Joffre Lakes Trail

Joffre Lakes Provincial Park is an hour's drive from Whistler. We drive again via the Sea to Sky Highway and enjoy views over mountains and lakes along the way. It's quiet on the winding road to Joffre Lakes. On the way we drive past dense forests and twice we see a black bear crossing the street!

No matter how quiet it is on the road, our surprise is great when we arrive at Joffre Lakes. The parking lot is packed. We just manage to fit our (not so small) Ford in the parking lot.

The walk takes us along three lakes. The first lake Lower Joffre Lake is easily accessible via a five-minute walk from the car park. It is a beautiful lake, but it is still worth the full walk.

Via a steep climb of 400 meters we walk towards Middle Joffre Lake. The scenery is impressive. First we walk through a dense forest that later opens up and gives a view of snowy peaks and overgrown mountain ridges. Here the air is full of the chamois-sweet scent of pine trees. Along the way we are surprised by birds that come to sit on our hand. We feel like a Disney princess.

The climb is tough. 400 meters is not nothing for two Belgians who hardly know any difference in height in their own country. Fortunately, there are a lot of infrastructure improvements that have made the walk a lot more pleasant since this year. The part where you used to have to climb over rocks has now been replaced by a landscaped walking path with stairs. Still, it's still panting and puffing to get to Middle Joffre Lake, but it pays off.

This mountain lake has a bright green and clear blue color due to a combination of rocks and meltwater. Near Middle Joffre Lake we stop to enjoy the surroundings and make a nice photo series.

Further on the route towards the last lake we pass an impressive waterfall. It always amazes us with what flow the water flows down. Here, too, the water thunders down impetuously. So intense that you can barely understand each other.

Last stop on the route is Upper Joffre Lake, the highest lake. The wind around the snowy peaks that encircle the lake significantly lowers the temperature. At the very last part, infrastructure works are still being carried out and as a result it goes through mud and over rocks. The view is beautiful, but Middle Joffre Lake remains our favorite.

We eventually return via the same route. Joffre Lakes is definitely recommended near the more famous Whistler.