Canadian Rockies – Page 20 – The (Mostly) True Adventures of Lupe

The Berg Lake Trail, Mount Robson Provincial Park, British Columbia, Canada (7-30-13)

Mt. Robson at 12,972 feet is the highest peak in the Canadian Rockies (though not in all of Canada). Gorgeous Berg Lake lies at the base of the N face of Mt. Robson at the end of a 21 km trail which passes through the Valley of a Thousand Falls. Although there is a campground at Berg Lake, dogs are not allowed to stay overnight. So Lupe made the entire 42 km round trip as a long day hike. Many other trails are located in the Berg Lake area which would be fun to explore. At 53.11 °N, Berg Lake is as far N as Lupe has ever been.

The Berg Lake trailhead is located on the Robson River at the end of a 3 km gravel road N of the Mt. Robson Provincial Park Visitor Center in British Columbia, Canada. The visitor center is about 55 miles W of the town of Jasper, Alberta along the Yellowhead Highway No. 16.

This was a patchy cloudy and foggy morning in Jasper. SPHP checked the weather forecast at the visitor center shortly after it opened, and was pleasantly surprised to learn the forecast was for sunny skies and 22 °C (72 °F). With this encouragement, Lupe and SPHP headed W on the Yellowhead Highway to Mt. Robson Provincial Park. Sure enough, shortly after leaving Jasper the skies cleared and the fog was left behind. It was a perfect day – cool, comfortable and clear.

Mt. Robson and the Mt. Robson Provincial Park Visitor Center

SPHP stopped in at the Mount Robson Provincial Park visitor center to register and get a free map of the Berg Lake trail. From there it was a short drive to the Berg Lake trailhead. There were lots of people and vehicles around, but SPHP found a place to park the G6. Sometime between 10:30 and 11:00 AM, Lupe crossed the bridge over the beautiful rushing Robson River and set off along the Berg Lake trail through a shady cedar forest.

The Robson River near the Berg Lake Trailhead. — The Robson River near the Berg Lake trailhead.

It was an easy stroll following the river, since the elevation gain was gradual. Before too long Lupe and SPHP fell in with another hiker, a young man from Calgary named Jason. Jason had saved up money and then gone on a 5 month trip by himself to South America from the prior December to May. He had visited Argentina, Chile, Bolivia, and the Amazon rain forest (although not Brazil). Sometime during this trip he had taken time to fly to Fiji to see his parents, who were also traveling.

The cedar forest along the Berg Lake trail.

Jason intended to hike just the first 5 or 6 km of the Berg Lake trail as far as Kinney Lake (the first major trail objective), since he was actually on his way to Vancouver. SPHP found Jason’s tales about his travels very interesting. Lupe trotted along keeping a sharp watch for squirrels while Jason and SPHP chatted. It seemed like Kinney Lake was reached in no time at all. Jason turned back and Lupe and SPHP continued on following the trail, which now went up and down in the forest above the E shore of Kinney Lake.

Lupe in the cedar forest near Kinney Lake.

Past Kinney Lake the trail continued into the Valley of A Thousand Falls. It was all very beautiful. SPHP enjoyed seeing Lupe crossing a fun swinging bridge over the Robson River. The trail started rising steeply once Lupe got to the area of the three main waterfalls a few km above Kinney Lake. Lupe came first to White Falls, then Falls of the Pool, and finally Emperor Falls.

Lupe after a successful crossing of the swinging bridge beyond Kinney Lake.

Valley of a Thousand Falls from the Robson River.

The falls were all spectacular and powerful, but the hike up started seeming long and hard. The trail was steep, it was rather warm out, and swarms of biting flies descended upon Lupe and SPHP at every stop for a breather. SPHP swatted hundreds of flies dead, but it was no use – their numbers were endless. The only real defense was to press steadily along.

The trail continued to climb after Lupe passed Emperor Falls, but not quite as steeply. Eventually it leveled out a great deal, and the climb was much more gradual making the trek far more enjoyable again. Lupe came to a wide valley with various streams of the braided Robson River meandering through it sparkling in the sun. A bit farther along, Lupe came to a barren rocky landscape which was mostly dry. By then there was a good view of Mt. Robson. The Berg and Mist glaciers could be seen coming down the mountain.

Above Emperor Falls approaching Mt. Robson.

Mt. Robson from the Berg Lake trail. — Mt. Robson and the Mist Glacier from the Berg Lake trail.

