Researched route, Icefields Parkway
Icefields Parkway
A long south ridge between Bow Lake and Bow Summit, skied to where it narrows below the summit. The slopes beside it have a record of slides set off from a distance.
Observation Sub Peak rises east of the Icefields Parkway near Lake Louise, on the ridge that runs from Cirque Forepeak up to Observation Peak. You climb a forested drainage, a valley and a south slope onto the long south ridge: 4.0 km and about 840 m of climbing to where the ridge narrows, roughly 90 m below the west summit. That's where skis come off in trip reports. Ours is the common, well documented way onto the ridge. Where you go and what you ski there is up to you. The ridge carries cornices, and the slopes beside it have a record of slides set off from a distance. We built this route from research and haven't skied it ourselves.
We built this route from our own extensive research. All resources are cited on the dashboard. We haven't skied it ourselves, the routes illustrated may not be the best line choice, use your own judgement when planning. Remember you are still responsible for your own tour.
Last checked October 18, 2026.
| Distance | about 8.0 km round trip, 4.0 km to where skis come off in trip reports |
| Elevation gain | about 840 m |
| Slope angles | mostly 15 to 25 degrees on the line; the south slope out of the valley and the slope above the shoulder read in the mid to high 20s and are steeper on the ground; slopes beside the ridge reach the high 30s on the west and the low 40s on the east; terrain data reads low |
| Trailhead | 1,993 m |
| High point | about 2,830 m where skis usually come off in trip reports, from terrain data; the west summit beyond is 2,935 to 2,954 m in trip reports (terrain data reads 2,918 m), on foot |
| Nearest town | Lake Louise |
| Pass required | Parks Canada |
| Skied by us | Not yet |
Drive to Lake Louise and head north on the Icefields Parkway. About 30 minutes up the road, roughly 1.6 km past the turn for Bow Lake and Num-Ti-Jah Lodge, a creek comes out of the forest on the east side and runs under the road. It drains the valley north of Cirque Forepeak, and you start on the shoulder just south of it. The sources put the start between about 1.5 and 2 km past the Bow Lake turn, and say the drainage is easy to drive past. There's no lot and not much room on the shoulder, so pull fully off the road.
Stopping isn't allowed inside the signed avalanche zones along the Parkway. Street View shows no avalanche zone signs at this start. On Parks Canada's map the nearest one, the Silverhorn Mountain and Observation Peak intermittent closure zone, begins about 2 km north, past Bow Summit. Parks Canada closes it when Avalanche Canada's forecast headline announces control work there.
You need a Parks Canada pass, and Parks Canada requires snow tires or chains on the Parkway between November 1 and March 31. We found no closure for this area when we last checked Parks Canada's bulletins, but small wildlife closures and no-stopping zones can go up on site without notice online. The Parkway closes now and then for avalanche control, so check 511 Alberta before you go. There's no cell service on the Parkway, so leave your plan with someone who isn't coming.
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