How to Hike to Helen Lake and Cirque Peak in Banff National Park

The hike to Cirque Peak via the Helen Lake Trail is hands down the most stunning hike I did in Banff – it’s one of the absolute best hikes in Banff National Park, but it’s also pretty tough. It climbs through forest and opens up into sweeping alpine meadows, and once you’re at Helen Lake, you have the option to scramble all the way up to the summit of Cirque Peak. This guide will tell you about the Cirque Peak hike via the Helen Lake trail in Banff National Park, and everything you need to know for the adventure!

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About the Helen Lake and Cirque Peak Hike

Before you hit the trail, here’s what you need to know!

Helen LAke Trail Stats

• Distance: 7.5 miles (12 kilometers) round trip
• Elevation Gain: 1801 feet (549 meters)
• Difficulty: Moderate
• Hike Time: About 4-5 hours

Helen Lake on its own is a great moderate day hike. Adding the Cirque Peak summit turns it into a full-on adventure – all fours, steep scree, and some serious elevation gain. The views from the top are completely worth it, but make sure you know what you’re getting into!

Helen Lake + Cirque Peak Summit Trail Stats

• Distance: 10.6 miles (17 kilometers) round trip
• Elevation Gain: 3736 feet (1139 meters)
• Difficulty: hard
• Hike Time: This trail took me about 7 hours total. Pretty much all of the hard stuff is in the last mile – I took a lot of breaks! You can check out my hike on Strava!

Leave No Trace on the Cirque PEak Hike

Anytime you’re outdoors, it’s essential that you practice Leave No Trace (LNT). LNT is a set of seven principles that help us understand our impact on the outdoors – because while we usually have good intentions, the environment is more fragile than we think, and one snap-second decision can cause damage to the environment that will take the earth years, even decades to repair. This is a pretty popular hike, so it’s super important to make sure to prevent damage!

Leave No Trace means enjoying the outdoors without disrupting nature, as much as it’s possible to do so. Here are the 7 principles of LNT, and how they apply when you do the Helen Lake and Cirque Peak hike!

• Plan ahead and prepare – read this guide, know what to expect, and bring water. Make sure to have a map handy! I use All Trails for maps.
• Travel and camp on durable surfaces – stay on the trail and don’t take any shortcuts, as this causes erosion, kills plant life, and damages trails.
• Dispose of waste properly – don’t leave trash, or anything else, behind. Pack it out!
• Leave what you find – I know it can be tempting to take a cool rock or leaf, but leave these things where they belong! Animals often use these, and if everyone takes one, the trail won’t be as pretty.
• Minimize campfire impacts – campfires are not allowed on the trail.
• Respect wildlife – don’t approach wild animals, and never feed them. There are often bear sightings on this trail, so be careful and make noise as you hike.
• Be considerate of other visitors – yield to uphill hikers, and be respectful – no speakers or loud music.

The Best Time to Hike the Cirque Peak Trail

The best time to hike this trail is mid-July through September. The alpine meadows around Helen Lake are covered blanketed in wildflowers in mid-July and early August. Snow lingers on the upper sections of the Cirque Peak route well into late June or even early July, and the scree/scramble section becomes dangerous with snow on it, so don’t rush it. Always check recent AllTrails reviews before you go to see what conditions are like.

The parking lot here isn’t as busy as spots like Lake Louise, but it does fill up on summer weekends. Getting there before 8 AM is a good idea!

What to Bring to Hike the Helen Lake and Cirque Peak Trail

When you do the Helen Lake and Cirque Peak hike, here’s what you’ll need to bring! To see all of my favorite gear picks, you can check out my Rockporch.

What to Wear to Hike the Cirque Peak Trail

• Sun Shirt – this is my favorite thing to wear on hikes, as it provides sun protection while keeping you cool. I like the Mountain Hardware Crater Lake Hoodie, and the REI Sahara Shade Hoodie.
• Hiking Pants – I love the REI Trailmade Shorts and usually hike in them, but if you’re hiking in the cold, or want protection from ticks and bugs, I recommend the Trailmade Pants.
• Layers – it can definitely get chilly, so a lightweight windbreaker or a fleece is a good idea. For cold weather hikes, a down jacket will keep you warm.
• Hiking Shoes – I prefer hiking in sandals and usually hike in my Chacos, but only do this if you have experience and are very confident doing so. Boots are a good idea if you need more ankle support, or for the snow. I love my Danner boots!
• Socks – I love the Darn Tough socks whether I’m wearing sandals or boots. They’re wool, so they stay warm even when wet, and have some padding that’s extra comfy for long days on the trail!

What to Bring to Hike the Cirque Peak Trail

• Backpack – you’ll need a backpack for water and snacks. I use a Gregory Nano 18 Hydration Pack for day hikes.
• Water – water is a must, always – and bring more than you think you need. The Gregory backpack comes with a 3L reservoir, which I usually bring, along with a Nalgene water bottle that I put electrolytes in.
• Sunscreen – no matter the time of year, make sure to protect yourself from the sun.
• Headlamp – if you want to get an early start, or stay to watch the sunset, make sure to bring a headlamp. It’s also a good idea to always bring one just in case!
• Trekking Poles – hiking with poles can help with stability, and will be especially helpful for the steep descent from the summit of Cirque Peak.
• Kula Cloth – if you squat to pee, a Kula Cloth is kind of life changing.
• Bug Spray – the mosquitos can be really brutal, so I definitely recommend bringing some bug spray.
• Bear Spray – it’s highly recommended to carry bear spray on this trail! Hopefully you never need it, but it’s always better to have it.

