Wapta Icefield Glacier Trek

Itinerary

Day 1

The group and guide will meet in the morning in Canmore, Banff, or Lake Louise for a trip briefing and distribution of equipment and food. We will drive via the Icefields Parkway to the trailhead at Bow Lake, 20 minutes north of Lake Louise. The trek starts with a gentle stroll on the lakeshore trail beside the turquoise waters of Bow Lake. After one hour we will depart from the main trail, cross a deep canyon on a spectacular natural rock bridge and head into the moraine landscape below the Bow Glacier. A steeper trail takes us to the Bow Hut (2,350m / 7,700 ft) at the base of Bow Glacier, overlooking Bow Lake and other glaciers surrounding the Wapta Icefield. The Bow Glacier is the source for the mighty Bow River which flows through Banff, Canmore, and Calgary and beyond. (6 km / 3.75 miles, 550m / 1,800 ft climb, ~4 hours walking).

Should there be time remaining in the afternoon, we can take a short hike to the tongue of the Bow Glacier, familiarize ourselves with the glacier travel equipment, and learn about safe glacier travel.

Day 2

We will have an early start in preparation for an exciting day. Roped together, we will ascend the gentle Bow Glacier towards the Continental Divide with magnificent views of the surrounding high peaks like Mt. Gordon, Mt. St. Nicholas, and Mt. Collie. Enroute, we will have the opportunity to drop our packs and climb either Mt. Rhondda North or Mt. Thompson – peaks of about 3,000m / 10,000 ft with great views all the way to Rogers Pass and the Bugaboos. If the group is interested, we will also have time to practice ice climbing or do a crevasse rescue exercise. A first gentle, then steeper descent takes us to the Peter and Catharine Whyte (Peyto) Hut, located just beside the glacier at 2,560m / 8,400 ft. (6 km / 3.75 miles distance, 550 m / 1,800 ft climb, 450m / 1,500 ft descent). For the ascent of Mts. Thompson or Rhondda add 400 m / 1,300 ft climb and descent. The total walking time including an ascent will be about 7 hours.

Day 3

For really keen and fit group members, there will be an option of an early morning ascent of Mount Rhondda South (460 m / 1,500 ft up and down over 4 km / 2.5 miles distance: 3.5 hours return for a fast group in good snow conditions). After that, it is mostly downhill from the Peyto Hut back to the car. The route takes us down the usually snow-free Peyto Glacier past countless glacial creeks and glacier mills – providing a vivid example of glacial retreat. After walking down the glacier tongue, we will hike through the moraine landscape (optional side trip to Cauldron Lake -2 additional hours), descend some steep moraines, cross the glacial outflow on a bridge and reach Peyto Lake, one of the postcard favourites of Banff National Park. As happens so often, the toughest part of the day comes at the end: A 300m / 1,000 ft vertical climb takes us back again into the real world: Hordes of tourists will be waiting for us when we top out at the Peyto Lake overlook. We usually deposit the guide’s car here in order to get back to the Bow Lake trailhead. (370m / 1,200 ft climb, 800m / 2,600 ft descent, 7 km / 4.37 miles)

Please Note

This itinerary can be nicely combined with other mountaineering activities that we offer (rock climbing, scrambling, classic mountain ascents) or with other mountain sports activities (rafting, caving, horseback riding, mountain biking, etc.) to make for an excellent introduction to mountaineering, family, or multi-sport week. Please inquire for a custom trip proposal.

Can I Do It?

The Wapta Icefield Glacier Trek is a strenuous multi-day trek with a combination of hiking on trails (at times steep and gravel covered) and glaciers (at times snow covered). On the glaciers, you will be roped together with your fellow trekkers and your guide. The terrain is not technical and it is relatively gentle, however, the use of crampons will likely be required, especially as snow coverage on the glaciers recedes later in the summer. The crux of the trip can be the creek crossings on the first and last days, which may require wading across knee-deep glacial outflow waters.

Unless you opt to hire a porter, you will have to carry a 40-50 litre (180-210 square inches) backpack weighing about 7 – 9 kg (15 – 20 pounds) depending on how much water you carry for the day.

