Hiking Helen Lake Trail in the Canadian Rockies

Helen Lake Trail in the Alberta Rocky Mountains is one of the most beautiful day hikes I’ve ever been on. What makes this hike amazing is that it’s not just the end of the hike when you get the big view. The views are amazing from start to finish! The path is lined with beautiful forest and alpine vegetation. There are small streams that cross the trail (and one big one). The mountain views are breathtaking the whole way up. Near the end, you arrive in an alpine meadow filled with beautiful wildflowers and surrounded with 360 degrees of mountains. You get so many views in only a few hours of hiking! If you are visiting the Banff or Jaspar area of the Rockies, I highly recommend you make Helen Lake Trail part of your itinerary!

My partner and I competed this hike as part of our budget Canadian Rockies road trip last summer. We were able to spend a whole week in the Canadian Rockies for only $790 per person, all expenses included! If you’d like to read more about how we planned our trip to the Rockies on a budget and see our cost breakdown you can read the full post here.

Planning on visiting the Canadian Rockies? Check out my One Week in the Canadian Rockies trip itinerary!

About Helen Lake Trail

Helen Lake Trail is a beautiful day hike accessed from the Icefields Parkway. The Length of the trail is 12.6 km and the elevation gain is approximately 559 m (All Trails). The whole hike only took us about four and a half hours to complete, including a break for lunch at the top. You will want to make sure you have waterproof footwear for this trail because you will have to cross a number of small streams, as well as one big one. I also recommend using hiking poles on this trail, they were really helpful when crossing the larger stream. You’ll also want to bring bear safety equipment, such as bear spray and a bear bell. Remember that you are hiking to a higher elevation and dress appropriately with layers.

Location

Helen Lake Trail is located along the Icefields Parkway, about an hour’s drive from Banff, Alberta. Accessing the Icefields Parkway does require a park pass, which can be purchased ahead of time or at the booth you pass to enter the Parkway. There is no cell reception along the Icefields Parkway so make sure you have maps downloaded beforehand and that someone knows where you are going and when you are expected back. The trailhead is located across from the Crowfoot Glacier Viewpoint, on the east side of the Icefields Parkway.

Looking for more great day hikes in the Canadian Rockies? Check out Path of the Glacier Trail in Jasper National park for close-up views of 2 glaciers!

Hiking Helen Lake Trail

Going Up

The first section of Helen Lake Trail is forested on both sides. There are lots of exposed tree roots so make sure to watch your step! Several small streams also cross the path in this section, but they can easily be stepped over.

When you get further up the trail, you will pass a section of burned trees. This is a controlled burn that was done to help keep the forest healthy! There is a little sign that explains this and I thought it was quite interesting to see.

When you get higher in elevation, the trees get smaller and you see more alpine vegetation. At this point the trees on the right part to reveal amazing mountain views!

In this section of the trail, you start to see colorful alpine flowers.

The trail turns away from the steep mountain side and takes you towards the alpine meadows.

To get to the meadows, you will have to cross this larger stream. When I was there, the water level required you to submerge most of your feet to cross. This is why it is very important for this trail that you have waterproof footwear! The current of the stream was quite strong, and when combined with the slipperiness of the submerged rocks, it was very easy to slip. Having hiking poles made it much easier to cross because you can anchor yourself as you take steps.

You are now in the meadows! Make sure to stay on the path so as not to disturb the natural vegetation. As you walk up towards Helen Lake, a picturesque mountain view is forming behind you!

At the Lake and the Meadow

As you come up towards Helen Lake you can choose to end your hike or continue up a steep trail to view the lake from above. The trail also continues to the longer hike of Dolomite Pass.

The lake is a nice place to have a snack before heading back down. The lake and meadow are above the tree line so it can get very windy and quite cold (as evidenced by the snow). If you plan on hanging out here for a while, you’ll want to have a warm layer with you to put on.

The main draw of the Helen Lake Trail is not the lake itself, but the breathtaking meadows around it. Every direction you look while in the meadows offers unique mountain views.

When you look up close, you can see that all the white dots in the meadows are actually tiny flowers.

Going Down

When you walk back down the trail you will be able to fully enjoy the mountain views that were behind you on your way up through the meadow.

Every way you look there is a stunning view!

Would you hike Helen Lake Trail?

What do you think of this trail? If you’ve hiked this trail before I’d love to hear your experience! Helen Lake Trail is my favorite day hike so far! I’d love to try some more amazing hikes.

Comment your favorite hike below!

Looking for more great day hikes in the Canadian Rockies? Check out Path of the Glacier Trail in Jasper National park for close-up views of 2 glaciers!