The Helen Lake Trail is one of the most popular hikes along the Icefields Parkway in Banff National Park. A moderate hike in both difficulty and distance, the Helen Lake hike is extraordinarily scenic, with a wide variety of mountain, lake and glacier views along the entire path.
Helen Lake Trail – Quick Details
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Helen Lake Trail Highlights
From the trailhead, the Helen Lake Trail begins with a steep uphill along a wide trail. The trail leads you through a forest of pine, with a moss carpet and wildflowers growing wherever the sunlight allows. The trail has a ton of roots on it, in fact I can’t recall any other hiking trail in Banff National Park which has so many tree roots on the hiking trail!
After 400 m / 1,300 feet the trail flattens out just a little bit – just long enough to enjoy some views of the alpine zone on Crystal Ridge. You’ll be working your way around the south-east shoulder of Crystal Ridge, so you’ll be seeing a lot of it on the Helen Lake hike.
Shortly afterwards, the first of many cute little streams cuts its way across the Helen Lake hiking trail. This one is narrow enough that you can just step over it. The trail flattens again as you cross the second creek – this time using some rocks as stepping stones.
After the second creek, start looking through the trees on your right as you’ll start to see glimpses of the Crowfoot Glacier on the slopes of Crowfoot Mountain (3,050 m). (At this stage of this hike, I made another note about how many tree roots there are – it’s really quite remarkable!)
The Helen Lake trail continues climbing the southern slopes of Crystal Ridge as you cross several more streams. Don’t worry about the streams – none are wide enough to risk getting your hiking shoes wet. There are sporadic meadows throughout the forest, often offering a burst of color with many types of wildflowers growing.
After 1.7 km / 1 mile, the Helen Lake trail turns north and becomes quite steep as you near the shoulder of Crystal Ridge. From here, you’ll start to see your first views of Bowcrow Peak (2,957 m). Bowcrow is sandwiched in-between Crowfoot Mountain and Bow Peak, so the name is quite fitting!
You’ll also get your first glimpse of Bow Lake from here – on a sunny day it’s remarkable how turquoise blue the water is. I’ve never noticed that water color on Bow Lake from the ground level before. That’s one of the best perks about hiking higher in Banff – the lake water color always gets so much better!
At the 2.1 km / 1.3 mile mark, you’ll reach a clearing where you can now see Bowcrow Peak as well as Bow Peak (2,875 m). The hiking trail is still a steady uphill, but along this stretch there are lots of big rocks mixed in with the ongoing tree roots.
400 m later, you’ll reach the best viewpoint on the front half of the Helen Lake hike. From here you can see the entire collection of mountains and lakes you’ve seen so far: Bow Lake, Crowfoot Glacier, Crowfoot Mountain, Bowcrow Peak and Bow Peak all in one amazing vista!
Once you are done soaking in the views, the Helen Lake trail begins to wrap around the shoulder of Crystal Ridge. There must have been a small forest fire here, judging by the (thankfully) small patch of burnt out trees.
Once you start nearing the end of the sharp turn around the shoulder of Crystal Ridge, views start opening up looking south along the Icefields Parkway. From this vantage point, you can see Hector Peak (3,394 m) and Mount Andromache (3,002 m).
The Helen Lake trail is completely around the bend of the shoulder by the 3.1 km / 1.9 mile mark. Take a moment to soak in a few last views of the Crowfoot Glacier and Bow Lake before beginning the second half of this very scenic hike.
Heading north now, the incredibly showy Dolomite Peak (2,782 m) becomes a constant companion on your right-hand side. Dolomite Peak reminds me a lot of Castle Mountain, which is one of my favorite mountains in Banff National Park. With little tree cover here, the mountain vistas extend from Hector Peak, past Dolomite Peak, all the way to Cirque Peak (2,993 m).
The Helen Lake hiking trail flattens out quite a bit here, allowing you to take more time to look around and enjoy the views as you hike. As we were looking around, we saw a grouse walking along the edge of the forest, and a bald eagle flying up high near Crystal Ridge (you are looking at the back side of it now).
There’s a waterfall at the far end of Dolomite Peak that you can hear for quite a while. A lack of trees means more opportunities for wildflowers to grow. In fact, Helen Lake is often considered one of the best wildflower hikes in Banff. When we did it in mid-August, it felt like we had missed the peak wildflowers on this trail. They were still pretty impressive though.
The walking is fun and easy on this stretch of the Helen Lake trail. Around the 5 km / 3.1 mile mark, you’ll suddenly come across a stunning river and gently cascading waterfall. We stopped for lots of pictures here, and I’m sure you will too.
After crossing the bridge over the scenic river, the trail now leads you toward Helen Lake and Cirque Peak though a nearly treeless meadow, with only a few tiny evergreens daring to grow. You can really admire the bands of colored rock on the upper slopes of Cirque Peak.
As you near Helen Lake, we were impressed by the number of wildflowers growing in the open meadow, but again, we could see evidence that we missed the peak.
After 6 km / 3.7 miles of highly enjoyable, scenic hiking, we reached Helen Lake. I was instantly surprised at how much smaller it was than I was expecting – haha!
Helen Lake sits at the base of Cirque Peak, surrounded by grassy meadows, with the exception of a rocky hill on the back left. Truthfully, Helen Lake is not the most beautiful lake in Banff National Park, but the hike was so incredibly scenic that it hardly matters!