We will go through an instructional session about glacier travel and crampon / ice axe use on Day 1 or 2. All in all, you need to be in good physical and mental condition, ready to be on your feet for about 7-8 hours per day. If in doubt, give us a call to make sure the Wapta Icefield Glacier Trek is right for you!

What’s Included

Services included in the total price

• Guiding by a certified (ACMG / IFMGA) and insured mountain guide, alpine guide or assistant guide under supervision
• All trip organization, reservations as well as assistance with all pre- and post trip preparations
• Breakfasts and 3-course dinners for the two nights in backcountry huts
• Overnight hut fees for two nights
• Parks Canada wilderness overnight fee
• Technical equipment: ice axe, harness, carabiners, crampons, helmets for ice climbing practice, avalanche safety gear

Not Included

The following are not included but can be quoted separately

• Pre- and post trip lodging in Canmore, Banff, or Lake Louise (from $40 per person per night)
• Airport pick up and drop off at Calgary International Airport (from $55 per person each direction)
• Transport to and from the trailhead
• Lunch and snacks
• Special meal requests will incur an additional fee of $10 / day.
• Any additional cost due to changes in the itinerary, may they be caused by weather, mountain/avalanche conditions or personal preferences.

Climate, Weather, Temperatures

Temperatures can vary greatly on this trip. You might start the hike in shorts at Bow Lake in temperatures around 25°C (77°F) and then face sub-zero temperatures as low as -10°C (14°F) the next morning when stepping on the glacier. We could experience sunny, blue skies on the glacier, but remember that snowfall is a possibility, even in summer months. Be prepared for everything!

The best season for this trip is July to September. For earlier or later departures, we might have to carry snowshoes. If you wanted to do this trip as a ski traverse, have a look at our Wapta Ski Traverse

Getting There

Meeting Point

Depending on your preference, we can meet you on Day 1 of the trek in either a) Canmore or Banff at 7:30 a.m. or b) Lake Louise at 9 a.m. at Laggans Cafe for a trip briefing and distribution of group food and rental gear. From Lake Louise, a 20-minute drive takes us to the trailhead at Bow Lake.

How to get there, closest airport

Banffairporter.com provides regular transport from the Calgary Airport to the Bow Valley (Canmore, Banff, and Lake Louise).

Driving times between the trailhead at Bow Lake and: Calgary 2½ hours, Canmore 1¼ hours, Banff 1 hour, Lake Louise 20 minutes.

Rental cars and taxis are also available in Calgary, Banff, or Canmore:

• Canmore: Enterprise Rent-A-Car  –  Devil’s Gap Expedition  –  National Car Rental
• Banff:  Budget Rent-A-Car  –  Hertz Rent A Car

Canmore Taxi companies:

• Canmore Taxis – Phone: 587-361-2882
• APEX Cabs – Phone: 403-609-0030
• Quick Cab – Phone: 403-679-9999

Banff Taxi companies:

• Taxi Taxi – Phone: 403-762-0000
• Banff Transportation Group Ltd – Phone: 403-762-8400

Hotels / Lodging  we recommend to you in Canmore, AB:

• Coast Hotel
• Basecamp
• Rocky Mountain Ski Lodge
• Georgetown Inn

Wapta Icefield Glacier Trek Equipment List as Downloadable .PDF

Technical Equipment

Bring or rent the following (see ‘Trip Info Links’ at the bottom of this page):

 Mountaineering boots or sturdy, waterproof hiking boots that cover your ankles**
 Backpack (45-65 litres) with rain cover fitted to the pack

If you do not have one or more of the following technical equipment items, OnTop will provide them. Please let us know in advance.

 Ice axe for glacier travel (50-75 cm long)
 Crampons with anti-snowballing plates (usually integrated into modern crampons) that are suitable for your boots. Note: rigid crampons will not work on hiking boots
 Collapsible ski poles
 Harness for glacier travel
 One triple-action locking carabiner or two conventional locking carabiners

Your guide will bring the following:

 Rope for glacier travel
 Crevasse rescue equipment (Prusik cords, webbing, pulleys, auto-locking device)
 General repair kit and Leatherman

Clothing

Temperatures in the Canadian Rockies vary hugely even in the summer months. Between June and September, temperatures can range from lows of 0°C overnight to +15°C during the day, or from +15°C overnight to +30°C during the day in the valley bottoms. Somewhere in between is normal and having several clothing layering options is important. Bring light, technical clothing that doesn’t take much space in your backpack and dries quickly when sweaty or wet.

