Throughout this vacation, Becca and I have completed some absolutely incredible adventures, which in my opinion, require a full blog post. And I’ve decided to not only start that right now, but to start off with a bang with one of the most famous hikes in B.C.: the Joffre Lakes trail.

I’ll head back to the proper timeline and continue the Week Two story next week, continuing where I left off after publishing Embarking on the Vacation of a Lifetime – Week One last week.

Now, onto this Joffre place I’ve been mentioning. Joffre Lakes is a beautiful trail 30 minutes north of Pemberton along the sea to sky highway (HWY 99). It features 3 lakes called Lower, Middle and Upper Joffre Lake. The 11km out and back trail has a reputation for picturesque turquoise lakes, creating an incredibly popular hiking destination with more than 200,000 people getting out on the trail each year!

You’re probably thinking: great, an 11km gravel highway. BUT a gravel highway that’s worth it. And, pro tip, a lot of people don’t make it past the first lake for reasons you’ll see below.

And in case that picture didn’t sink in enough, you want to make it past the first lake.

Becca and I hiked an out-and-back at Joffre in the end of May 2022, and returned a month later to do an overnight at the campground located at Upper Joffre Lake. The picture above is Upper Joffre Lake around 4pm in the afternoon in late June, with some tourist getting in the way of the completely natural beauty of the turquoise lake and the surroundings.

Nerd Note: The reason for the turquoise water is caused by “rockflour,”or glacial silt. This glacial silt is suspended in the water melting from the glaciers above the lake and reflects green and blue wavelengths of light. The more you know! Now lets get into the hike itself.

The Hike to Lower Joffre Lake

When hiking Joffre Lakes, Lower Joffre Lake is just a couple hundred metres away from the parking lot. This flat traverse makes it an easy destination for anyone not willing to make the climb to the next two lakes yet still wants to enjoy the scenery and the water.

Lower Joffre Lake has a perfectly situated viewing platform of both the first lake and the glacier. The glacier seen in the above picture (middle of the image, above the lake) is the main water supply for all three of the lakes. This connecting waterway between the lakes is called Joffre Creek.

While the lower lake tends to be the busiest lake of the three, we have stopped at this viewpoint both hikes to spend a few minutes enjoying the sights. But the sights get better, and the hike to Middle and Upper Joffre Lakes are well worth the uphill stroll.

The Hike to Middle Joffre Lake

The hike from Lower to Middle Joffre Lake is about 3km, and ~300 metres of climbing. This is considered the most challenging part of the hike, as the elevation can be considerably steep at times. But with this being a well travelled route, some stairs have been implemented in the steepest sections of the trail to both help out the hikers and to slow any erosion taking place.

Interestingly, this trail looked completely different between our two hikes separated by just one month. Take a look at the images below – but there’s a catch! Corporate needs you to find the differences between the two pictures. Intel has told us there are at least 7. Comment if you can find any!

The gear changes between the months may also interest some readers – at the end of May, our hiking boots with crampons (spike attachments that slip over normal footwear) were a must on the hard packed snow and ice. We passed an enormous amount of people who were slipping both up and down the slope, as we made our way around them thanks to our proper footwear choice.

In June, with the trail now a mixture of root, rock and dirt, we found the trail shoes to be a much more effective option of footwear over the crampon/boots combination. That being said, for more stability, hiking boots are still a good option for this trail in the summer. The decision really is a personal choice of comfort at peak summer hiking.

Middle Joffre Lake

Arriving at Middle Joffre Lake is a time to celebrate. The elevation has ended for now, and we can focus on our heart rates back below 100!

But what a reward the climb is. Middle Joffre Lake is stunning. Many influencers, travel bloggers, and adventure enthusiasts have pictures from around this lake; the turquoise, clear water, the pleasant rushing waterfall, the uprooted tree stump that seems to have been set up for some of the nicest shots instagram has ever seen. Well, I guess I can now be included in that list of travel bloggers with this photo!

And yes, I almost fell into the lake a few times on my way out for this picture. Another pro tip, leave the electronics behind when you head out on this famous log!

Up behind me in the above picture is yet again the same glacier pictured from Lower Joffre Lake, which is the main water source for all of these lakes.

The Hike to Upper Joffre Lake

The distance between Middle and Upper Joffre Lake’s main viewpoint is really a quick jaunt at about 1.2km and only 60 metres of elevation. While the viewpoint at Upper Joffre is the main stop for many travelers, the campground is another one kilometre past, bringing us to the far side of the lake, almost underneath the glacier.

The main viewpoint for Upper Joffre is nothing to skip past on the way to the campsite! From Middle Joffre Lake to this viewpoint, the trail winds over multiple bridges and past a rushing waterfall off a quick side trail.

Upper Joffre Lake

This alpine lake, sitting at an elevation of 1650 metres above sea level, is the crown jewel of the day. The lake is surrounded by mountain peaks, glaciers, and rushing waterfalls, a scenic back drop for the turquoise water found in the summer.

During our visit in May 2022, the lake was still frozen and we witnessed multiple avalanches tumbling from the mountain ridges. With temperatures warming with the coming spring, an increase in avalanche activity around the far slopes of Upper Joffre are usual and expected. The campsite, closer to the avalanche activity than the main viewing area, does not open until June 15th while the viewing area on the opposite side of the lake stays open all year.

Pictured above is some of the mountain peaks mentioned, as well as Matier Glacier, the main source of water for all of the lakes at Joffre Provincial Park. The ice on the lake had not thawed come May, and at this point on the hike we made the decision that we would return when the lakes would reach their famous turquoise glow. Even frozen, the beauty of this lake does not escape notice, and the added effect of the snowpack on the back mountains was a nice touch that was not seen during our summer outing.

The campsite location in the picture above is on the far side of the lake, below and to the right of the main mountain peak.

Overnight Stay at Upper Joffre Lake

Jumping forward to our June trip, the lake was thawed, the avalanches had subsided, our backpacks were filled, and we were ready for the overnight stay up at Upper Joffre Lake Campground.

We arrived at the campground around 4pm on June 27th after completing the 2 hour hike to the top lake. When we arrived, only a handful of the campsites had been filled, and we nabbed a spot right on the water’s edge! This led to a nice dip in the water. Talk about chilly temperatures in that glacier water, but it was worth it after the sweaty hike up.

With our tent set up, we did some exploring around the campsite and surrounding area before retreating to the campsite for a nice burrito bowl* dinner and sunset before bed. And did the sunset ever deliver.

*dehydrated burrito bowl. Just wanted to make everyone think I was lugging up Mucho Burrito on the trail.

The next morning, after a chilly nights sleep, and the the late rising of the sun over the mountain peaks, we packed up camp after some grits and coffee and departed Upper Joffre Lake into our final descent home. The descent itself took about an hour and a half, with just as much sightseeing as we did on the way up. It can’t be helped, the scenery really is top quality.

Review

Although I have not done many overnight hikes in my days, I would say Joffre Lakes campground holds a special place in my heart. The incredible views, peacefulness of the lakes, and the surrounding areas to explore all made the experience a true masterpiece. The only drawback was the amount of other people, but I get it. I really, really get it. Everyone should lay their eyes at least once on this natural wonder of British Columbia. It’s worth every step, every metre, and every influencer on the trail.