Lupe approaches the S end of Berg Lake. Berg Glacier is now in view.

Just past the dry rocky area Lupe crested a small ridge and finally saw Berg Lake ahead. The trail went into a stunted forest and continued N above the W shore of the lake. At the far N end of Berg Lake, Lupe and SPHP reached the campground 21 km from the trailhead where Lupe had started. Lupe and SPHP left the trail and went down to join others on the rocky N beach of Berg Lake.

Lupe on the N beach of Berg Lake. Mt. Robson and Berg Glacier across the lake. The Mist Glacier is also at the right side of the photo.

The Berg Glacier on Mt. Robson goes right down into Berg Lake.

The view of Mt. Robson (12,972 ft.) towering over Berg Lake was stupendous. Lupe and SPHP had a clear view of the Berg and Mist glaciers. Little icebergs that had calved off into Berg Lake from the Berg Glacier were floating in a line heading NW across the lake towards Lupe, driven by a breeze coming from the mountain. Lupe posed for some photos with Berg Lake, the glaciers and Mt. Robson in the background. She was hungry too, and eagerly devoured the Taste of the Wild SPHP had brought along for her.

Something catches Lupe's attention at Berg Lake. — Something catches Lupe’s attention at Berg Lake. Or perhaps she is thinking of going on to the Robson Glacier in the direction she is looking. Unfortunately, there wasn’t time for that.

SPHP would have liked to have gone on further. A few more kilometers would have brought Lupe to the third and most impressive glacier on Mt. Robson – the Robson glacier, which fills a valley and looks like the typical image of a long flowing river of ice the word glacier conjures up. What really would have been great was to spend the evening admiring Mt. Robson, camp out at the campground overnight, and spend the next day exploring the area. The map showed lots of interesting trails around.

However, the reality was that dogs aren’t allowed to camp there overnight. Pre-registration is required even for the humans. Lupe and SPHP could not stay. It was already late afternoon and another 21 km trek had to be made back out to the G6 to end the day. Lupe and SPHP lingered on the N beach of Berg Lake admiring Mt. Robson for quite a while. This was the farthest N (53.11°) Lupe had ever been and it was gorgeous! Inevitably though, the time came to leave.

Mt. Robson, Berg Lake & the Mist Glacier.

Reluctantly, Lupe and SPHP set off on the 21 km journey back to the G6. The return hike was long, but very enjoyable. Since it was getting late in the day, there were fewer and fewer people on the trails. The scenery was even more beautiful in the evening light as the shadows of the mountains grew. It certainly didn’t hurt that the way back was downhill either, for SPHP was feeling the effects of the long day.

Heading back. Whitehorn Mountain and the braided stream of the Robson River above Emperor Falls. — Heading back. **Whitehorn Mountain** **(11,152 ft.)** and the braided stream of the Robson River above Emperor Falls.

It was 11:18 PM and 59 °F when Lupe finally got back to the G6. Even at that late hour, that far N there was still a faint twilight in the sky, but it had been pretty dark out in the cedar forest. Lupe and SPHP had hardly eaten anything all day, so SPHP fixed up Lupe’s bed in the G6, let her leap in for a well deserved rest and gave her some Alpo. She was pretty famished and devoured 3/4 of a can before she was full and ready to snooze. SPHP had a Zone bar to get the blood sugar up. Then Lupe and SPHP went to sleep right there in the G6 at the Mt. Robson trailhead.

The glorious 42 km round trip trek to see Berg Lake and Mt. Robson was the final really long day hike of Lupe’s 2013 Dingo Vacation to the Beartooths and the Canadian Rockies. At daybreak the next morning, SPHP started the G6 up and began the long drive S back home to the States. It’s always a bit sad when it’s time to turn around, although there were still a few other stops and shorter hikes to come before Lupe left Canada.

Perhaps Lupe and SPHP will return some day and get an early enough start to not only reach Berg Lake again, but press on to the Robson Glacier! Driving S, SPHP thought about that, and about the even bigger dream of going on even further to see Alaska and the Yukon. Lupe just sat up on her perch enjoying the ride, sniffing the air through the partially open window, and watching for the next adventure – which as far as she knew might be right around the next bend.