 Wind and waterproof shell jacket with hood (Gore Tex or similar)
 Wind and waterproof over-pants with side zippers (Gore Tex or similar)
 Mountaineering pants (eg. lightly lined Schoeller fabric or similar)
 Thick fleece or wool pullover, or PrimaLoft jacket
 Medium weight fleece sweater
 Thin synthetic or wool underwear, top and bottoms
 Synthetic or wool t-shirt
 Quick-drying sports bra
 Two pairs of gloves (lightweight and heavier weight)
 Good quality trekking or mountaineering socks (synthetic or wool, thick outer and thin liners)
 Gaiters that fit over your boot (unless pants seal tightly to your boots)
 Light water sandals, croqs with heel straps or running shoes for creek fording (can double up as hut slippers)
 Wool or fleece hat that covers your ears
 Sun hat, preferably with a wide rim
 Bandana or neck gaiter (eg. Buff)

Around the hut

 Sleeping bag – a three season bag is sufficient. Outside temperatures are rarely below freezing in summer. This can be rented from one of the listed retailers.
 Light down jacket or vest
 Spare underwear and socks
 Hut slippers (best use the same light shoes you bring for creek fording as listed above)
 Toiletries (keep to a bare minimum – the huts have minimal washing facilities)
 Ear plugs (recommended)

Other

 Lunch and snacks for three days (eg. sandwiches, candy bars, dried fruit, nuts, etc.)
 Sunglasses with high UV protection
 Sunscreen and lip protection with high SPF
 One or two one-litre water bottles. Water bladders not recommended
 Headlamp with fresh batteries
 Personal first aid kit and other needs (eg. blister kit, prescription medicine, anti-inflammatory, contact lenses, prescription glasses, etc.)
 Pocket knife (optional)
 Health and travel insurance documents
 One or two lightweight garbage bags for extra waterproofing
 Light stuff sacs or Ziploc bags to keep your backpack organized and important items dry (recommended)
 Camera, spare batteries (optional)
 Compass, maps, GPS (optional)
 Hand sanitizer or sanitary hand wipes
 Feminine hygiene supplies
 Toilet paper – small amount for daytime emergencies
 Comfortable clothing and shoes to leave in the car for return to civilization

**Do we need specific boots to fit the crampons or will standard hiking boots do? 

The image below shows pretty well the different types of boots and crampons on the market. The crampons we provide you with are “strap-on” type C1 and the B1 trekking boot with gore-tex-leather laminate is the minimum standard required. If your trip is cold or the snow is very slushy, your feet may be cold and wet at times? The better boot for this trip is the B2-type (Scarpa Charmoz or Sportiva Trango GTX)  for more warmth and a bit stiffer, which makes it easier for the crampons to stick to your boot.

Booking

Please read and fill out this additional Reservation Form and FAQ.

Customize Your Trip

Additional days to extend the Wapta Icefield Glacier Trek are possible on a custom trip basis, and can include the following:

1. One additional night at the Bow Hut would give us more time to include more instruction, like crevasse rescue or self-arrest exercises, or to make an ascent of either Mount Olive or Mount Gordon, both around 3,200 meters / 10,500 ft high and reachable from the Bow Hut in about 6 – 7 hours round trip.
2. The entire Wapta Traverse takes 5 days and includes staying overnight at the Peyto, Bow, Scott Duncan and Balfour Huts. The full traverse is more committing and adds more challenging terrain than our regular 3-day trip and we hence don’t recommend it for families with children under the age of 16.
3. A great compromise that avoids a long, first-day hike into the Peyto Hut is the Wapta Traverse with a Bow Hut start:
   Day 1:  Drive along the Icefield Parkway to the trailhead at Bow Lake. We start out with a gentle stroll on the lakeshore shore trail along the turquoise waters of Bow Lake. After one hour, we depart from the main trail, cross a deep canyon on a spectacular natural rock bridge and head into the morainal landscape below Bow Glacier. A final steeper climb takes us to the Bow Hut, located at 2,350 m / 7,700 ft just off the headwall of Bow Glacier overlooking Bow Lake and other glaciers around the Wapta. 8 km / 3.75 mi, 550m / 1,800 ft climb, 4 hrs walking. Should there be time remaining in the afternoon, we will take a short hike to the tongue of Bow Glacier and familiarize ourselves with the glacier travel equipment. Lodging: Bow Hut
   Day 2: Day trip from Bow Hut: Today we have many options for a mountain ascent on the Wapta Icefield. Given that the next few days will see us heading south it makes the most sense to explore the area to the north and west towards the Peyto Hut. Possible ascents include Mt. Rhondda or Mt. Thompson, both around 3,000 m / 10,000 ft high with awesome views along the glaciated Continental Divide. Mt. Thompson usually features a wind scoop that lends itself to crampon training and crevasse rescue practice. Lodging: Bow Hut
   Day 3: Balfour Hut. The most direct route to the Balfour Hut only takes about 3-4 hours (7 km / 4.3 mi horizontal distance, 580 m / 1,900 ft vertical climb, 430 m / 1,400 ft descent), but we will try to climb one or two peaks along the way. We will ascend the gentle, glaciated slopes underneath the steep walls of Mt. Saint Nicholas onto the crest of the Wapta Icefield. If the weather, conditions, and group motivation are good, we can climb Mt. Gordon (3,200 m / 10,505 ft), which offers great views of the remainder of the traverse and further south all the way to the Bugaboos. Another option is to climb to a col from where we have the option to climb Mt. Saint Nicholas or Mt. Olive. Although they are a little lower than Mt. Gordon, they offer fun ridge scrambling and more challenging mountaineering. From the Nicholas-Olive Col, the descent along the mellow Olive Glacier takes about 2 hours to reach the Balfour Hut at 2,440 m / 8,000 ft. Depending on which option is taken, expect 15 km / 9.4 mi horizontal distance, 1,100 m / 3,600 ft vertical climb and 1,000 m / 3,300 ft descent. Lodging: Balfour Hut
   Day 4: Balfour Hut to Scott Duncan Hut:  The steep ascent on the heavily crevassed Waputik Icefield underneath the north face of Mt. Balfour makes this day the most exciting day of the traverse. From a backpack cache at Balfour High Col (3,020 m / 9,905 ft), we have the option to climb Mt. Balfour, the highest peak on the Wapta Traverse at 3,270 m / 10,725 ft. The ascent requires a bit of scrambling while descending from Balfour High Col towards the long, southern aspect summit slope as well as in the last 10 minutes to the summit along the low angle summit ridge. We then retrace our steps back to the Balfour High Col to pick up our packs. A long, mellow, glaciated descent brings us to the Scott Duncan Hut (2,710 m / 8,900 ft), the highest and smallest of the Wapta Icefield huts. 14 km / 8.75 mi, 1,030 m / 3,380 ft vertical climb, about 300 m / 1,000 ft extra if Mt. Balfour is climbed en route. Lodging: Scott Duncan Hut
   Day 5: Home Run: Niles Col – Sherbrooke Lake – Kicking Horse Pass / TransCanada Highway. We traverse from the hut into Niles Saddle where a long, adventurous descent leads us to Sherbrooke Lake where we pick up the maintained hiking trail along the lake shore. A narrow, winding forest trail eventually spits us back out into civilization at Great Divide Lodge, close to Kicking Horse Pass on the Trans-Canada Highway. We usually arrive there around 3 p.m. Depending on driving arrangements, we might still have to pick up a vehicle at the Bow Lake trailhead. Return time to Banff / Canmore is usually around 5 or 6 p.m. For those with a tight schedule, an airport drop off in Calgary can be arranged for the same evening.

FAQ

Do I need to sign a Release of Liability & Assumption of Risk Agreement (a.ka. liability waiver)?