Bonus Tip: A lot of these links are for my favorite place to buy outdoor gear – Backcountry. If you install the free Lolli extension on your browser, you can earn free Bitcoin when you shop online at certain retailers, including Backcountry. You can transfer it to a crypto wallet, or just cash out to your bank account.

Directions to the Trailhead

If you’re flying in for your trip, the closest airport is Calgary International Airport, which is just about a 90 minute drive from Banff.

Expedia is a good way to find flights and rental cars, I also super recommend signing up for Going (formerly Scott’s Cheap Flights) – they send you amazing deals, so you can find cheap flights to destinations all over the world. The free account is great and totally worth the few minutes it takes to sign up, and I do recommend the premium account too!

If you fly, you can rent a car through Discover Cars or Rental Cars.

The trailhead for this hike is along the Icefields Parkway, so from Calgary, you’ll get on Highway 1 and go west, then keep going north on Highway 93 past Lake Louise. There’s a small parking lot right off the highway on the east side of the road, across from Bow Lake.

Helen Lake Trailhead Coordinates: 51.664083, -116.438528

Hiking the Helen Lake and Cirque Peak Trail

Once you’ve parked and are ready to start hiking, here’s what you can expect!

Trailhead

The trail starts right off the highway and heads into the forest immediately. The first section is a steady climb through a dense subalpine forest of spruce and fir. It’s not super exciting visually, but the grade is consistent and manageable, and you know the good stuff is coming. It opens up occasionally to views of Crowfoot Glacier!

Entering the Alpine Meadows

After about 2 miles (3 km), the trees start to thin out and the trail opens up into wide alpine meadows. This is where the hike really transforms. The views get more and more stunning. In mid-July and early August, these meadows are covered in wildflowers. You’ll cross a stream, and you’re almost at Helen Lake.

Helen Lake

After about 3.7 miles (6 km), you’ll arrive at Helen Lake. Fair warning, is less of a classic mountain lake and more of a large alpine pond. It’s pretty, but it’s not turquoise and dramatic the way some of the other Banff lakes are. The view is the surrounding scenery, which is pretty incredible. The lake sits in a wide open bowl at the base of Cirque Peak, and you can see the scramble route going straight up the headwall from the shore. It’s a fantastic spot for a snack break!

Scrambling to Cirque Peak

This is where things get interesting… and hard. A quick note: the Cirque Peak summit push is a scramble, not a trail hike. There’s no maintained path beyond Helen Lake, and the upper portion involves steep loose scree, some boulder hopping, and a short rock scramble at the very top. It’s not technical, and you don’t need any gear beyond good boots and trekking poles, but you should be comfortable on steep, unstable terrain before committing to this. If you’re not sure, Helen Lake is a perfectly amazing destination on its own!

From Helen Lake, you’ll head toward the headwall that looms above the far end of the basin. The route climbs steeply up this rocky wall via a series of switchbacks. It’s relentlessly uphill here, but the terrain is solid and there’s usually a pretty clear trail to follow.

Once you crest the headwall, you’ll find yourself on a broad, open ridge. The angle eases off a bit here, and you get a massive panoramic view in every direction.

The last push to the summit involves crossing some loose scree and sand before hitting a short, rocky scramble just below the top. This is where I was basically on all fours, and honestly this kicked my ass big time. But, the views from the top of Cirque Peak are really, really incredible. You’ll see peaks in every direction for miles.

Back to the Trailhead

Descending down the scree is kind of tough – poles would help a lot here! It’s steep, but doable. Once you get back down to Helen Lake, the rest of the trail feels easy in comparison, but after that scramble, it definitely felt long.

Where to Stay Near the Cirque Peak Hike

I definitely recommend taking at least a few days to explore Banff National Park. And while you’re here, there are plenty of options for places to stay.

camping Near Banff National Park

There are several frontcountry campgrounds inside the park, including Tunnel Mountain, Two Jack Lakeside, and Lake Louise Campground. All can be reserved at Parks Canada Reservations. Backcountry camping is also available throughout the park with a wilderness pass.

There are also plenty of options for free camping outside of the park – so check out this guide to learn how to find free campsites!

hotels NEar the Cirque Peak Trail

The nearest town to this trail is Banff – and I definitely recommend staying there. It’s a cute mountain town with incredible views, and it’s close to all of the adventures in the park!

Some options for places to stay:

• Fairmont Banff Springs – the iconic castle hotel in Banff, set dramatically against the Bow Valley. It’s a bucket-list experience!
• Banff Caribou Lodge & Spa – a beautiful, rustic lodge right in the heart of Banff.
• HI Banff Alpine Centre – a great hostel option for budget travelers, with stunning mountain views.

For more options, check out Booking.com, or VRBO!

Cabins, Glamping, & Yurts

For a unique place to stay during your trip, check out Hipcamp! It’s like Airbnb for campsites – and you can find yurts, cabins, glamping sites, and more. 

You can even get $10 off your first booking here!

More Adventures Near the Cirque Peak Trail

Have you hiked Helen Lake or scrambled Cirque Peak? Let me know in a comment below!

If you’re looking for more adventures in the area, the Parker Ridge Trail is another incredible above-treeline hike along the Icefields Parkway. And if you want to pair a big hike day with two lakes in one, check out the Cirque Lake Trail combined with Chephren Lake!

For a full overview of the best hikes in the park at every difficulty level, check out my guide to the 12 Best Hikes in Banff National Park.

Pin any of these photos to save this guide to the Cirque Peak Hike for later!