Lake O’Hara Backpacking Trip Part I

November 8, 2023July 11, 2024 / Maria / 7 Comments

If Panorama Ridge is THE hike of coastal southwestern BC, then I feel like Lake O’Hara is THE hike of the Canadian Rockies. You might argue that Lake Louise and Moraine Lake are more popular, but Lake O’Hara is by far the most exclusive hike in the Rockies.

Lake O’Hara is situated in Yoho National Park and has become one of the most elite hikes in the area because of the incredibly scenic and compact natural wonders that exist around the lake. What makes Lake O’Hara so sought after is accessibility. The lake itself is located at an elevation of 2000m, at the start of the alpine. From the lake, there’s a plethora of hiking trails to explore and they’re all extremely varied and beautiful.

The key feature is that there is a 11km long dirt road that runs all the way up the valley to the base of the lake, at which you can stay either in the Parks Canada campground, the ACC’s Elizabeth Parker Hut, or the exclusive high end Lake O’Hara Lodge. The road is closed to personal vehicles, but a bus runs from the parking lot to the lake several times a day, so you don’t have to expend any effort to access this mecca of hiking trails! So it is a bit misleading to refer to this as a backpacking trip, because I didn’t actually have to do any backpacking to arrive at the campsite.

So what is the catch? As you can probably guess, like most other popular hikes, it’s hard to get a reservation to visit. All of the campsites for the entire season release every year in March and you have to be very lucky to score permits! Parks Canada puts you in a random queue at the release time, and if you aren’t lucky enough to be high up the queue, you probably aren’t getting permits.

I tried to get permits to visit in 2022, but I wasn’t successful, so I tried again in 2023. I couldn’t find any permits for 2-3 consecutive nights, so I ended up booking a single night, and then was able to find another adjacent single night. So I ended up with 2 back-to-back 1-night permits. This isn’t ideal because you have to pay for the bus twice, but Parks Canada was really good about it and reimbursed me for the second bus fare when I called them (if you end up with multiple permits like this, you must call because if they don’t know, they will cancel your reservation when you don’t show up for the bus on day 2 and give it to someone else).

If you’re lucky enough to get camping permits, it automatically includes a ride on the bus there and back. If you’re not lucky enough to get a permit for the campsite, you could try either the ACC hut or the lodge, but the lodge is extremely expensive and I think it helps to be an ACC member to get into the hut (both of which are still very popular). Be aware that the hut does require a few kilometres of backpacking to get there.

If those options aren’t feasible and you don’t want to camp, you can still try for a day pass on the bus! The most iconic hike (the alpine circuit) can be done in a single day, so if you don’t want to camp, you can try booking a bus pass for a day when they release in March. Getting a day pass is just as competitive as a camping permit though, so plan accordingly.

Your last option is to hike the 11km road there and back. This is an option that a lot of people avail of, but make sure you are in proper physical condition to do it. I don’t think the road is particularly challenging (though it is all uphill), but it is long to hike 22km round trip on top of whatever hike you hope to do once you arrive at the lake. Sometimes if you show up at the parking lot, you might be lucky enough to snag on empty seat on the bus if someone didn’t show up. Likewise, you might hike up and manage to snag a ride down on the bus if there is room for you, but you can’t bank on either of these options because the park is very popular and attracts a lot of day hikers in peak season. So if you decide to hike up, be prepared to also hike down!

Now that we’ve got all that important information out of the way, let’s talk about my trip!

Like I said, I scored a 2-night camping permit for me and Brandon. Carolyn wasn’t able to stay for a second week in the Rockies, so after we said goodbye to her, we packed up all our gear to get ready for the second part of our trip. We were booked on the 10am bus up to the campground and planned to stay for 3 days. I wanted to do the main things the park has to offer, including the Alpine Circuit and Lake McArthur.

Unfortunately, the weather wasn’t looking very good. We’d had great weather for Kootenay, but once September arrives, the rain usually comes with it. We weren’t really sure what to expect, but the nicest day in the forecast was our first day, so we decided to try and cram as much into Day 1 as possible! We took the bus up to the campground and quickly set up our tent and packed our day bags to start hiking. We left around noon and decided to tackle the iconic Alpine Circuit.