Yes, you do. Mountaineering, skiing, climbing, hiking, via ferrata and all other wilderness and adventure travel activities are inherently risky with potential for injuries or even death.
It is very important to us that you are aware of those risks before you start the booking process, which includes filling out a booking form and paying a deposit.
With signing the liability waiver, you confirm that you understand the potential risks and hazards, and are willing to accept the risks, which includes giving up legal rights you may have.
This would also be the time to ask questions or address concerns before you book.
For your reference here is a link to our Liability Waiver. Our booking terms & cancellation policy with more details can be found here

Feedback

Wapta Icefield Glacier Trek

We will gladly put potential clients in touch with willing previous participants of each trip in order for interested guests to get personalized references and their questions answered from a more objective point of view than what our office could provide.

References of prior guests

“The trip was very good, my second trip with OnTop.
Guide:  Joe was great and we enjoyed all his stories. He knows the area very well and no doubt about his vast experience in mountaineering. Though I love my boots wish I had rented higher quality boots and I get what Joe was harping on about. I am inspired to save and buy some really really good ones.
Communications/Trip planning: I have been on many organized trips and your team is by far the best communicators.
Itinerary: was great, last day was long for me, a middle of the roader. I would have liked a second day at Peyto hut or campsite on way to Peyto lake after the ridge but that would involve carrying tent and cooking gear.
Lodging/Food: Food all good and the huts were great.
10/10″ Cynde, S., GA, USA

Guide:  Pete was a great guide – one of the best we’ve ever had. He was fun, extremely knowledgable and amazingly good natured about having to punch through deep snow for miles on end.
General trip organization / communication from our side: Communication was great. Thank you for all of the quick responses to our many questions.
Itinerary: We loved the Wapta trip – one of the best backing trips of our lives. The views were spectacular and the huts super comfortable and well-equipped. We were really happy with our itinerary and would have had trouble doing anything more than simply going hut-to-hut given how long it was taking us to get anywhere in the deep snow conditions, but I think if the trails had been clear we might have been disappointed that many of the peak climbs mentioned in the On Top website itinerary weren’t really an option. I assumed we couldn’t do them because of the conditions, but Pete told us that climbing the mountains mentioned in the online itinerary is never really an option, even when deep snow isn’t a factor. Again, this wasn’t a problem for us, but I could see over-selling the peak opportunities on the website might be a problem for others.
Lodging/Food quantity and quality: The food was plentiful and really good quality. Thanks for catering for our vegetarian diet. Our only (slight) complaint was that the food seemed really heavy for backpacking. Don’t get me wrong – we loved having things like a whole container of real cream cheese and bagels to eat, but things like that are not usually what I think of as light-weight backpacking food. Our packs were really heavily loaded that first day.
10/10 for sure. You were all fantastic. ” Chris P., CA, USA

“The trip was great! Guide: Tom was great. He really encouraged us to get the most out of each day on the trip. Organisation/communication: Excellent organization. You were all very responsive. Itinerary: Good itinerary. Thank you for your recommendations on the first two nights on the Bow Hut. Food & Lodging: Great food quality, but too much! 10/10 for anyone interested, but it’s not a popular activity in Halifax unfortunately!
Thanks again for a wonderful trip. We hope to work with you guys again at some point.” Sean R., Halifax, Canada

“Pete was great. Patient and clear with everyone. Managed expectations and conditions really well. Was fun and included all guests in conversations etc. We really enjoyed ourselves and would recommend it to others.”
Bridget I., New Zealand

” Jordy was fantastic. He handled my wife’s allergic reaction well, cooked great food, got along well with everyone, kept us safe, and was fantastic building the rope handline to cross the river in a safe fashion. Trip was organized and communicated very well. Itinerary was perfect.
Lodging and food were better than expected and fantastic. I read the packing list but neglected to bring ear plugs. Given that there happened to be 16 males between the ages of 19-30 in Bow Hut with us, I wish I had had those and it might be worthwhile to include some in the toiletries bag provided to the group in the future. Absolutely would strongly recommend Jordy and OnTop to any friends going up toe Banff ”

—Kareem M., MO, USA