Consolation Lakes (Lower and Upper) sit in Consolation Valley, a subsidiary basin immediately southeast of the Valley of the Ten Peaks. They are separated from Moraine Lake by the Rockpile debris and the eastern flank of Mount Babel.

Geography. Mount Babel (3,101 m) dominates the northwestern shore of the Lower Lake; its steep Gog Group quartzite cliffs define the skyline. Mount Fay (3,234 m) anchors the head of the valley; the Fay Glacier, a large hanging glacier, drapes over its northern face. Bident Mountain and Quadra Mountain form the southern boundary; Quadra Glacier sits between them. Babel Creek connects the Upper Lake (roughly 1,960 m) to the Lower Lake (roughly 1,940 m) via a rocky, braided channel, then flows out past the Tower of Babel into the Bow River system.

Geology. The valley exemplifies high-altitude periglacial and glacial geomorphology. Massive talus fields of Cambrian Gog Group quartzose sandstone surround the lakes; extreme freeze-thaw cycles cause the cliffs of Mount Babel and the Tower of Babel to shed angular blocks. The rock is extremely hard and resistant to chemical weathering but brittle enough to shatter into large boulders. Beyond the Upper Lake lies a prominent rock glacier: a core of ice or interstitial permafrost insulated by a thick layer of rock debris. Unlike ice glaciers, rock glaciers move only centimetres to decimeters per year and show a lobed, wrinkled surface. They act as slow conveyors of debris and provide hydrologic storage, releasing cold water into the lakes through summer.

Trail. The trail begins at the fork beyond the bridge over Moraine Creek (the left branch; the right ascends the Rockpile). Distance: 2.9 km one way to the Lower Lake, roughly 6 km round trip. Elevation gain is minimal, 65 m to 135 m depending on starting point. The route crosses a 200 m boulder field at the base of the Rockpile, then enters old-growth subalpine forest (Engelmann spruce, subalpine fir). The final approach to the lakes requires boulder-hopping over talus; a technical contrast to the maintained forest path. Parks Canada often enforces a mandatory group-of-four restriction; bear spray is mandatory.

Ecology. The basin is high-value grizzly bear habitat. Buffaloberries and avalanche-path carcasses draw bears; the group restriction mitigates encounters. American Pika and Hoary Marmot inhabit the talus; pikas use deep crevices for haystacking. Flora includes white globeflower, Indian paintbrush, and alpine willow; riparian zones along Babel Creek support mosses and sedges. The lakes are oligotrophic; small trout are occasionally seen but not a primary angling destination.

History. Walter Wilcox named the lakes in 1899. He and his partner Robert Sharp (with Ross Peacock) had called the Moraine Lake area “Desolation Valley” for its stark, forbidding appearance. Discovering the meadows and smaller lakes nearby, Wilcox named them “Consolation”; a balm to the harshness of the surrounding peaks.

Photography. The Lower Lake shows a milky turquoise from glacial flour; the Upper Lake is often clearer and deeper in colour, closer to the rock glacier source. Best light is early morning; the sun rises behind the Ten Peaks, casting a soft glow on Mount Babel and the Fay Glacier while softening the deep valley shadows. Mid-July to early August is peak season for glacial calving from the Fay Glacier; hikers often hear ice breaking and see small avalanches cascading down the cliff face.

See the summer trail page for stats and access.