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Cirque Peak |
| Elevation 2993m Height Gain Time to Reach Objective Degree of Difficulty Scenery Date of Most-recent Outing |
West of Lake Louise, follow
Hwy 93 north for 33km to the Crowfoot Glacier viewpoint. Across from this popular
tourist trap on the east side of the road is the trail to Helen Lake/Dolomite Pass (GPS reference 51d39m52s N, 116d26m19s W). Start behind the information kiosk. The wide horse trail trends in an easterly direction on gentle slopes. In 20 - 30 minutes the forest opens a little to give glimpses of the Crowfoot Glacier to the southwest. Don’t be fidgeting for your camera - the view will improve. In roughly an hour the trail rounds the south end of the ridge to your left. The ragged ramparts of the Dolomite Peaks appear. Far ahead in the distance is the distinctive orange-coloured slopes of Cirque Peak; the anticline folds of Actomys shale resembling a crumpled peanut butter and jam sandwich. The next couple of kilometers to Helen Lake is pleasant hiking in alpine meadows. The expanse of this glacier-cut valley is quite magnificent. Even though this region is prime bear habitat, there was a conspicuous absence of bear signs on the day of our August outing. Perhaps the tourists are more apetizing in the Moraine Lake area - the Sentinel Pass Trail has been closed for weeks. On reaching Helen Lake ( GPS reference 51d41m03s N, 116d24m44s W), make your way around to the back of the lake and continue on switchbacks to the top of the headwall (GPS reference 51d41m16s N, 116d24m25s W). At this point bid farewell to the nice trail you’ve been following and head across open slabs towards the base of Cirque Peak. The initial going will require slogging up a pitch of red-coloured shale eroded to the consistency of beach sand. Not much fun going up, but the return trip is certainly exhilarating. If you're comfortable with slabs you can continue past the loose gravel fan before heading up. As you near the top angle left to reach the saddle. The summit lies some 250 vertical meters away.Following the well-worn trail is okay at first, but you’ll soon be searching for sturdier footing on rubble away from the beaten path – especially on the final steep pitch. Near the top a brief 5m scramble up a notch delivers you to the first summit. A second slightly higher peak ( GPS reference 51d42m00s N, 116d24m56s W) to the east is a stone-throw away. The intervening notch is easily bypassed via a short downclimb on your right. Your prize awaits you at the top - A new register was placed in the cairn in fall 1999 - leave your mark!Even with the smoke from BC forest fires to the west, the summit view is spectacular. On the north side of the mountain a glacier pours down towards Dolomite Creek. Alpine tarns can be spotted everywhere. To the west, the Crowfoot Glacier seems miniscule compared to the massive Wapta Ice Fields in the background. To the south, 3400m Mt. Hector remains draped in snow. To its left is Mt. Andromache.
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