The Alpine Circuit is named because it’s basically a big circle through the alpine that encircles the entire lake. The campground is located ~1km from Lake O’Hara, so we hiked up to the lake and then started hiking clockwise around the lake to hit the branch for the Wiwaxy Gap trail up to Huber’s Ledges. After Lake O’Hara, Lake Oesa is probably the second most well known lake in the area and you have a few options to get there. You can either hike around part of the lake and then ascend up the back of O’Hara to Oesa. Or you can immediately jump on the Wiwaxy gap and climb 550m in elevation over 2km up to the pass between Mount Huber and Wiwaxy Peak, before descending back down to Oesa. As you can imagine, it’s incredibly steep, but it was probably one of my favourite parts of the entire park. It has amazing views of the lake on the way up and then you get a view from the Pass looking out the other side of the park.

It was overcast and the rain was holding off for us, but unfortunately it was weirdly smoky when we visited the park. It had rained the day before, but the smoke still hung around and left a haze over us the entire day. It still made for stunning, moody views, but it’s definitely a different experience than what you hope for when you get to visit. In any case, we were lucky it wasn’t raining as it would be very dangerous and slippery on a rainy day, and we weren’t in the clouds, so we still got amazing views, albeit a little hazy.

We stopped at the top for our lunch before continuing on towards Lake Oesa. The Wiwaxy gap is the highest elevation along the alpine circuit, so we bundled up in a few layers at the top and prepared to go down. From the gap, you continue along the Huber Ledges to Lake Oesa. This is the sketchiest part of the circuit and I was a bit nervous for it. The trail is a gradual decline along bare and exposed rock ledges until you hit the lake. It looks really intimidating from afar, but it ended up not being scary at all. If you have a fear of heights I wouldn’t recommend it, but the ledge is wide enough and there’s enough variation in the rock that I never felt unsafe. I loved every second we spent on the ledges descending to Lake Oesa.

Lake Oesa is a highlight in itself. It’s a hanging lake that’s nestled under giant peaks and glaciers. We took another short break at the lake, but pushed forward because we also wanted to do the Yukness Ledges. The alpine circuit is characterized into 3 sections: Wiwaxy Gap/Hubers Ledges, the Yukness Ledges, and the All-Souls Route. Wiwaxy runs from the base to Lake Oesa via the gap, then you pass from Lake Oesa to Opabin Plateau (and the Prospect), and then you continue along the edge of Mount Shaffer before heading back down to the Lake.

We had to do a bit of climbing to get back up to the Yukness Ledges from Oesa, but then it’s relatively flat and slightly downhill around Yukness Mountain to Opabin Plateau. This section of the trail is also very beautiful, but I’d still give the edge to Hubers Ledge. Once we got down to the plateau, I was keen to keep going to Opabin Prospect (which is the most popular viewpoint in the park), but Brandon convinced me to do a short detour to the back of the Plateau to see Opabin Lake. I’m glad he did because it’s not too far out of the way and I ended up loving the lake! It was the end of the long weekend and the weather wasn’t great, so there were very few people on the circuit and both Oesa and Opabin Lakes were completely empty of people when we visited.

We saw a mountain goat on the way to the lake that I decided to name Emily (lol). We took another short break at Opabin Lake and admired the gorgeous glaciers at the back of the plateau. It was getting late in the afternoon at this point, so we were also alone hiking back through the plateau and started towards Opabin Prospect to see the Park’s most iconic viewpoint.

I assume Opabin Prospect is generally crawling with people, but it was around 5pm when we arrived and completely empty! The prospect is a little scary with its abrupt drops, but it does have a beautiful view of Lake O’Hara and Mary Lake. It’s the most popular viewpoint, but again, I’d still give the edge to other parts of the Alpine Circuit. In total, the circuit is only ~12km, so it’s very achievable in one day. We had a little photoshoot at the Prospect before continuing on.

From here we had two choices. We could try and also cram in the final section of the circuit (all-souls route), or we could head back down to the campsite. We knew it was possible that if we skipped it, we wouldn’t get another chance to hike it given the incoming weather, but it was also getting later in the day and we were tired and hungry. I’ve read that while All-Souls is still beautiful, it doesn’t offer a lot more in terms of views than what you’ve already seen on the rest of the trail. We never did end up doing it, so I can’t confirm if this is the case or not.

Instead, we decided to come back for it on the way to Lake McArthur the following day and headed back down to the lake. We stopped again at Lake O’Hara for another snack and we did a little loop around the lodge to check out the expensive cabins. They’re definitely really cool and are right on the lake, but we couldn’t really swallow the expensive price tag to stay there.

