Any peak along the Icefields Parkway offers spectacular views of neighouring peaks, alpine lakes and glaciers. I’ve only tackled a few (like Cirque Peak, Dolomite, Mount Jimmy Simpson) so I still have plenty to explore.
North Crowfoot Peak was my destination on this particular Saturday because I wanted shorter day. The stats are roughly 12 kilometres with about 900 metres gain.
I left Calgary at a decent hour, and reached the parking lot at the Num-ti-jah lodge, where I parked near two guys who were also heading to North Crowfoot.
I followed the trail around Bow Lake, crossing the chockstone on the way to Bow Hut. (Reminder: A chockstone is “a stone, ranging in size from a boulder to a pebble, which has become wedged in a vertical fissure or cleft.”
That was as much as I remembered about the route. I had mistakenly misfiled the route, and I didn’t find it until the hike was over.
After a few wrong turns, I decided to wait for the two hikers I’d met earlier. I climbed up and around a cliff band while I waited, and soon Alfred and Tom caught up with me. They were super friendly and welcomed me to join them.
The trail was pretty straightforward, and we could see someone on the ridge in the distance. It wasn’t super technical – just some scree and rubble.
The higher we got, the more snow and the chillier the morning became. I was so happy that I dressed for winter (even though it wasn’t technically fall yet). The views of Iceberg Lake, the Onion and the Wapta glacier got even better as we headed first to North Crowfoot ridge. Alfred pointed out Mount Jimmy Simpson, and I told them they have to add it to their list in 2025.
While we were descending the ridge, we heard a loud noise. We thought it was likely an avalanche but later I learned some rocks had come down from Bow Glacier Falls (sending hikers rushing for safety). It doesn’t sound like anyone was hurt.
After a few minutes at the ridge, we trekked over and up to the summit. This part was a little slippery because of the rocks and the recent snow. There was a short easy scramble to the north peak summit. We looked wistfully over at the snowy north summit of Crowfoot Mountain but knew it would have to wait another day.
I read several reviews that this route involved a lot of bushwhacking and route-finding. Despite not having a downloaded map, the route turned out to be manageable—a choose-your-own-adventure kind of trek. I was grateful for the company (and their map) as we approached the summit. We were moving a bit slower than I was used to, and it got quite cold, so I ended up borrowing a second pair of gloves to keep warm.
Fun day that started a little annoying (not finding my map) but it turned out great. The snow felt like a bonus – adding a splash of character to our photos.