Picnic area · Icefields Parkway (Highway 93)
A glacial lake view, with a lakeside picnic stop below.
Overview
Map
Plan your stop
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Icefields Parkway Tour Guide
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Icefields Parkway (Highway 93). 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 Icefields Parkway audio tourRecorded for this place
Bow Lake Day-use Area: A Lakeside Picnic“Up ahead is Bow Lake's viewpoint and day-use area, a handy summer stop for a picnic with the lake and mountains in view.”
Plays as you drive up to Bow Lake Viewpoint and Day-use Area in the Parkwolf Icefields Parkway Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Guide
Bow Lake Viewpoint and Day-use Area is a roadside lookout with a separate lakeside picnic area, 1.3 km south of the main Bow Lake access. Stop at the upper viewpoint for the broad lake-and-mountain view; for the picnic area, watch for its small sign and keep left down the gravel road. If you have time, take the spur to the water rather than treating the viewpoint as the whole stop.
The lower day-use area has picnic tables, shelters with wood stoves and outhouses, plus access to the lake. A drinking-water source is not confirmed, so bring your own water. The picnic lots can fill quickly; use designated parking spaces.
Bow Lake sits at 1,920 m and is fed by meltwater from Bow Glacier. Fine glacial sediment gives the water its turquoise color, set against the steep peaks around the shore. From the upper viewpoint, look for the peaks reflected in the lake on calm days.
This is a summer-only stop, and winter snow can limit access and services. The roadside viewpoint is a quick photo stop; the lower gravel spur is where the picnic facilities and lakeside break are.
Wildlife
12 sightingsGrizzly BearMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
127 sightingsBlack BearMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
16 sightingsMooseMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
100 sightingsElkMost seen around 8 PMSighting map
34 sightingsMountain GoatMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
53 sightingsBighorn SheepMost seen around 6 PMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Icefields Parkway. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
Keep exploring
ModerateBow Glacier Falls Trail9.1 km · 4 hr · 1.2 km awayBow Lake’s shore opens to a steep climb beneath the glacier.
EasyBow Lake Lakeshore Trail3.8 km · 1 hr · 1.2 km awayAn easy lakeshore walk with Bow Lake and Crowfoot Mountain in view.
ChallengingBow Hut Route15.6 km · 5.5 hr · 1.2 km awayA rough alpine approach to a hut above Bow Lake.
ModerateHelen Lake Trail11.8 km · 4.5 hr · 1.3 km awayA long climb opens to a high meadow beneath Dolomite Peak.
ChallengingDolomite Pass Trail17.7 km · 6.5 hr · 1.3 km awayA long alpine climb to two lakes and an unmarked pass.
ChallengingCrowfoot Pass and Balfour Viewpoint Trail15.4 km · 6 hr · 2.3 km awayA river ford leads to pass tarns and a tucked-away ridge view.
EasyPeyto Lake Lookout Trail1.2 km · 30 min · 5.9 km awayThe lake’s turquoise outline comes into view after a short climb.
ModerateBow Summit Viewpoint Trail6.8 km · 2.5 hr · 5.9 km awayContinue past Peyto Lake for Bow Lake and wider mountain views.
Sight · 1.2 km awayBow LakeA short shore walk gets you to turquoise water beneath glaciers.
Lodging · 1.3 km awayThe Lodge at Bow LakeA historic red-roofed lodge with a day-visitor shop by the lake.
Scenic pullout · 1.4 km awayCrowfoot Glacier ViewpointA roadside glacier view with a vanished third toe.Sight · 3.9 km awayBow Glacier FallsA glacier-fed cascade at the end of a half-day hike.
Sight · 4.5 km awayBow Summit ViewpointA longer hike beyond Peyto's platform into a high alpine lookout.
Sight · 6.3 km awayPeyto Lake ViewpointLook for a wolf's head in the turquoise lake below.Parkwolf’s Icefields Parkway ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