We ended up back at the campsite just before 7pm and clocked a total of 13.5km for the day. The campground itself is not very scenic and all of the campsites are spread out in the trees. But what I really liked about it is the common areas. For bear-safe reasons, everyone’s required to do their cooking in the common area and there’s a number of picnic tables, 2 cooking shelters, and a fire pit. The fire ban was done for the season in the Rockies and Parks Canada provides firewood, so there’s always a bonfire on the go, which was lovely!

It was pretty chilly while we were in the park, so we bundled up and made our supper around the campfire. I love meeting people in the common area, so I ended up hanging around for a few hours chatting with a lot of the other campers. Most of them were from BC or Alberta, but there were a few visitors from the States and Ontario as well.

I’m so glad we crammed the alpine circuit into our first day in the park because the weather turned pretty terrible after that. We were never able to return for the All-Souls route, so I guess I’ll have to come back another time, but more on the rest of the trip in Part 2!

Hot Springs in the Kootenays

October 25, 2023July 11, 2024 / Maria / Leave a comment

After an awesome 4 days on the Rockwall Trail, we were ready for some rest and relaxation! We left the National Park and hit the first B&B we could find in the small town of Radium. The 3 of us crammed into a double room and immediately took turns showering and cleaning our gear. I only have a certain amount of backpacking clothes and we had another backpacking trip a few days later, so I took advantage of the B&B to try and clean as much as I could. There was no laundry services, so this meant washing my clothes in the tub and hanging everything up to dry. It worked decently well for most things, but I’m not sure where I went wrong with my hiking pants because I couldn’t get the odour out of the them no matter how hard I tried!

We stayed in Radium just long enough to scarf down an elk burger before heading back to the bush. Since we were in the Kootenays, we wanted to check out some of the nearby hot springs. Radium hot springs is probably the most well known because it’s a commercial hot spring located right in the park. I’d been once before as a teenager and Brandon isn’t a fan of commercial hot springs, so we opted to skip it, but if we had more time I would definitely check it out.

Instead we set our sights on Fairmont and Lussier. Fairmont is a small town south of Radium that appears to be named after the Fairmont Resort that dominates the entire community. I’m sure it’s a very nice resort, but we’re not that classy and had big plans to check out the resort run-off instead! I’d read online that the resort discharges the water over the hillside into the nearby river, around which a few natural pools have been developed.

Honestly, the whole thing is a bit dicey and it’s not really clear to me if you’re technically allowed in the area (that wasn’t stopping other people, but for that reason I’m not including directions). It involves a bit of walking down the river and it has become very eroded, so my guess is that the resort doesn’t want people climbing down there for liability reasons.

Purely from a scenic perspective, it does look really neat because it’s basically a waterfall cascading into connecting pools. But it is run-off from the resort and it’s not very hot anymore. It’s warm enough in the summer, but it’s definitely more bath water temperature than hot spring, and I think if you went in the cold season it wouldn’t really be hot enough to keep you warm. There were about a dozen other people around, so we hung out for a bit to say we did it and then packed up and moved on.

Our next stop was back into the woods as we’d decided to check out some rec sites in the area and visit Lussier Hot Springs. Lussier is pretty well known and it’s reasonably developed without being commercial. It’s actually located in Whiteswan Provincial Park, which has 5 first-come-first-serve campgrounds. It was the Friday of the Labour Day Weekend and we wanted to get a site before the long weekend crowds arrived, so we hit up the first campsite in the park, which is called Alces Lake.

We didn’t have any trouble getting a site, but it did get pretty full by the end of the night. Alces Lake is a lot smaller than Whiteswan Lake, so maybe that one is more popular, but Alces is beautiful too and we really loved it! Our campsite was right next to the lake and the hot springs parking lot had been pretty full when we drove by, so we opted to hang out at the lake for the afternoon, with the plan to go back to the hot springs around dinnertime in hopes it would clear out.

It was a great decision and we had a blast at the lake! The water was really warm and we spent the afternoon lounging in the water on our thermarests. I’ve had a slow leak in my thermarest for almost a year now, so I finally was able to look for the hole. I thought I found it near the mouthpiece and sealed it up, but it’s still leaking, so I may have to finally breakdown and buy a new one (which is disappointing because they’re so expensive!).

Waiting until 5pm was a great idea though! There were still a few people around when we got to the hot springs, but there was enough room for us and it gradually cleared out more while we were there. There’s a large parking lot walking down to the river and then there’s several man-made pools next to the river. None of them were too hot, but it was still warm enough outside that we didn’t want to hang out too long in the hot pool and spent most of our time in the middle pool. We went for a few cold dips in the river, but mostly just relaxed for 2 hours, which was lovely!

