Sight · Icefields Parkway (Highway 93)
A rooty forest hike ends at a glacial lake beneath big peaks.
Overview
Chephren Lake is a forest-ringed glacial lake in Banff National Park, tucked behind Waterfowl Lakes Campground on the Icefields Parkway with Mount Chephren and Howse Peak filling the view. It rewards a real walk, not a quick pullout: allow about three hours and roughly 8 km return. Choose it if you want a quieter shoreline and don't mind rooty footing for the mountain payoff.
Parkwolf’s verdictWorth the hikeMap
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
Upper Waterfowl Lake: The Short Shore Walk“You're approaching the Waterfowl Lakes campground access, where a short walk leads to Upper Waterfowl Lake's turquoise shore.”
Plays as you drive up to Chephren Lake 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
Start at the signed hiker parking area at the campground's east end and cross the wooden bridge over the Mistaya River. The trail climbs gently through forest for about 1.3 km to a fork; take the right branch for Chephren Lake. The path gets rooty after the junction, then drops to the shore. Wet or snowy stretches can be muddy and slippery.
The lake gives you a close view of turquoise water beneath steep peaks: Mount Chephren frames the west shore, and glaciated Howse Peak rises to the south. The trail reaches the lake rather than a roadside overlook, so you need the whole walk for the classic view. For a photo, use a shoreline log or boulder in the foreground to set off the water and peaks.
Mount Chephren takes its name from Khafre, the pharaoh associated with the second of Giza's three great pyramids; the lake carries the mountain's name. It's a small story to keep in mind while the peak fills the far side of the water.
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
ModerateCirque Lake Trail9.2 km · 3 hr · 2.1 km awayBeyond the forest, a boulder shore opens to glacier views.ModerateChephren Lake Trail8.2 km · 2.8 hr · 2.1 km awayA rooty forest out-and-back to a turquoise lake beneath towering peaks.
EasyUpper Waterfowl Lake Trail1.7 km · 45 min · 2.5 km awayA quick bridge crossing opens onto turquoise Upper Waterfowl Lake.
Scenic pullout · 1.8 km awayLower Waterfowl Lake ViewpointA quick pull-off for turquoise water and Mount Chephren.
Campground · 2.3 km awayWaterfowl Lakes CampgroundCamp between glacier-fed lakes, and plan to go offline.
Sight · 3.3 km awayUpper Waterfowl LakeTurquoise water and mountain reflections reward a short shore walk.
Sight · 4.4 km awayCirque LakeBlue water under a glacier and cirque walls, worth the hike.
Campground · 6.9 km awaySilverhorn Creek CampgroundA simple night between big stops, with mountain views and creekside sites.Parkwolf’s Icefields Parkway ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
