British Columbia is synonymous to "beautiful lakes and mountains". One such area is the 3 lakes of Joffre, located at Joffre Lakes Provincial Park, which is part of the NIhaxten Cerise Creek Conservancy. If driving from Vancouver, it will take about 2 hours 30 minutes to reach it's trailhead. Parking can be problematic especially during peak season.
This trail is for everyone. The first lake, which is beautiful on its own, can be reached by a mere 10 minutes walk or less. The turquoise bluish color of the lake is mesmerizing. It is the silt that is suspended in the glacial water of the lake that reflects the colors in this wavelength. From here, we caught our first glimpse of the glaciers that surrounds the peaks behind the upper lake. We could't wait to get as close to them as possible.
Many would be satisfied having seen the first lower lake but not for us. Don't get me wrong - I won't think any less of you if you are contented with this view but as for us, the upper lake was our goal. So off we went.
For the next 3.1 miles to the upper lake, we traipsed through old growths of hemlock and spruce. We also crossed a wooden bridge bridge over Joffre Creek, just below the lower lake.
Once across the creek, the path starts to climb slowly. The section between the first and middle lakes takes the longest. This section tends to see heavier foot traffic as the majority of hikers will explore the area between the lower and middle lakes. Less will go to the upper lake and even less towards the campground near the glacier.
Not too long into the hike, about 1.1 miles in, we came to an open area littered with many boulders. The following steep sections have steps made over it to help hikers get over the boulders.
There will be several more switchbacks as we gain elevation towards the middle lake. In about 1.8 miles, we reached the middle lake. It is just as beautiful as the first one. There were quite a few people resting and taking photos of the surroundings. Some were feeding the Whiskey Jacks right off the palm of their hands. The braver ones can be seen teetering on a floating log for that perfect instagram photo.
We kept hiking on, crossing another wooden bridge with a tree trunk on it en route to the upper lake.
The next highlight of the hike is a cascade waterfall coming from the upper lake. There is also a bench next to the fall if you want to sit for a moment and enjoy the sound of the rushing water.
The final section to the upper lake was quite muddy and full of roots. There is one final bridge to cross before getting to the upper lake. This one had an interesting wood carving of a bear with words engraved on it.
This final bridge crossing puts us next to the upper lake with views into the glaciers. But we didn't stop here which is what most people do. We kept on hiking, skirting around the eastern side of the lake perimeter towards the campground. The following photo shows where most people stop on the northern edge on the boulders.
The final section to the campground was the roughest stretch by far. We had to cross two more bridges over gushing waters and a boulder field. At times, we would lose the trail but we kept heading towards the back of the lake where the snow line starts. In less than 2 hours from the start, we finally reached our goal.
The following photos and videos capture the stunning backdrop at the upper lake edge towards the glaciers atop Mount Matier, Mount Hartzell, Mount Spetch and Mount Slalok.
On our way back, we wondered what the experience will be like if we would to hike this in the winter months. Even in the summer, the air was quite chilly. The lakes would definitely be frozen and hiking on it would be a welcomed change.
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