play Up One Level not an important image Scrambling Photos from Mount BourgeauAugust 18, 2009


Mount Bourgeau is a long tiring hike near Banff. It is well described in "Scrambles in the Canadian Rockies" by Alan Kane. Not a great scramble, but it has a worthwhile view.
After Castle Mountain I was a little sore as I hadn't had such a long day at my own pace before. I decided to go up Mount Bourgeau since the trail is easy to hike. It is still a pretty long ascent though. I should have had Tylenol before heading up as my legs were slow and stiff. It was sunny at first, but by the time I got to Bourgeau Lake it was cloudy. The trail to Bourgeau Lake was long and boring. It took me 3 hours to get to Bourgeau Lake which wasn't anything special either. The 2 lakes higher up were very pretty though, and Harvey Pass was very beautiful. However, you can get the same view much more easily by taking a bus up to Sunshine Meadows.
The mountain itself was a straight forward hike. Unfortunately the dark clouds were taking a bit of the scenic beauty away. The summit would've been nice on a sunny day to relax and take a nap on. But when I got there it was extremely windy and not very relaxing at all. The view was really nice. I huddled behind some rocks and refueled before heading back down. The descent was long and uneventful. Once I eventually got back to the car I took some Tylenol to make sure that I wouldn't be so stiff the next day

Click on the play button in the top left to start the slideshow or click on any picture to enlarge it. Use the icons on the top left to navigate.


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A creek you pass on approach. This is the only highlight of the approach to Bourgeau Lake.
A creek you pass on approach. ...
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A subpeak of Bourgeau Mountain. The trail goes up the valley on the left.
A subpeak of Bourgeau ...
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Bourgeau Lake.
Bourgeau Lake.
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Looking back to Bourgeau Lake.
Looking back to Bourgeau Lake.
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Looking back to Bourgeau Lake.
Looking back to Bourgeau Lake.
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A tarn on the way to Harvey Pass
A tarn on the way to Harvey ...
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Another tarn.
Another tarn.
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The Monarch to the South.
The Monarch to the South.
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The view South over Healy Creek.
The view South over Healy ...
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Looking back North from Harvey Pass to a tarn.
Looking back North from ...
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Mount Bourgeau
Mount Bourgeau
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Looking North West. Mount Cory on the right. Cockscomb Mountain on the left.
Looking North West. Mount ...
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Mount Ball to the West
Mount Ball to the West
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Summit block of Mount Bourgeau
Summit block of Mount Bourgeau
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Mount Rundle to the East,
Mount Rundle to the East,
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Looking far East to Mount Inglismaldie on the left and Mount Girouard on the right.
Looking far East to Mount ...
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Mount Cory to the East.
Mount Cory to the East.
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Mount Norquay in the sun with Cascade Mountain behind it.
Mount Norquay in the sun with ...
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Looking East down the Bow Valley to Banff Townsite.
Looking East down the Bow ...
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A cloudy summit panorama.
A cloudy summit panorama.
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Looking South to Eagle Mountain.
Looking South to Eagle ...
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Looking back down to Harvey Pass.
Looking back down to Harvey ...
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Hikers approaching Harvey Pass.
Hikers approaching Harvey ...
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Mount Assiniboine to the South.
Mount Assiniboine to the ...
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Looking East to Cascade Mountain from near Harvey Pas.
Looking East to Cascade ...
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A tarn I passed on descent.
A tarn I passed on descent.
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Same tarn.
Same tarn.
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Bourgeau Lake.
Bourgeau Lake.
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The creek you cross on the trail to Bourgeau Lake.
The creek you cross on the ...
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Mount Cory to the East.
Mount Cory to the East.

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