Parking
Start at Bow Lake Parking Lot A, just before Num-Ti-Jah Lodge. The lot also serves the lake shore and Bow Glacier Falls, so it often fills early; toilets are reported at the trailhead.
Overview
About Bow Hut Route
Why go
- A non-glacier route into a high Wapta hut setting.
- Bow Lake views lead into a dramatic moraine basin below Bow Glacier.
Heads up
- Loose rubble and faint cairns make route finding part of the hike.
- Several stream crossings can slow the approach, especially at high flow.
Bow Hut Route is a roughly 9.7-mile (15.6-km) out-and-back from Bow Lake to a high rock bench below Bow Glacier. The hut operator lists an 8-km approach, which fits the mapped one-way line; allow five to six hours for the full outing and about 1,300 feet (400 m) of climb. This is a demanding alpine hike with rough footing, several stream crossings and cairn-based route finding. The destination is Bow Hut and its moraine basin, not Bow Glacier Falls or travel on the glacier.
Parkwolf’s verdictIs this the hike for you?Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Icefields Parkway map
Full mapElevation1,938–2,409 m
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
2 active Icefields Parkway alerts
- ClosureWildfire-impacted area closures in JasperStay out of the closed wildfire-impacted areas in Jasper National Park; access is prohibited or restricted to protect public safety.Official details
- ClosureOpal Hills hiking area closed for grizzly bearThe Opal Hills hiking area is closed because a female grizzly bear with two offspring is in the area. - The closure took effect September 25, 2026, and remains in effect until further notice.Official details
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Icefields Parkway Tour Guide
Your drive to Bow Hut Route, narrated.
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 trailhead
Bow Lake: Shore Walk and a Bite0:00 / 0:31
“You're nearing Bow Lake's north-shore access, by The Lodge at Bow Lake. I'd stop here for a short walk down to the water, with Crowfoot Mountain across the lake.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Icefields Parkway Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Bow Lake Day-use Area: A Lakeside Picnic
- Crowfoot Glacier: The Missing Toe
- When Snow Turns Pink
- Crowfoot Pass: The River-Crossing Decision
- 141 audio storiesacross Icefields Parkway’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Grizzly Bear, Black Bear, Moose, and 13 more
- Works offlinemaps, 54 trails, 57 places, and audio download before you lose signal
- CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
“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!!!!”
Trail guide
Hiking Bow Hut Route
Take the hut branchStart at Bow Lake Parking Lot A and walk past Num-Ti-Jah Lodge along the lake’s north shore.
Start at Bow Lake Parking Lot A and walk past Num-Ti-Jah Lodge along the lake’s north shore. The path is rough, but the lake and changing mountain views make this an enjoyable start. Cross the main creek that feeds the lake, then climb along the canyon to the steps. At the first left turn, cross the boulder bridge to the east side; the route to Bow Glacier Falls continues separately.
Follow the creek into the basinAbove the bridge, the track stays with the canyon, drops back to the streambed, then follows…
Above the bridge, the track stays with the canyon, drops back to the streambed, then follows its left side before climbing through trees. The tree cover opens into a broad, rubble-filled moraine basin. Cairns thread through the loose rock and can be easy to miss, so look for the next marker before crossing an open patch. Expect more than one creek crossing; the final one below the hut has several cairned options and can be difficult when the water is high. Snow can linger on the summer route.
The hut on the ledgeThe glacier sits at the far end of the basin, with Bow Hut high on a rocky ledge to the right.
The glacier sits at the far end of the basin, with Bow Hut high on a rocky ledge to the right. The last slope is steep, but the hut is a clear target once you reach the open basin. A photo that includes the hut, rubble foreground and glacier beyond shows how exposed its setting is; no glacier travel is part of this trail.
A hut rebuilt for the WaptaThe original hut was built in 1968 as a 14-person base for ski touring and mountaineering.
The original hut was built in 1968 as a 14-person base for ski touring and mountaineering. Heavy use and poor drainage left it in disrepair by the 1980s, so the ACC built a replacement on a better-drained site; the present hut opened in 1989. It remains a base for Wapta Icefield trips, which continue beyond this summer hiking route.
Parking, dogs and an overnight stayThe shared Bow Lake lot also serves the lakeshore walk and Bow Glacier Falls, so it often fills…
The shared Bow Lake lot also serves the lakeshore walk and Bow Glacier Falls, so it often fills early. Toilets are reported at the trailhead. Banff’s summer trail rules allow leashed dogs under control, but pets are not permitted inside ACC huts. Book ahead if you plan to sleep at the hut; bring your own food and sleeping bag.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Icefields Parkway
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.
