We had hiked to Dolomite Pass a number of times and had looked up to Cirque Peak at the end of the valley.   This time, we planned to scramble to the summit from the outset and, on a sunny day, we hiked in to Helen Lake from the trailhead which starts across from the Crowfoot Glacier viewpoint on the Jasper-Banff Highway.   The trail up to the meadows is one of our favorites.   For 3km the route winds through the forest, but the next 3km angles up through open meadows with expansive views of Dolomite Mountain ahead and Great Divide peaks and glaciers behind.

At the 6km mark, Helen Lake sits in a bowl surrounded by 3 peaks. Cirque Peak lies north.

We followed the (signed) Dolomite Pass trail to the top of the flanking ridge, then headed north to the peak.   From below the whole route can be seen.

We followed the steep route up the cinder-like surface to the ridge, then up the steep the rocky route to the top.     Just below the summit is a rock band, requiring some scrambling.   We stayed left to avoid any exposure.   We arrived at the false summit, then carefully worked our way over to the true summit, not far away.   At 9820 feet, the views extend 360 degrees to the Columbia Icefields peaks, the Waputik Ranges, and the Front Ranges (east).  Below lies Helen Lake and larger Katherine Lake lies under Dolomite Peak.

Cirque Peak

north to Peyto Lake

looking down at our route

Dolomite Peak

looking south

We carefully hiked back down, finding an easier route around the rock band, then descended the mountain to Helen Lake and the meadows beyond.   We cooled off in the outlet stream, then hiked down through the forest to the parking lot, tired, but very happy with this outing.   The entire route is 14 km with an elevation gain of 1050m (3444 feet).  We love the Helen Lake/Dolomite Pass hike anyway, but the Cirque Peak option is a wonderful option.