Parking
Use the Cirque and Chephren Lakes hiker parking at the eastern end of Waterfowl Lakes Campground, off the Icefields Parkway. Follow the hiker signs to the lot and trail; the trailhead is designated summer-only.
Overview
About Cirque Lake Trail
Why go
- Turquoise water and glacier scenery reward the rougher final branch.
- The signed fork makes it easy to choose Cirque, Chephren, or both.
Heads up
- Often muddy, with roots and uneven rocks on the Cirque branch.
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Banff map
Full mapElevation1,657–1,826 m
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Best time to go
Safety
8 active Banff alerts
- ClosureJohnston Canyon Trail and Day Use Area closedJohnston Canyon Trail and Day Use Area are closed to all traffic and travel through December 11, 2026, because construction work requires protecting public and workers’ safety.Official details
- ClosureBaker Lake and Hidden Lake campgrounds closed to campingCamping is prohibited at Baker Lake and Hidden Lake campgrounds through December 1, 2026, because a grizzly bear entered campsites and investigated tents and gear; the closures reduce risk to…Official details
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Banff Tour Guide
Your drive to Cirque Lake Trail, narrated.
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Banff National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
See the Banff audio tourRecorded for this trailhead
Waterfowl Lakes Campground and Chephren Lake0:00 / 0:29
“You're approaching Waterfowl Lakes Campground, a wooded overnight base between the two lakes beside the Mistaya River.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Banff Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Lower Waterfowl Lake beneath Mount Chephren
- The Cones That Stay on the Tree
- Finding Fish in a Water Sample
- White Coat or White Rump?
- 185 audio storiesacross Banff’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Grizzly Bear, Brown Bear, Gray Wolf, and 13 more
- Works offlinemaps, 162 trails, 90 places, and audio download before you lose signal
- CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
“…Loved the commentary as you drove thru. I’m sure the app can do more than I know but the tips were very helpful. I’m gonna use it when we go to Banff next month.”
Trail guide
Hiking Cirque Lake Trail
Take the Cirque forkCirque Lake Trail is a 5.7-mile (9.
Cirque Lake Trail is a 5.7-mile (9.1 km) out-and-back from the Cirque and Chephren Lakes trailhead at Waterfowl Lakes Campground. It follows a forest path to a signed split, then takes the Cirque branch to a turquoise lake with mountain and glacier views. Allow about three hours. The full distance includes the shared approach and the return to the same parking area.
The shared approachFrom the hiker parking at the campground’s eastern end, follow the path to the wooden bridge…
From the hiker parking at the campground’s eastern end, follow the path to the wooden bridge over the Mistaya River. The first stretch is mostly easy forest walking, with a short steeper climb before the signed fork about 1.3 km beyond the bridge. A bench marks the split: left for Cirque Lake, right for Chephren Lake. If you plan to visit both, do Cirque first; it’s the rougher branch.
The Cirque branchPast the fork, the trail drops a little, then climbs again beside the lake’s outflow creek.
Past the fork, the trail drops a little, then climbs again beside the lake’s outflow creek. Roots and rocks make this stretch slower than the approach, and both lake routes are often muddy. The forest floor has mosses and mushrooms among the roots, so there’s plenty to notice before the trees open.
At the shoreThe path fades into a boulder field at the lake.
The path fades into a boulder field at the lake. From the rocks, you get the turquoise water against steep mountain slopes and glacier scenery. For a photo, include driftwood and shoreline rocks in the foreground with the lake and peaks behind them; it gives the water some scale and keeps the shot tied to this particular place.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Banff
123 sightingsGrizzly BearMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
150 sightingsBrown BearMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
44 sightingsGray WolfMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
12 sightingsRiver OtterMost seen around 8 PMSighting map
69 sightingsMooseMost seen around 8 PMSighting map
466 sightingsBlack BearMost seen around 9 PMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Banff. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