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Cirque Peak, Banff National Park, Canada (7-27-14)

The hike up to the summit of Cirque Peak (9,820 ft.) in Banff National Park was recommended by a couple of friendly Canadians that Lupe and SPHP ran into on a different trail a couple days before. Those Canadians really knew what they were talking about! This is a fairly long day hike, but the scenery is absolutely wonderful. From the summit of Cirque Peak are splendid 360° views. The most impressive of all is the view to the SW of Bow Lake, Bow Glacier Falls, and another even higher little lake and falls all fed by the giant Wapta Icefield.

The trailhead for this hike is the Helen Lake Trailhead along the E side of the Icefields Parkway Hwy 93. It is located directly across the highway from the pullout for viewing the Crowfoot Glacier at the S end of Bow Lake.

Lupe got off to an early start on this fabulous hike, leaving from the Helen Lake Trailhead at 6:45 AM. The skies were totally clear, the wind non-existent, and it was a crisp 39 °F out.

The first part of the 14.5 km hike to Cirque Peak is the 6 km trek to Helen Lake, which basically consists of two parts. On the first part, the trail starts out climbing fairly steeply through the forest. Pretty soon the rate of climb slackens and the trail gradually works its way SSE towards the S end of the high ridge to the E. Through occasional breaks in the forest, increasingly impressive views of the Crowfoot Glacier to the SSW, Bow Peak to the S, and Mt. Andromache and Mt. Hector to the SSE are seen as the trail gains elevation.

Bow Peak (R) and Mt. Hector (Center) from the Helen Lake Trail — **Mt. Andromache** **(9,829 ft.)** (L), **Mt. Hector (11,135 ft.)** (Center L), and **Bow Peak (9,318 ft.)** (R) from the Helen Lake Trail.

About 1/2 way to Helen Lake, the trail finally rounds the S end of the ridge to the E and the view changes. A large deep valley heads up towards Cirque Peak now visible to the N. Dolomite Peak, which has somewhat the appearance of the spine of a Stegosaurus with the top of the N end of the spine snapped off, lies to the E of the valley.

Dolomite Mountain to the E of the Helen Lake Trail. — **Dolomite Peak** **(9,383 ft.)** to the E of the Helen Lake Trail.

Cirque Mountain looms to the NNE shortly after the Helen Lake Trail rounds the S end of the ridge. — Cirque Peak looms ahead to the N shortly after the Helen Lake Trail rounds the S end of the ridge.

The trail is already pretty high up on the W side of the valley, near the tree line. It heads N towards Cirque Peak, now along the E side of the ridge the trail just rounded. The valley below to the E is heavily forested, but the trail ahead goes through stretches of open heather, stunted forests and scattered trees. The trail is now nearly level for a fairly long stretch, and even has a few occasional drops as well. Numerous hoary marmots whistle their alarms as one approaches, which greatly interested Lupe.

Lupe cools off in the creek near Helen Lake, Banff National Park — The creek below Helen Lake along the Helen Lake Trail, Banff National Park

Lupe gets refreshed in the creek near Helen Lake, Banff National Park, Canada

Eventually the trail resumes its climb and rises above tree line, crossing open heather while gaining elevation at a comfortable pace. Lupe came to a nice creek flowing through a small ravine where she was able to cool off and get a good drink.

Lupe on the Helen Lake Trail. Mt, Andromache (L) and Mt. Hector (R) to the S. — Lupe on the Helen Lake Trail. Mt. Andromache (Center L) and Mt. Hector (Center) to the S.

Soon after crossing the creek, the trail comes over a ridge from which Helen Lake can be seen just ahead. A headwall is visible not far to the N and E of Helen Lake. The long rocky S ridge coming down from the summit of Cirque Peak is seen above the headwall. Helen Lake itself seemed more like a pretty green pond than a lake. It just wasn’t terribly big. Something (small fish?) seemed to be hitting the surface of the still waters of Helen Lake while Lupe trotted by heading E on the trail above the S shore.

Helen Lake (R) comes into view below Cirque Peak. Banff National Park, Canada. — Lupe reaches Helen Lake below Cirque Peak. Dolomite Pass is beyond the headwall at the right side of the photo. Banff National Park, Canada.

Lupe met the first other hiker of the day at Helen Lake. A fisherman looking to catch a few cutthroat trout was heading for considerably larger Katherine Lake on the other side of Dolomite Pass. He overtook SPHP, but stopped briefly to chat and pat Lupe before continuing on. Lupe continued on as well and followed the trail up over the headwall to the E of Helen Lake reaching the start of the Dolomite Pass area.

