Joffre Lakes – summer vs winter – Just Another Mountain

Trail Stats Distance: 6.9 KM out-and-back Elevation: 478m Time: 4-5 hours About 30 minutes drive beyond Pemberton lies Joffre Lakes Park, one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. There is very little cell service once you pass Pemberton, so make sure you have your maps downloaded. There is a really cute little…

Trail Stats

Distance: 6.9 KM out-and-back

Elevation: 478m

Time: 4-5 hours

About 30 minutes drive beyond Pemberton lies Joffre Lakes Park, one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. There is very little cell service once you pass Pemberton, so make sure you have your maps downloaded. There is a really cute little farm shop on the way called North Arm Farm that I highly recommend checking out for some coffee/breakfast, or even lunch on the way back. They have a gorgeous barn that has the mountains as its backdrop and the food is amazing.

In the high season (June-October), passes are required to hike at Joffre and are limited to protect the area from overuse. They are released 2 days in advance at 7:00 AM and if you’re looking to get one for a weekend, you need to be super fast and super lucky. They are gone in seconds. There are also some dates throughout the year when the area is closed, so keep an eye on the BC Parks website for updates. (https://bcparks.ca/joffre-lakes-park/) Because of its high elevation, the road to Joffre is subject to winter conditions so be mindful if heading there that time of year. We went in mid-December and it wasn’t as bad as I thought it’d be, the carpark had some snow but we were able to park easily and since there wasn’t a lot of snowfall that day, we were also able to leave with ease.

There are 3 lakes; upper, middle and lower – all which vary in colours and surroundings. The intense turquoise-blue of the water is the result of glacial flour/silt and is most evidently seen at the middle lake.

Within a few feet of the parking lot, you reach the first lake that’s surrounded by thick forest. In the winter, the lake was unrecognisable as it was blanketed with snow. The trail continues up through the trees, a gradual incline the whole way so on a hot day it can be pretty tiring. I found the trail easier in the winter, since there was so much snow it didn’t seem as steep but the cooler temperatures also definitely helped. Snowshoes/spikes are needed but the snow was fairly compacted on the trail, this was one of my first real winter hikes and I would rate it moderate in terms of difficulty.

The distance between the first and second lake is the longest part of the hike. But the sight of the middle lake was more beautiful than I could have imagined. In the summer, the water is such a gorgeous turquoise-blue color. There are a few rocks and logs to sit and relax on, as well as a gushing waterfall a little further on. My advice is to continue on to the third lake for lunch as there are less people, more space and it is even more incredible seeing the glacial mountains up close. Even in the winter, we could see from the lack of footprints that a lot of people ended their journey at the second lake, but it’s definitely worth continuing on especially since it’s only about 10 more minutes.

In summer, we went for a dip at the top lake and it was glorious. There are lots of rocks so be wary, but the water was perfect albeit absolutely freezing. During the winter, the lake was solidly frozen over and was covered by some eerie fog shifting around which shielded the mountains at times but as it moved, the sight of the glaciers was breathtaking. We were the only people there so we were able to sit and admire not just the beauty of our surroundings, but the peace that the silence brought. During high season, it’s obviously more crowded, but there is a lot of space at the upper lake to relax and take in your surroundings.

The hike back down is quick given that it’s all downhill. The area seemed like a completely different place in the winter compared to the summer. It was beautiful in both seasons for different reasons. You can’t beat seeing turquoise-blue waters and snowy, glacial mountains standing tall under blue skies. But blanketed with winter snow, it seemed otherworldly. There are also far less people, we met maybe 6 other hikers in total which made it all the more special.