BANFF NATIONAL PARK - Canadian Rockies: Including Banff and Jasper National Parks - page 145

Peyto Lake
• Length: 1.4 kilometers/0.9 mile (30 minutes) one-way
• Elevation loss: 100 meters/330 feet
• Rating: easy
• Trailhead: unmarked pullout, Icefields Parkway, 2.4 kilometers (1.5 miles) north of Bow
Summit
Without a doubt, the best place to view Peyto Lake is from a popular viewpoint accessible
via a short trail from Bow Summit, 41 kilometers (25.5 miles) along the Icefields Parkway
from the TransCanada Highway. The easiest way to access the actual shoreline, though, is
along this short trail farther along the highway. A pebbled beach, strewn with driftwood,
is the perfect setting for picnicking, painting, or just admiring the lake's quieter side. Back
at the lake lookout, a rough trail drops nearly 300 meters (980 feet) in 2.4 kilometers (1.5
miles) to the lake.
Chephren Lake
• Length: 4 kilometers/2.5 miles (60-90 minutes) one-way
• Elevation gain: 100 meters/330 feet
• Rating: easy
• Trailhead: Waterfowl Lake Campground, Icefields Parkway, 57 kilometers (35 miles)
northwest from the TransCanada Highway
This pale-green body of water (pronounced Kef-ren) is hidden from the Icefields Parkway
but easily reached. The official trailhead is a bridge across the Mistaya River at the back of
Waterfowl Lakes Campground (behind site 86). If you're not registered at the campground,
park at the end of the unpaved road running along the front of the campground and walk
300 meters (0.2 mile) down the well-worn path to the river crossing. From across the river,
the trail dives headlong into a subalpine forest, reaching a crudely signposted junction
after 1.6 kilometers (one mile). Take the right fork. This leads 2.4 kilometers (1.5 miles)
to Chephren Lake, descending steeply at the end (this stretch of trail is often muddy). The
lake is nestled under the buttresses of Mount Chephren. To the left, farther up the lake, is
Howse Peak.
The trail to smaller Cirque Lake (4.5 km/2.8 mi from the trailhead) branches left 1.6
kilometers (one mile) along this trail. It is less heavily used, but this lake is popular with
anglers for its healthy population of rainbow trout.