hiking — Travel Musings — Understated Ideas

Joffre Lakes is a 10km long hike just northeast of Pemberton, BC that I got the chance to climb this past summer. It's about a 2.5 hour drive from Vancouver past a number of other nature spots and hikes. We left Vancouver around 6:00 AM and after a stop in Squamish for breakfast, we reached Joffre Lakes around 10 AM. The main parking lot was already full and the overflow lot was at half its capacity.

We left the car park around 10:15 AM after a long wait for the 2 toilets available. A small note: if you're used to shopping mall restrooms, keep in mind that in the wilderness the few toilets you encounter will be in a much more rustic state, to put it politely.

We happened to start our hike just as a huge tour group was about to embark on theirs. They unfortunately made a big ruckus in an otherwise peaceful park space. After a short period of time we managed to get ahead of them and focus on the trek and sounds of nature around us.

I was quite thankful for the ample amount of shade during a significant portion of the hike. This helped keep our temperature down and made the switchbacks (zigzag trails on steep hills) much more bearable. There were some exposed sections on the switchbacks where we really felt the heat of the late morning sun but those led to shaded paths later on.

Stretch of switchback under the scorching sun

Once we reached Middle Joffre Lake, we noticed a big group of people waiting to take a picture on a vast log floating out into water. The crowd had swelled by mid afternoon when we were heading back down. The queue of people eager for their chance to pose on the log over the lake was fairly orderly but spectators and the line itself created a not insignificant bottleneck for hikers heading in both directions.

Somewhere along the way, I noticed an older lady in a long elegant dress climbing up the mountain with what appeared to be her two daughters. I was quite impressed with her elegance despite the immense heat and demands of the hike. I initially thought the dress impractical but as a friend pointed out, it appeared to be a lightweight breathable fabric and didn't impede her movement. She was clearly comfortable hiking in it.

After walking in single file over twisting tree roots at some junctions, we arrived at the more crowded end of Upper Joffre Lake. An additional 40 minutes through what felt like a prolonged section filled with rocks and boulders later, we reached the campsite grounds at Upper Joffre Lake around 12:20 PM. By the time we reached Upper Lake it was 31c. It was HOT. There is absolutely no shade for a vast majority of the campsite grounds and the same goes for the general area around Upper Joffre Lake.

We saw a few people brave enough to take a brief but freezing swim in the Middle and Upper Lakes. This involved a lot of cursing and/or screaming for every single person that attempted it. The most I managed was standing knee deep in the waters. It was equal parts refreshingly cold and potentially hypothermia inducing.

I got out within a few minutes of my dip and was content with sitting on a rock dipping my toes in occasionally as I devoured one of the banh mi sandwiches Stef helped us buy the night before. A lengthy rest by the lake and lots of pictures later, we packed up our trash and started to head back. There definitely seemed to be a larger flow of people heading up around this time.

Heading back down the rocky facade surrounding Upper Joffre Lake

We passed by an abundant number of Whiskey Jacks throughout our hike, many of whom flew inquisitively up to us on our way back down.

All in, it was a scenic intermediate hike! I would say it’s a doable hike that is just tough enough to make you groan at times, while soaking in the views ambling through the paths in other sections. There were people of all fitness levels hiking Joffre Lakes. If you do try out the hike in the summer, bring plenty of water, snacks, as well as lather on the sunblock and layer as you need to avoid heat stroke.