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Bow Hut

GPS Coordinates: 51°38' 06"-116°29' 24" NAD27 11U 535296 5720566

For more detailed information, view these printable pages on Bow Hut

A log bridge washed out in the fall of 2010. Read a recommended option for dealing with the wash-out by downloading this document.

Bow Hut , Wapta Icefield, Banff National Park. Popular base for mountaineering and backcountry skiing, can be used as part of the Wapta Icefield Traverse. Access from the highway takes 3-6 hours of challenging skiing or hiking. Sleeps 30.

Possibly the most efficient and best-situated of the ACC huts, Bow is a base for some of the very finest ski-mountaineering in all of the Rockies. It is a bright, spacious structure located on the edge of the Wapta Icefield and is used as a stopover during a traverse of the Wapta or as a destination in itself. Several days can be spent here doing classic tours and ski ascents of peaks on the Icefields. This newer version of the hut was built in 1989 and has a propane system for cooking and lighting and a wood stove for heating.

The most common approach is the scenic one from Bow Lake and it takes most parties about three to six hours. Members of the party should have experience travelling through avalanche terrain. The hut can accommodate 30 people comfortably.

Bow Hut interior. Photo by Shaun Peters.

Though most popular as a winter destination, there are tons of great summer objectives from this hut as well.

Read the story about ACC member Meghan Ward's summer Wapta traverse entitled "A Welcome Refuge".

NOTE: This facility is subject to peak rate pricing. For more on peak rate pricing and Alpine Club of Canada facility rates click here. To receive a quote or to book please contact the Club's reservations team at 403-678-3200 ext. 0 or email

Reference materials available