Joffre Lakes Trail

Squamish-Lillooet C, British Columbia

4.6/5

based on 9 reviews

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Details

Distance

5.67 miles

Elevation Gain

1266 ft

Route Type

Out-and-Back

Description

Added by Emily Haggar

Easy access to some of the most spectacular scenery in the Coast Mountains. 10km round trip to Upper Joffre Lake, 400m elevation gain (1200' gain). A great hike in summer, and a fun snowshoe in winter. Three beautiful turquoise lakes, a blue glacier, waterfalls and old growth forest. Duration: just a few minutes walk to the first lake, or a half day/full day to explore the whole area.

Joffre Lakes is a well loved destination, and for good reason: it is absolutely stunning. Not only is it located on one of the most scenic drives you could ever hope to find (Duffy Lake Road) , but it's possible to enjoy this area no matter how much time you have, or how much hiking you want to do.

There are three bright turquoise lakes in the Joffre chain, the first being just a few minutes from the parking area. From Lower Joffre Lake, the views are stunning, and as you continue up the trail, it just gets better and better. The Parks Service is working on trail upgrades, and now a new section of the upper trail takes you past a gorgeous waterfall just under Upper Joffre Lake. The trail is steep in places and requires proper footwear and intermediate hiking ability.

From the top of the trail, you can continue on to the camping area (24 sites/$5 a person) and another huge waterfall, plus you'll get a closer look at the blue icefalls of the Matier Glacier directly above you. On a sunny day these lakes sparkle with little diamonds, below clear deep blue skies. On cloudy days, the lakes turn a brighter turquoise. Upper Joffre Lake has some epic camping spots, and serves as a good access point to the surrounding mountains for ski touring and mountaineering.

With easy access and beautiful scenery, this area gets very busy. To have some alone time with Joffre Lakes, you'll need to go very early in the morning or late in the day in summer months. To reach the parking area, head north on HWY 99 from Whistler or Pemberton, and follow the Duffy Lake Rd until you see the well marked Park signs on your right. There's a large parking area here (plowed only intermittently in winter!) that sill manages to spill over onto the highway on summer weekends.

Unfortunately, dogs are no longer allowed at Joffre Lakes Provincial Park.

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Features

Camping

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Backpacking

Hiking

Easy Parking

Family Friendly

Forest

Lake

Picnic Area

River

Romantic

Scenic

Waterfall

Wildflowers

Wildlife

Joffre Lakes Trail Reviews

Zach L

Joffre Lakes Trail

06/19/22

This trail is very popular for a reason. Thankfully at least some of the traffic ends at the insta-log (don't be surprised to see a decent line). I swam in the upper lake and it was cold and refreshing, definitely recommended for those brave enough to try!

5.0

Char Zoller

Joffre Lakes Trail

09/29/19

Went around 6:30am and it was absolutely incredible - only saw 3 people on the way up

5.0

Allison Stark

Joffre Lakes Trail

07/25/18

One of my favorite hikes - and my first alpine glacial lake hike with my dog, I have done twice when in Whistler. Sadly, was looking forward to coming back this year and learned that dogs are no longer allowed. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/joffre-lakes-hike-dogs-1.4646944

4.0

Explorer

Kevin Abernethy

Explorer

Joffre Lakes Trail

07/31/17

This is a pretty easy hike, so if you are in the area I would recommend spending a couple of hours here. If you are planning on doing this hike I STRONGLY recommend starting early. We started at about 8:00am and there were already a dozen or so people on the trail, on our way down we passed countless groups and the parking lot was insane. There were at least 30 people in line for the restroom when we got done. A beautiful trio of lakes, but again start early if you want some peace

4.0

Tam McTavish

Joffre Lakes Trail

03/16/17

I've done Joffre a couple years ago, but when I went up recently I was shocked to see an overflowing parking lot. The trail made the SeaWall in Vancouver look slow. The views are stunning, but the crowds for so thick, and the endless "hammock" instagramers kinda got on my nerves. As someone who goes on hikes for the piece and quite and authenticity I wasn't keen on this area. I'm glad so many others derive so much joy from it though. I'd happily sacrifice this spot to the crowds to save the many other locations nearby.

3.0

Eva B

Joffre Lakes Trail

10/01/16

Make sure to start early, it could get pretty busy around midday! It was a beautiful and easy hike, although we weren't able to see Upper Joffre Lake due to the fog.

5.0

Leave No Trace

Always practice Leave No Trace ethics on your adventures and follow local regulations. Please explore responsibly!

Nearby

Backcountry Camp Upper Joffre Lake

Joffre Lakes Provincial Park is located roughly three hours from Vancouver north of Whistler and Pemberton on Highway 99 (Sea-to-Sky Highway). The drive itself up to the trailhead is very scenic and worth it in itself. Once you get to the parking lot, park your car anywhere in the lot and consider leaving a note with your trip plans in case (hopefully not) something were to happen to you and ...

Snowshoe Joffre Lakes

The Canadian west coast mountains around Whistler BC receive over thirty feet of snow each winter. This area is well known for epic skiing and snowboarding, and it's also a really fun place to go snowshoeing. Here's a winter version of the incredible Joffre Lakes adventure (see my profile to read about hiking this area), with some extra details you'll need to know if you are visiting the park f...

Hike to Slalok Mountain

The hike starts and finishes at the same location as the Joffre lake trail. You'll need to hike to the third lake where where you'll turn off in a SW direction through the valley just before reaching the helipad close to the campground From there, there'll be a trail all the way to the ridge at the valley where you'll be hiking up a giant mound of rock debris left from the glacier and up to the...

Hike to Mt Rohr

The Duffy Lake Road area is a scrambling paradise. If you love exploring the alpine off trail, this would be the place.Mt Rohr is a prominent peak, located just above Duffy Lake. One of the highlights of this trip is that you get to hike directly beside the incredible glaciers of Joffre Peak, as it is the next summit over. The deep turquoise Rohr Lake has some great tent sites and swimming spot...

Scramble Mt Joffre

From the trailhead on the Duffey Lake Road you follow the well-marked summer trail up the Cerise Creek. The trail heads south after the bridge and heads up onto the lower flanks of Joffre and onto a logging road. Eventually the road forks, and the main trail follows the right fork uphill. The logging road ends, diving back into the woods on heavily rooted but well-maintained trail. The trail ta...

Overnight at Keith's Hut

Starting from the side of the highway outside of Pemberton, continue towards Duffy Lake past Joffre Lake trail head. Cross the Cayoosh Creek bridge and pass the work sheds on your right with a green roof, 3.3km from this is a shoulder and between no-stopping avalanches areas, you will see a pull off available (Lat 50.3812967797867, Long -122.412581102679). The route follows a clear path through...

Joffre Lakes Trail

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Joffre Lakes Trail Reviews

Leave No Trace

Nearby

Backcountry Camp Upper Joffre Lake

Snowshoe Joffre Lakes

Hike to Slalok Mountain

Hike to Mt Rohr

Scramble Mt Joffre

Overnight at Keith's Hut

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