Description
Mount Fairview is a massive mountain located on the south shore of Lake Louise in Banff National park. Latitude 51;24;00-Longitude 116;13;20. It was first ascended by Samuel E.S. Allen in 1893. It is probably one of the easiest scramble in Banff National Park. It is a part of the Canadian Rocky Mountains and the Bow river Valley. This hike will give you one of the best view in the Rockies. This is mostly a long hike (5-7 hours round trip). Strong hikers will complete the trip in less then 5 hours. The route to the top is Class 1. The first part of the hike is mostly in the forest. But, once you reach the Saddleback, the view of the surrrounding peaks is wonderful. There is a big cairn marking the top of Mount Fairview. Once on top, you will have a beautiful view of Lake Louise (more than one vertical km below!) , mount St-Piran, Niblock , Whyte, Victoria and many others. This is a very popular hike in the Lake Louise area. The most popular route is the Saddleback. You can easily add saddle Mountain to this hike with little extra effort. The trail to mount Fairview can be crowded in summer. September is a good climbing month to avoid the crowds and see the beautiful larch colors! My first hike of Mount Fairview was under snowy conditions. This reduced the visibility but even in these conditions, it was a magnificent day. This makes nice photos! Remember that you are in grizzly country, please carry bear spray for your safety.
A previous time for Fairview is here: http://www.gravsports.com/Aerobic%20Pages/peaks.htm
This route on the old FKT site
