Mount Fairview
Mount Fairview |
| Elevation 2744m Height
Gain Time to Reach Summit Degree of Difficulty Scenery Date of Most-recent
Ascent |
Drive to Lake
Louise and follow the road to the Chateau. Turn left just before the hotel and park
in the public parking area (GPS reference 51d24m55s N, 116d12m49s W).
Get there early or you'll have to fight for parking space amongst the campers and
tour busses. Make your way towards the lake. The signed trail for Saddleback
Pass starts at the edge of forest on the left of the viewpoint. The maintained trail rises gently up the lower slopes on the north side Mt. Fairview. In 40 minutes or so the trail leaves forest and turn into rockier terrain. Straight ahead of you is Saddleback Mt. After several switchbacks you arrive at Saddleback Pass. A metal pole and a couple of substantial cairns mark this point, 3.7km from the trailhead. Mt. Temple looms ahead in the distance, beyond the lower flanks of Sheol Mt. Follow the trail which swings right through a belt of trees. Once out into the clearing the remainder of the way gets a little steeper, but should pose little problem as the trail is solid, and numerous zigzags lessen the burden. The proximity to Lake Louise and the view are likely the reasons that this mountain is so popular with hikers. Even on a cold and windy late-summer outing there were more than 30 people making the trip to the summit (GPS reference 51d24m00s N, 116d13m29s W). Indeed, the view at the top is nothing less than spectular. Most tourists jostle for position in front of the Chateau 1,000m below you to get a better look of the Victoria Galcier reflecting in the lake. From where you are, you have an unobstructed view of this landmark, along with Mts. Temple, Sheol, Aberdeen, Lefroy, and Haddo Pk. With binoculars one can pick out determined scramblers inching their way up the southwest ridge of Mt. Temple. Looking over the edge towards the lake, it appears that one could descend the mountain on this side. However, a metal plaque bolted to a rock at the summit specifically warns you not to do so. Hidden or unstable cliffs is probably the reason.
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