While this is called the "Normal Route" I doubt that it gets climbed very often. It does see considerable use as a descent though.
This route does not start at the main tourist parking lot for Edith Cavell. It starts about 2km down the road near the Youth Hostel and Cavell Lake. From the west side of the road, get onto a path that takes you over a bridge at the north end of Cavell Lake. Hike along this trail to just before Verdant Creek. Take a left on a good trail which will take you into the bowl below the west ridge of Cavell.
Head up scree, talus and some solid rock aiming for the lowest point on the ridge (the Cavell-Sorrow col). Once on the ridge head straight to the summit.
Descend by reversing the route. Under 12 hours for the round trip probably means that your fitness is most excellent.
We found endless loose scree slopes on this route above timberline, and ferocious mosquitoes below timberline. And this was going down! Great view from the top however. I would suspect the ideal time to climb this is spring, when the scree is covered by snow and the mosquitoes are not out in force.
By Peter Spindloe Administrator From: North Vancouver, BC Apr 20, 2007
Your comment reminded me that either my partner or I set off a spectacular scree slide that seemed to keep growing, but suddenly died out, as they do. It was bad scree, but par for the course on a lot of Canadian Rockies approaches. A spring ascent might be really nice, likely on skis. Does the road get plowed?
We didn't get the mosquitos in late August of 1998; I'll count myself lucky.
Mt. Edith Cavell
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