Cirque Peak from Dolomite Pass, Banff National Park, Canada

At Dolomite Pass, it was time to leave the trail. The trail continued over the pass to the E, but Cirque Peak was now almost due N. A broad rocky plain with little vegetation stretched off to the N gradually losing elevation until it got close to the S ridge coming down from Cirque Peak. SPHP did not notice any clear trail or cairns suggesting which way to go. So SPHP was uncertain whether to try to go up the toe of the S ridge or up the side of it a bit to the NE of the toe, but decided to head N and try the side of the ridge.

Now N of Dolomite Pass, Lupe cools off in "Gnat Pond" at the base of Cirque Peak. — Now N of Dolomite Pass, Lupe cools off in “Gnat Pond” at the base of Cirque Peak.

After a pleasant easy stroll across the rocky plain, Lupe and SPHP arrived at a very shallow pond at the base of the S ridge a bit NE of the toe. There was water in the cracks between the rocks around the pond from which clouds of gnats swarmed up. SPHP led Lupe around the E side of the pond and over to the S ridge.

The rocks forming the side of the S ridge looked a lot bigger than they had from a distance. In fact, they were boulders of various sizes. It didn’t look like too hard a climb to get up on the ridge though, so Lupe and SPHP started scrambling up the side of the ridge. The ridge had several little false summits and near the real top there were rock walls. However, after some false starts and various explorations, the top of the ridge was gained.

The SW ridge leading up to Cirque Peak. — The S ridge leading up to Cirque Peak.

Once on top of the S ridge, the way up Cirque Peak was obvious – just follow the ridge right on up. The ridge was pretty broad, there were several unmaintained trails, and the rocks on top of the ridge were nearly all small – not boulders – so it was easy to just keep trudging on up the mountain. Lung capacity was the only limiting factor. However, lung capacity quickly came into play, as the long climb up the ridge became progressively steeper.

The small loose rocks and mud forming the ridge started to give way beneath every step. Even Lupe was sending showers of small rocks sliding as she climbed. SPHP felt guilty about greatly increasing the erosion rate just by struggling up the mountain. The slope of the mountain near the top seemed to be the maximum slope that the laws of physics would allow for such a loose pile of dirt and rock to even support itself.

Near the very top of Cirque Peak, the loose rock finally met up with a 30 to 50 foot layer of dark gray solid rock. Fortunately, the solid rock was not just a wall, and was climbable without any great difficulty. When Lupe reached the summit, there were two people there ahead of her. They had passed Lupe and SPHP on the steepest part of the loose rock not far from the summit a short time before, and were the first to arrive at the summit of Cirque Peak this day. They said they were originally from Hungary, but were now living in Canada.

Lupe checks out the view to the NW towards Peyto Lake from Cirque Peak. — Lupe checks out the view to the SSW towards the Crowfoot Glacier and the S end of Bow Lake from the false summit of Cirque Peak.

The Hungarians quickly pointed out that technically Lupe and SPHP were still only at a false summit. The true summit of Cirque Peak was a slightly higher rocky crag just a short distance to the E. The Hungarians had already been there. Lupe and SPHP rested and had some water at the false summit while the Hungarians were still there.

The false summit area wasn’t terribly big and was almost completely surrounded by cliffs or very long steep slopes. Fortunately, there were some good solid rocks providing relatively comfortable and secure perches. It felt like being up in a small plane with so much air around in every direction.

Dolomite Peak, Mt. Andromache & Mt. Hector to the S from Cirque Peak. — Dolomite Peak, Mt. Andromache & Mt. Hector (progressively more distant near the center of the photo) to the SSE from Cirque Peak.

The views from Cirque Peak were spectacular in every direction. To the S were Dolomite Peak, Mt. Andromache, Mt. Hector, and way off in the distance was a glimpse of Mt. Assiniboine (11,864 ft.). Far below was “Gnat Pond” at the base of the S ridge of Cirque Peak, and even farther below was Helen Lake. Portions of Katherine Lake were visible beyond Dolomite Pass.

View to the N from Cirque Peak. A portion of Peyto Lake is visible at the left side of this photo.

To the E was a broad expanse of air before reaching jagged mountains beyond a deep valley. To the N, a snowfield or small glacier lay far, far below Lupe and SPHP at the base of the towering N cliffs of Cirque Peak. A thin, treacherous ridge extended NW from Cirque Peak just to the W of the snowfield. Beyond were more mountains and Peyto Lake in the distance.

Bow Lake, Bow Glacier Falls & the Wapta Icefield from Cirque Peak.

