Duration: 5 hours round trip
Distance: 16.5 km round trip
Total ascent: 1026m
Maximum elevation: 2946m
Hiking Cirque Peak was a quick decision made after our original plan of hiking Mount Weed fell through because we were unable to find the trailhead. We turned to Scrambles in the Canadian Rockies by Alan Kane in search of another hike nearby. Since we had wasted time wandering around the base of Mount Weed, we got a late start hiking Cirque Peak, setting off at 2pm. Apparently the trail is often closed due to grizzly activity, but there were no signs at the trailhead warning us not to proceed.
The approach is long, as you skirt around the base of Crystal Ridge. It is an easy start to the hike, as there is little elevation gain. Estimating from the distance and elevation graphs of the hike, we gained approximately 400m over roughly 6km. I found myself looking down at my feet a lot because you have to be constantly vigilant of where you are stepping or else you will trip on one of the plethora of tree roots snaking across the path. Frequent hopping across trickling streams added interest to the otherwise straightforward trail. I became more and more surprised that we had not yet reached Lake Helen, which I knew was ahead.
When we rounded a corner, there was a substantial area that had been burned by forest fire. The blackened matchstick remains of the trees were an unpleasant sight.
A hiker approached with a cat perched on his shoulder. I'm sure I did a double take at his unusual hiking companion.
When we rounded the southeastern part of the base of Crystal Peak, we could see Dolomite Peak to our right across the valley, which is another hike we had read about in Scrambles in the Canadian Rockies. As we continued on our approach to Helen Lake, we passed through a section that was rife with wildflowers. The scenery had the distinct look of the alpine now.
When we finally reached Helen Lake, we stopped for a snack. There was a group of horseback riders and they had brought horseflies with them, which were a nuisance.
This is where the hike of Cirque Peak really began. I was less than enthused to trudge through scree; however, I was pleasantly surprised to find the rocks were more packed that I had expected. With my legs tired from hiking the day before, the ascent felt especially challenging.
When we reached the summit, I was irked to find it was actually a false summit. The true summit was a very short climb away, and we were standing at the top in just a few minutes. All around were snowcapped mountains and valleys dotted with glacial lakes.
What had been a busy trail on our ascent was now abandoned. We passed a pair of hikers ambling their way towards the peak just after we began our descent, but we saw almost nobody else on our return trip. As we got near the base of Cirque Peak, we spotted a marmot. We were able to get quite close before he was spooked. This was the biggest marmot I had ever seen; it was easily the size of a house cat, whereas most marmots I have encountered are not much bigger than a squirrel.
Hiking around the base of Crystal Ridge felt somewhat tedious on the approach and even more so on the return. As we became more tired and hungry, the trail started to feel like it was never-ending and we became antsy about reaching the parking lot.
While it was not the day we had initially planned, I have no complaints about how the day turned out. The reward to hiking Cirque Peak far outweighs the effort, as it is a relatively easy hike with a superior view.