Helen Lake Trailhead
The Helen Lake Trailhead is at the north end of the Helen Lake parking lot along the Icefields Parkway. The parking lot has roughly 30-40 spots, and is too small for the popularity of this hike, so many hikers use the nearby Crowfoot Glacier Viewpoint parking lot as overflow.
The Helen Lake parking lot is 30 minutes from Lake Louise, 1 hour from Banff and nearly 2.5 hours from Calgary. If you are coming from Calgary or Banff, check out the GuideAlong audio driving tour to help make your drive more interesting.
Directions to Helen Lake Parking Lot
Recommended App
This GPS activated Canadian Rockies Audio Driving Tour is the perfect companion to your Banff vacation. It’s both entertaining and educational and will greatly enhance any drive in Banff National Park.
Helen Lake Hike Stats
How Long is the Helen Lake Hike?
The round-trip distance of the Helen Lake trail is 11.7 km (one-way distance of 5.9 km). If you continue past Helen Lake to the top of Cirque Peak, the total round trip distance will be closer to 16.4 km.
How Hard is the Hike to Helen Lake?
Due to the length and incline, we rate the Helen Lake hike as “moderate”.
At 11.7 km long, with 550 m of elevation gain, the Helen Lake trail is too long and steep to be considered an easy Banff hike, yet remains accessible for most regular hikers.
The first 3.2 km / 2 miles of the trail are the most difficult, as you gain roughly 300 m in elevation. From here, the trail starts to level out for a bit, before resuming a gentle climb to reach the lake. As mentioned above, the first half of the trail has a ton of tree roots, requiring you to watch your footing more closely.
How Long Does the Helen Lake Hike Take?
It should take a typical adult 4 hours to hike to Helen Lake. We recently did this hike with our two kids (12 and 10 years old) on our way to the Columbia Icefield and it took us 3.5 hours.
Helen Lake Trail Map
The Helen Lake hiking trail is easy to follow the entire way to the lake. There are not many (if any) trail junctions along the way, so it’s a matter of staying on the trail. That said, it’s always a good idea to have a copy of the map on your phone, as you never know when you will get turned around.
To find the Helen Lake trail map in the AllTrails app, simply click here for the “Helen Lake Trail”. There is no reliable cell service along the Icefields Parkway, so be sure to download your trail map prior to leaving.
A recent App of the Year winner, AllTrails is also one of the best apps for visiting Banff! Enjoy map downloads and many more premium features with a 7-day free trial of AllTrails+!
Hiking HeLen Lake Trail with Kids
If you are visiting Banff with kids, this is an excellent hike for the entire family. With a steady incline and lot of roots, this may be a challenge for kids without much hiking experience, but I believe most kids should be able to make it to the lake.
The second half of the hike to Helen Lake is especially good for hiking with kids. There are few trees, the views are incredible, and there is lots of room for them to run and be crazy kids.
Our kids, who are 12 and 10 years old, have grown up in the mountains, so this hike was a piece of cake for them. That said, they really enjoyed the Helen Lake hike, especially when we spotted the bald eagle while we were looking for mountain goats on Crystal Ridge.
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Don’t miss these other best Banff day-hikes with kids.
Where to Stop for Lunch or a Break
The obvious place to stop for lunch is at the Helen Lake. There’s lots of grass and rocks around the lake to plop down and rest for a bit while soaking in the amazing scenery.
Alternatively, if your day of adventure takes you elsewhere along the Icefields Parkway, there are other picnic spots nearby. For more information, don’t miss our comprehensive guide to the Icefields Parkway.
Helen Lake Hiking Safety
Aside from a few sections with significant roots across the trail, there are relatively few hiking hazards along the Helen Lake hiking trail. The trail is otherwise in good condition as is easy to follow up all the way to the lake.
Wildlife Safety
When hiking in Banff National Park, you are responsible for your own safety. Before hitting the hiking trails we highly recommend you read our Essential Banff Hiking Tips for information about bear safety, trail conditions, wildlife warnings and possible closures.
Helen Lake Trail Logistics
On-leash dogs are allowed on the Helen Lake hike.
Mountain biking is not allowed on the Helen Lake trail.
There are toilets in the parking lot.
Plan to pack plenty of water and snacks for this hike. Fill your hydration packs before you leave.
You won’t get cell service for the entirety of your hike, so don’t count on it for your safety. Download your trail maps beforehand.
What to Bring for Hiking the Helen Lake Trail
As a moderate Banff hike which will take several hours, you should be prepared for any eventuality. Specific to the Helen Lake hike, there are several creek crossings, so water-resistant hiking shoes are not a bad idea. If you have weak ankles, you may prefer a hiking boot to help you manage all the roots on the trail.
Check out our list of Banff hiking essentials and Banff hiking clothes to get the most enjoyment out of your hike, regardless of the variable weather and trail conditions.
Helen Lake is a slightly challenging hike around a gorgeous rocky ridge, to a very scenic meadow with endless mountain views.
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Dan Brewer, a life-long Alberta resident, calls Canmore home along with his wife and two kids. He is the co-owner of Travel Banff Canada, where he gets to share his passion for the Canadian Rocky Mountains. Dan, along with his family, love being outdoors doing one of the many activities they enjoy in the mountains: hiking, mountain biking, paddleboarding, skiing, snowshoeing and cross-country skiing.
When he's not in Canmore enjoying one of his favourite local hikes, you can find him hoping on a plane to explore a new country with his family or working on one of their other two travel sites: Family Can Travel and Baby Can Travel.