The most magnificent view of all though lay to the SW. Most of Bow Lake was in sight and beyond it Bow Glacier Falls. A lake Lupe and SPHP had never seen before was above Bow Glacier Falls, and another waterfall plunged into it from the Bow Glacier extending out from the vast expanse of the Wapta Icefield.

Lupe on the true summit of Cirque Peak and the view to the E.

Once the Hungarians started down, Lupe and SPHP worked their way over to the true summit of Cirque Peak. This involved a climb down of maybe 20 to 30 feet, traversing a fairly narrow saddle with dizzying drops on either side, and an easy climb up a craggy knob slightly higher than the false summit to the W.

The rocky E crag that is the true summit of Cirque Peak. NOT a good place to race around chasing squirrels!

Incredibly, after reaching the true summit, Lupe found a squirrel way up here and about gave SPHP a heart attack by chasing it around the rocks oblivious to the cliffs all around her. Lupe was quickly brought under control again and taken back to the false summit for a more secure vantage point from which to appreciate the stupendous scenery.

Conditions on Cirque Peak were near perfect. The sky was now partly cloudy, but mostly sunny and non-threatening. Amazingly, there was no wind at all most of the time, just a gentle breeze that came up now and then. Temperatures were in the upper 50’s or low 60’s. Visibility was wonderful. Lupe remained on top of Cirque Peak as long as she and SPHP were the only ones up there, which was quite some time.

The SW ridge, the way back down Cirque Peak, as seen from the top. "Gnat Pond" (L) and Helen Lake (Center L) far below. — The S ridge, the way back down Cirque Peak, as seen from just below the solid rock layer at the top. “Gnat Pond” (L) and Helen Lake (Center L) far below.

Visible below, however, were lots of hikers strung out all along the SW ridge making their way steadily up. When the next hikers finally got close, Lupe started down Cirque Peak just in time to get off the layer of solid rock before meeting up with the next party and their dog, Ella, at the very top of the steep slope of loose rocks.

Lupe meets Ella and her humans at the base of the solid rock layer which forms the summit of Cirque Peak.

Even more loose rocks showered down the steep upper slopes of Cirque Peak on the way down than on the way up. Lupe had to lose a lot of elevation before reaching firm footing again. On the way back down, SPHP learned that the proper route onto the S ridge was NOT the climb over the boulders above the shallow pond, but via an unmaintained trail heading N along the top of the headwall E of Helen Lake.

This trail eventually winds its way up onto the rocky toe of the S ridge. There were cairns along the headwall marking the path, but SPHP had gone too far E to have noticed them on the way up. Lupe and SPHP followed other hikers down off the S ridge via this route and saw that it was much superior to the way they’d come up in the morning.

Dolomite Peak (which SPHP thinks looks like a Stegosaurus with the N end of the spine snapped off) and Mt. Hector from the SW ridge of Cirque Peak. — Dolomite Peak (which SPHP thinks looks like a Stegosaurus with the N end of the spine snapped off) and Mt. Hector from the S ridge of Cirque Peak.

The rest of the hike back to the Helen Lake Trailhead was just retracing the hike up earlier in the day. There were lots of people around on the way back, compared to virtually none on the way up. Lupe arrived back at the trailhead at 4:54 PM. It was 68 °F, partly cloudy and calm. Lupe and SPHP headed to the picnic ground near the S end of Bow Lake for a shared evening meal of sardines. Then it was time for a bit of relaxation soaking tired paws and feet in the cold lake while watching sunlight sparkle brilliantly on the waves.

This photo of Bow Lake showing the Crowfoot Glacier was taken on 7-25-13 on Lupe's 2013 Dingo Vacation to Canada. — This photo of Bow Lake showing the Crowfoot Glacier was taken on 7-25-13 on Lupe’s 2013 Dingo Vacation to Canada.

P1050127 — The Crowfoot Glacier above the S end of Bow Lake on 7-25-13. This photo was taken not far from the picnic ground near the S end of Bow Lake on Lupe’s prior 2013 Dingo Vacation to the Canadian Rockies.

Lupe and SPHP strongly recommend the hike up Cirque Peak if conditions are good. The fantastic views are well worth the effort. However, under wet conditions, the hike up the S ridge of Cirque Peak is probably a horrible muddy slog to be avoided, even if visibility is acceptable.

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Mount Jimmy Simpson, Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada (8-6-18)

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