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The Lyell Peaks, 3514 m
Banff National Park (click for map)
The Lyells (shown above) are 5 glaciated peaks all of which are over 3353m (11,000 ft). The highest, Edward Peak (#2), is 3514 metres.They sit far west of Icefields Parkway and south of Mounts Edith Cavell, Bryce, Columbia and Columbia Icefields in Banff National Park. Due to a long approach, the Lyells see only sporadic visits. Approaches are almost exclusively on foot via Glacier Lake hiking trail at Saskatchewan Crossing, Icefields Parkway. Since recent localized flooding and eroding of the trail, it apparently takes about an extra day to reach Lyell Glacier. Previously, it took 2 days in and parties spent at least two more days climbing these peaks. I climbed here in 1985 with the Calgary Section of the Alpine Club of Canada.
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Our camp at the edge of the
glacier with Peaks 1,2, 3 and prt of 4 in the distance. The first three are usually
done together as Peak 2 is easily traversed.
Left
to right: Peaks 3, 2 and 1 as seen from near Peak 5. Seracs at the edge of picture are
below Peak 5.
On Peak Three, which easily reached from Peak 2. Lyell Peak 4 is
probably the hardest of the group but still qualifies as moderate mountaineering. It can
be reached from traversing to it from Peak 5, via its north end at the col between Peaks 3
and 4, or by climbing a steep ice slope from the glacier to the col between 4 and 5. A
couple of pitons are helpful. From the summit of 2, we could see far off to the west
towards King Edward and Tsar Peak and
to the north, Mounts Columbia and Edith
Cavell.
© Almost all photos copyright by the author 1999.
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