Due to easy access thousands of tourists flock to the Peyto Lake Lookout during the summer months, but few people venture here during the winter. The lookout is located at the Bow Summit, this is the highest point along the Columbia Icefields Parkway at 2088 meters above sea level. In the summer months a short paved trail through the forest leads to the viewing platforms that overlook Peyto Lake.
In the winter the trail is not accessible, but you can make your way up the snow covered bus route. This road is used by the tour buses in the summer to bring tourists to the upper parking lot a short distance away from the lookout. As you can see by the speed limit sign sticking out, this area gets an abundance of snow during the winter.
Due to the Bow Summit’s high elevation it’s probably safe to say the area is snow bound from November through May. Our visit was at the end of March, there was at least four feet or more of snow cover. Your options of how to navigate the road will depend on the amount of snow cover and its condition. At this time of the year there was a compact base layer of several feet and then another lighter, less compact layer of another few feet. It made for perfect snowshoeing conditions, we also saw a few people on cross-country skis.
We had arrived with just out winter boots, but luckily we were able to follow a slightly compacted trail that had been created by other recent visitors. In a few areas we sunk down a foot or more with our steps, but for the most part it was fairly easy to navigate. If a trail had not been compacted beforehand it would have been quite difficult and time consuming to be punching holes with every step.
There appeared to be one set of tracks for cross country skis and another stamped out by snowshoes and hikers. Use backcountry courtesy, don’t ruin the ski track by walking in it with your feet or snowshoes.
The mountain views along the road are an inspiration to keep hiking upwards.
Access To Peyto Lookout And Bow Summit In Winter
At the far end of the lower parking lot there is a sign marking the trail head and a wooden washroom facility. Walk up past the washrooms for a short distance until you come out to the snow covered road area. Head to your right up the road until you reach the open area of the upper bus parking lot. It will take approximately 20 minutes to reach this area, longer if have to be making your own tracks.
A short trail to the right of the parking lot leads to the Peyto Lake Lookout. The trail had a deep lumpy trench dug out from recent visitors. We were able to get through in our boots, but if you find similar conditions with skis you would probably have to remove them.
We’ve come here several times in the summer, it was hard to relate to the area with so much snow cover. The top of the fence posts lining the trail to the viewing platforms were barely peeking out of the snow.
The entire trek is well worth it. You will be rewarded with views of Peyto Lake and valley bordered by soaring snow capped peaks. The viewing platforms had snow right to the top of the wooden fencing. It was a strange feeling to be standing up above the level of the railings.
Coming back down the road was a lot easier and a much quicker trip.
Jack sticks his hiking pole into the snow to see how deep it is. He stops when the stick goes all the way in, but sensed he could have kept pushing it in a lot further.
More Snowshoeing And Cross Country Skiing Opportunities At The Bow Summit
It’s not well known that beyond the viewpoint lies a vast area of thinly treed wilderness. It’s perfect for snowshoeing and cross country skiing. It can be accessed to the left of the upper bus parking lot for the Peyto Lookout. This is a backcountry area where precautions need to be taken. Make sure you check the current avalanche conditions beforehand.
Driving Directions To Bow Summit And Peyto Lake Lookout
The Bow Summit where the lookout is located is just 40km’s (25 miles) north of Lake Louise. It can be reached by traveling north on the Icefields Parkway (Highway 93N.) for approximately 30 minutes. Once you turn off the highway at the sign for the Bow Summit the parking lot is located less than a minute up the road on the right hand side. From Jasper the Bow Summit is located 190 km (118 miles) south, it is approximately two and a half hours drive.
The views along the Icefields Parkway are stunning at any time of year. The road from the Lake Louise area to the Bow Summit were in fairly good condition during our drive at the end of March. At this time of year the road conditions can vary dramatically. It can be anything from bare, dry pavement, to icy or compacted snow conditions.
Jake Smith
My wife and I were up there in late May and the trail looked like the winter pics you are showing. We absolutely loved it, and are looking for chances to return, to do more exploring, and hiking. We had 3 days, and got to see the basics. Peyto Lake was our first major stop, and then we went to Sunwapta Falls, the Icefields, Athabasca Falls, and turned back and stopped by Lake Louise which was still frozen. Stayed in Canmore. It was magnificent. Went to Yoho, and Wapta Falls, and spent the last day almost entirely in Johnston Canyon. Saw all the wildlife, except moose, and got very close to them (but know the rules and kept safe) Blab,blab, you can tell we loved it.
Audrey
You came to the Rockies at a great time (early spring) to see wildlife. As the snow melts from the lower valley areas and near the roadways the animals come to feed. You’ll have to come back some time during the summer hiking season to get a totally different prespective of the area. I would suggest exploring some of Yoho National Park next time as well, lots of incredible hiking opportunities there too.
LI MIN
Dear Audrey,
I am planning my first visit to the Canadian Rockies in the second week of January 2017 and have been returning to your site frequently to read up on the sights to see. I realised to my dismay that many of the sights I had wanted to see i.e Athabasca Falls/Glacier and Lake Morraine are out of bounds during winter. Me and another companion will be basing ourselves at Lake Louise for a night or two and I would love very much to visit Peyto Lake.
We come from a tropical country and have no winter driving experience. We are considering to pick up a car to make short drives from Calgary to Banff and onwards to Lake Louise. After reading several reviews and recommendations, we may have to skip the Icefield Parkway to Jasper as it seems too dangerous a journey to make on our own. I think it should be manageable to drive from Lake Louise to Peyto Lake, what do you think? Also, I understand the Upper Parking Lot is reserved for buses nonetheless, would we be able to leave our vehicle there during off peak season? Would it be too snowed-in for us to at least visit the Viewing Platform?
I would greatly appreciate any recommended “must-see” sights for first time visitors this winter? I have about 5 days between Banff and Lake Louise.
Thank you so much in advance.
Audrey
I would not recommend driving to Peyto Lake or any portion of the Icefields Parkway in January if you do not have any winter driving experience. It’s not a road you want to try and learn on. If you get stuck or have issues there is no cellphone service and it could be a long time before someone comes along to help you. At the bottom of this post on our site you can read more about driving the parkway in the winter months. https://banffandbeyond.com/tips-for-driving-the-icefields-parkway/
You can’t get to the upper parking lot, not even the lower parking lot is cleared of snow by Parks Canada during the winter. Unless other vehicles have gone into the lower parking lot to compact the snow down you may have to find a spot alongside the road to park your vehicle. The only way to get to the Peyto Lake viewpoint is to do the hike up or snowshoe through the deep snow as we describe in this article. Take a look at the photos, the snow we were hiking through is the road the buses would normally be driving on to the top in the summer.
As for other activities and things to do in winter we have covered them in these posts:
https://banffandbeyond.com/winter-activities-in-lake-louise/
https://banffandbeyond.com/winter-activities-in-banff-and-lake-louise-for-non-skiers/
Cheers