lake Louise – 74km

Trail Distance – 1.1km from trailhead to waterfall

Elevation Gain – 57m

Glacier Lake

Distance from Lake Louise – 81km

Trail Distance – 16.9km from trailhead to lake

Elevation Gain – 870m

Never know what you’ll find along the Icefields. Keep your eyes out for wildlife.

Never know what you’ll find along the Icefields. Keep your eyes out for wildlife.

Sunset Pass / Sunset Lookout

Distance from Lake Louise – 96km – Park in Norman Creek parking area

Trail Distance – 13.7km from trailhead to waterfall

Elevation Gain – 865m

Weeping Wall

Distance from Lake Louise – 109km – A pullout to take pictures

Bridal Veil Falls

Distance from Lake Louise – 120km

Trail Distance – 2.1km from trailhead to waterfall

Elevation Gain – 48m

Parker Ridge

Distance from Lake Louise – 121km

Trail Distance – 2.5km from trailhead to waterfall

Elevation Gain – 267m

Wilcox Pass

Distance from Lake Louise – 127km

Trail Distance – 4.7km from trailhead to last view

Elevation Gain – 522m

Icefield Center and Athabasca Glacier

Distance from Lake Louise – 130km

Athabasca Glacier - This picture shows how far the glacier has melted in my lifetime. We stopped and had lunch here. This image haunts me, and is one of the reasons I started this website. Please search my other posts on climate change to learn more…

Athabasca Glacier - This picture shows how far the glacier has melted in my lifetime. We stopped and had lunch here. This image haunts me, and is one of the reasons I started this website. Please search my other posts on climate change to learn more, to become comfortable talking about this to everyone, every day. I don’t think there’s anything more important that we can do in our lifetimes from here forward.

This is a visitor center with great resources.  Walk across the parking lot and highway to see the Athabasca Glacier.  You will only be able to walk on the glacier as part of a tour (tickets sold in the Icefield Center).

Note that from this point north, trails will be indicated as in Jasper National Park (not Banff).

Athabasca Glacier

Athabasca Glacier

Tangle Creek Falls

Distance from Lake Louise – 137km

Tangle Creek Falls

Tangle Creek Falls

Viewpoint from the Road

Beauty Creek

Distance from Lake Louise – 146km

Trail Distance – 1.7km from trailhead to Stanley Falls

Elevation Gain – 130m

Sunwapta Falls

Sunwapta Falls

Sunwapta Falls

Distance from Lake Louise – 179km

Trail Distance – 1.6km from trailhead to falls

Elevation Gain – 134m

Athabasca Falls

Athabasca Falls

Athabasca Falls

Distance from Lake Louise – 192km

Trail Distance – 0.4km from parking lot to falls

Elevation Gain – 26m

Wabasso Lake and Valley of Five Lakes

Distance from Lake Louise – 224km

Trail Distance – 11.9km loop

Elevation – 291m

Jasper

We ran out of time once we’d made it to Jasper to do much hiking, but we did go to Whistlers Mountain and road the Jasper SkyTram up.  There is a 1.2km trail up to the mountain summit.

 
View from the top of Jasper SkyTram

View from the top of Jasper SkyTram

Top of the World - Hike to the summit of Whistler Mountain

Top of the World - Hike to the summit of Whistler Mountain

 What we learned

Spend a night or 2 in Jasper.  It’s too far to drive and do everything between Banff and Jasper and have anytime to enjoy Jasper

Internet resources are hard to find to know where all of the trailheads are.  I had a list of favorite hikes that I had found from reviewers, but wasn’t sure where to find the hikes.  Once we made it up to the Icefield Center, we were able to get information, but by then the day was half over.  Hopefully this post helps with the trailhead piece so you can best plan out your trip.  Enjoy the Icefields!

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