Second time on Bow Peak. This is one of these Icefields summits where reward::effort ratio is very high & trip is worth repeating. Feature mix keeps level of interest high: unavoidable ford of Bow Lake outlet, Crowfoot Pass delightful alpine, steep boulder/talus slope, moderate ridgewalk all with fantastic far reaching views! Parking at pullout on west side (just south of Crowfoot Glacier tourist road signs) it is not necessary to walk back to usual trailhead; simply drop down right away and pick your way through forest & meadows, then follow lakeshore to outlet. Ford was easy, not too cold and below the knee. Sandals are still very helpful; hanged them on tree after I crossed & picked up on return. Lots of fish swimming around. Crowfoot Pass, reached ~1:45 from parking is worthy destination on its own. Going up keep left on stable boulders that serve as staircase, on descent dirt ski talus gully to the right. Ridge has some interesting boulder hoping / micro-terrain route findings. Combined with river ford scramble falls in moderate range on Kane scale. Photos tell the story:


[Bow lake pano at outlet, looking back after crossing at extreme right]


[Approaching Crowfoot Pass. Good trail climbs on left side towards obvious "V" on horizon]


[One of two lakes at Crowfoot Pass; tempting just to fritter away the day right here!]


[Ascent slopes from Crowfoot Pass showing approximate ascent/descent lines taken. Takes ~1.5 hours to true summit, hidden from view here (somewhere behind top of red line)]


[Halfway up boulder slope looking north with Bow Lake on horizon. Note approximate slope angle, it is consistent all the way to the top. Descent dirt gully is steeper, much more loose and not recommended for going up]


[Looking back while scrambling on the ridge. There are couple of moderate parts here maneuvering large quartzite blocks]


[At false summit looking towards true summit with large cairn, separated by interesting ridgewalk]


[Large new pink summit register with interesting content!]


[Party by the summit cairn! Guy at the left looks happy]


[Magnificent summit panorama looking south. Hector lake below, Balfour glacier extreme upper right in overexposed part of the photo. Many Louise peaks on the horizon; even distant Assiniboine could be seen]


[Telephoto NE across the Icefields towards Dolomite Pass area. Katherine lake just right of center. Many eastern Banff NP giants on horizon. Cirque Peak upper left, Quill peak behind to its right. Further on right side are Bobac / Watermelon, and I think it is Recondite just poking extreme right]


[Willingdon and Crown at center; oh how I wish I could get up there]

Descent was uneventful but dark caught up and Bow ford with headlamp was interesting experience. Did not bother changing back into boots after ford and simply hiked back in sandals to highway and car. Took 7 hrs return, with ~15km return distance and ~1040m elevation. Map and elevation profile:



Trip is best done late summer when water level at ford site is low; earlier in summer it might not be possible. Early autumn snowfall also might make it non-feasible, so window is fairly narrow.


Detail write-up with more photos and downloadable GPS track here

Same type of pink register box, whiskey brand and condom as we found on Packenham Jr. Those boys are leaving their mark.

a

Stunning pictures! Especially that one looking over to Dolomite Pass.

Thank you! Looking at that one I figured I should pay Dolomite Pass a visit & went up Cirque peak few days later. Season here in Rockies is unbelievable this year

Superb beautiful photo set of some wonderful country.

My wishes to go there once I am into full retirement.


K

Always great to read your TRs zeljkok! Your photos transport there.

You have some pretty nice areas where you are, Manning etc. But yes, couple of annual Rockies trips would really work well for you. Something along the lines what Mr. B does



Thanks man! Kind comments like this inspire more than anything else. Stay safe & I really hope at some point to be able to see you all from BC side, martin, karvitk, you etc.