We returned back to the lake for supper and then enjoyed watching the sunset over the lake while Carolyn did my hair. Me and Brandon camped in my 3p North Face tent and Carolyn opted to just sleep in her car, which is her newest obsession.

We left the next morning after breakfast to head back to Kootenay National Park and then camped in Lake Louise for two nights, so it was a short visit to the Kootenays, but still a lot of fun! To be honest, I’m not really a big hot spring person – not because I don’t like hot springs – but because I find them to always be very stressful and busy. But Lussier wasn’t either of those things and it had a really nice vibe. I’d definitely recommend, especially with so many options for camping nearby! One day I hope to return and drive a bit farther down to Top of the World Provincial Park, which is also located nearby.

Kootenay National Park Guide

October 18, 2023July 11, 2024 / Maria / 3 Comments

Let’s start off with a disclaimer – there’s a lot to do in Kootenay National Park – I’ve still only done a fraction of what there is in the park, but after spending a week there, I feel like I got a good idea of what a lot of the attractions are. There’s still lots for me to return and explore, but here’s some of my learnings after 1 week.

Getting There

Kootenay National Park is characterized by Highway 93. It runs through the entirety of the park and it’s from this highway that you access all the attractions. Put simply, you can either enter through BC or through Alberta. If you’re coming from Calgary (as we were), the obvious option is to drive Highway 1 through Banff and then take the exit for Highway 93. If you’re coming from BC, it’s the same distance from Golden to either park entrance, so it all depends on which direction you’d like to drive. You can access the park through Radium, which in my opinion is the nicer direction because that’s the official park entrance and you can get your park pass there. But there’s nothing wrong with entering through Banff National Park. Leave lots of time for your drive either way because there’s so much to see in the park!

Where to Stay

Where to stay depends on what kind of sleeping experience you’re looking for. If you’d like to stay in a hotel, I’d recommend Radium. It’s right on the doorstep of the park and has lots of options for cheaper accommodations. You could also stay in Lake Louise or Banff, but be prepared to shell out a lot more money for these options.

If you’d like to camp, then there will be a lot more options available to you and you’ll be able to stay directly in the park. But you have to be prepared to book sites when they release around March because all of the National Parks are popular and they book up fast. See the next sections for more information on your camping options.

Frontcountry Camping

If you’re new to camping, then frontcountry camping is what you’re looking for. These are drive in sites, so you can store lots of things in your car and they’re a bit easier to get to than backcountry sites. There are 3 frontcountry sites in Kootenay National Park – all can be booked through the Parks Canada reservation site, check early in the year for the date that sites will be released.

Redsteak Campground – This is the largest campground in the park and therefore the easiest to get into. it’s located very close to Radium. It has 242 sites and is usually open from late April to early October.

McLeod Meadows Campground – This site is located in the valley, along the banks of the river in the middle of the park. It has 88 sites and is usually open from early June to early September.

Marble Canyon Campground – Marble Canyon is a large attraction on its own and this site is located in the sub-alpine with nice mountain views. It has 60 sites and is usually open from late June to early September.

Full disclosure, I haven’t actually stayed at any of these sites, but I would like to try for McLeod or Marble one day!

Backcountry Camping

Backcountry camping is my preferred method of camping, but it is a whole different beast than frontcountry. It revolves around hiking and you have to carry everything you need on your back, so you should only attempt backcountry if you’re aiming to complete a hike.

As far as backcountry camping goes, there are limited options in Kootenay. All of these sites are on the Rockwall Trail (a 54km hiking trail), with the exception of Verdant Creek (which is now closed). Though you don’t have to commit to doing the entire Rockwall Trail if you want to visit some of these sites, many have alternative entrances.

Helmet-Ochre Junction Campground – A small campground along Helmet Creek. It’s a 6km walk to the campsite. It’s a good stopping point along the Rockwall Trail or for a 1-nighter if you just want to visit Paint Pots or Helmet Falls. It’s pretty easy hiking to this site, good for beginners.

Helmet Falls Campground – A larger campground located at the base of Helmet Falls. It’s a 14km hike to the site and is most commonly used along the Rockwall Trail, though you could stop here for 1 night if you just want to visit the Falls. Alternatively, you could camp here for 2 nights and do a day hike up through the pass to the start of the Rockwall and back.

