Cirque Lake

You gotta work hard these days to miss the crowds in Banff -- and for good reason, as it's one of the world's most beautiful spots. But like a lot of parks with popularity issues, usually all you need to do is toss out the guidebook and go exploring on your own. Such is the case with Cirque Lake. Exhausted by crowds at Lake Louise, we went up the Icefields Parkway; the trailhead here had 2 cars in it. Just 90 minutes later I was on the shore of one of the most beautiful sights I'd ever seen. The hike in total is about 5 km long and gains a moderate amount of elevation. The rough trail parallels