After non-stop sunshine all month, we get a day of pouring rain on the last day of the month. Is the summer over? Definitely not. There’s still plenty of time to get out there and bag some peaks. But, the sun is setting a lot earlier and it is getting colder, so keep this in mind.
Check out the Events Calendar to see what’s on tap for September. But before you do that, here’s a look back at some of the popular posts from August:
Joffre Lakes is a popular hike located just north of Pemberton in Joffre Lakes Provincial Park. Its easy access and gorgeous views make this a well traveled trail during the summer (and winter) months. It’s also a popular destination for ice climbers for the same reasons.
From the trailhead, Lower Joffre Lake is a flat 5 minute walk. The view here will give you a good vantage point of your end goal; the spectacular Matier Glacier that looms above Upper Joffre Lake. Doubling back from the Lower Lake will take you to the main trail that leads to the Middle and Upper Lakes. From here, the trail is a 5.5km upward climb through old growth forest, over a boulder field, and over Joffre Creek.
After the initial 30 minutes of climbing you will come to the boulder field. Traversing the large boulders, you will shortly get some views of the coast mountain scenery and hear the roaring sound of Joffre Creek running east of you.
Carrying on, you’ll soon be at Middle Joffre Lake at an elevation of 1540m. You’ve done most of the elevation gain from here and the final push to Upper Joffre Lake is fairly short. Regardless, the view at Middle Joffre is beautiful and it’s worth stopping here for a break.
Pushing to on the final stretch of the hike you’ll come to Upper Joffre, and you can walk around to the south tip of the lake for a close up view of Matier Glacier. From here there are also routes to Mount Matier and Mount Tzil – both of which require mountaineering experience. At the top, you can find a spot to rest, eat and soak up the view of the glacier and the surrounding mountains. Mount Cayoosh looks spectacular off in the distance to the north-west. You can also camp around the lake:
Overnight campers can set up their tents on the far (south) end of the lake in the small, but level campsites provided. The campsite, along a section of lakeshore and in the adjacent rock talus slope, is some distance from the toe of the glacier. The campsite may fill up on weekends so it is best to get there early. In the warm afternoon sun you can hear the thunderous crashing of ice as it calves from the glacier. Please keep in mind that because of the instability of glacial terrain, scrambling upslope to get a closer view is not recommended.
Directions. To get to Joffre Lakes, take the Sea to Sky highway north past Whistler to Pemberton. At the Pemberton Junction (Petro Canada) keep going towards Mount Currie. After about 7km, you will turn right on Duffey Lake Road. Once on Duffey Lake rd, you will wind up a paved road for about 21 km before seeing the signs for the Joffre Lakes Provincial Park parking lot. The trail starts right from parking lot.
“he traveler was active; he went strenuously in search of people, of adventure, of experience. The tourist is passive; he expects interesting things to happen to him. He goes "sight-seeing. ~ Daniel J. Boorstin
Photo by .WJF in the Outdoor Vancouver Flickr pool.