Tumbling Creek Campground – A larger campground located where Tumbling Creek meets the Rockwall. It’s a great place to stop on a thru hike of the Rockwall Trail, or you can do a 10km hike on the Tumbling Creek Trail. It’s a fairly gentle climb up to the campground. I haven’t done the Tumbling Creek Trail, but if I was to enter the Rockwall this way, I would plan to stay for 2 nights and day hike along the Rockwall.

Numa Creek Campground – A larger campground located on Numa Creek. It’s a great place to stop on a thru hike of the Rockwall Trail, or you can do a 6.5km hike on the Numa Creek Trail. It’s an easy trail to the campsite, but Tumbling Creek is closer to the Rockwall if you’re planning on day hiking there. As a thru hike, I recommend staying at Numa, but as a day hike, I’d recommend Tumbling.

Floe Lake Campground – The most popular campsite in the park. This campground is located right on beautiful Floe Lake. It’s a 10.5km hike up to Floe Lake with considerable elevation gain. It’s the most challenging hike on the list, but the most rewarding. A perfect end if you’re doing the entire Rockwall Trail.

Verdant Creek Campground – This site was extensively damaged in the 2017 wildfires and is no longer recommended. It was previously used as an alternative access to Egypt Lake in Banff National Park.

Hiking

The Rockwall Trail – One of the biggest attractions in the park. This 54km trail is extremely popular and travels along gorgeous alpine terrain. Recommended as a 3-4 night thru hike.

Stanley Glacier – Another popular attraction in the park, this 11km trail can be done as a day hike and covers a lot of elevation gain. You can hike it on your own, or if you’re a fossil enthusiast, pay for a guided hike with Parks Canada!

Cobb Lakes Trail – A shorter trail on the west side of the park, day hike 5km and back to picturesque Cobb Lake for the day.

Dog Lake Trail – A fairly easy 7km trail that leaves from McLeod Meadows campground, with beautiful views of the surrounding valley.

Simpson River Trail – A flat and easy trail along the Simpson river, customized to your preferred length. The trail continues all the way to Mount Assiniboine if you’d like to hike 12km to Sunrise Creek Campground and continue on further.

Ball Pass Trail – I wouldn’t recommend this trail unless you’re backpacking and continuing on to Sunshine Village, in which case, this beautiful trail covers a lot of elevation gain and kilometres. Stay at the Ball Pass Campground or infamous Egypt Lake.

Arnica Lake – A very scenic trail that hikes down to Viewpoint Lake and then back up to Arnica Lake. It’s 10km in total and is very popular in the Fall when the larches turn yellow. (technically this trail is in Banff, but it’s so close to the border)

Boom Lake – Another trail in Banff, but Boom lake is a scenic 10km trail with moderate elevation gain to a gorgeous lake.

Roadside Attractions

Since I spent most of my time in Kootenay National Park on the Rockwall Trail, I was more keen to explore all the roadside attractions rather than do more hiking. We spent a full day driving the 100km of road between to the two park entrances and there were tons of attractions to keep us busy all day! Starting from Radium, here are my recommendations:

Sinclair Canyon – Towering canyon walls as you enter the park. Stop for some photos and walk along the pedestrian sidewalk through the canyon.

Radium Hot Springs – Gorgeous commercial hot spring and pool just within the park boundary. Perfect in the winter or on a cloudy day. Walkable from Redstreak Campground.

Olive Lake – Short walk to turquoise waters and a fish conservation area located in Sinclair Pass.

Kootenay Valley Viewpoint – Rest stop with panoramic views of the Kootenay Mountains and Kootenay River across the valley.

Kootenay River Day Use Area – Rest stop with a few picnic tables and an excellent view of the river.

Numa Falls – Short walk to a bridge under which the rushing Numa Falls are channeled to the Vermillion River.

Paint Pots – 1km walk each way to see the red ochre soil that makes up the traditional paint pots.

Marble Canyon – Go back in time along the 1.5km loop trail to see how Tokkum Creek has formed the canyon over thousands of years.

Continental Divide Rest Stop – Photo op where the Rockies collide, separating BC from Alberta, and the flow of water to the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.

Vista Viewpoint – Technically in Banff National Park, but the last stop along Highway 93 with beautiful views of Arnica Lake.

National Park Pass

Before visiting, make sure you get your park pass either at the entrance in Radium, or when you drive through Banff National Park. You will need it to park everywhere inside the park. It’s $10 per person, per day, or you can get the family pass for the whole year for $145, which is applicable to all National Parks in Canada.