On a hiking trip to the Rockies in fall, we camped at Lake Louise, then we hiked to the top of Mount Temple on the first day, and then to the summit of Cirque Peak on the second day.  The trail starts on the Jasper Banff Highway and winds up through the forest and alpine meadows to Helen Lake (6 km).   We have hiked the trail to Helen Lake and Dolomite Pass a few times.   For this day, we turned and climbed the long and steep route to the top of Cirque Peak (9829 ft.)

Cirque Peak lies north of Helen Lake and the route was visible from several kilometers away, as we approached the lake.   The trail is a boot track on small talus material to a prominence just below the summit.   The route to the true summit requires some scrambling with a bit of exposure.   Most hikers go to the lower summit, but we climbed the rough, rocky route to the northern summit.

From the top we had wide views in each direction, including northwest to the Great Divide peaks above Peyto Lake and the Wapta Glaciers to the west.

Having hiked Mount Temple the day before, I was weary coming down the Cirque Peak ridges to Helen Lake and then back to the trailhead.

The round trip hike is about 17 km with 3690 feet of elevation gain.   The scenery is very rewarding and I have always hoped to return to do the whole route again.