Joffre Lakes

Joffre Lakes Provincial Park is located in the Pemberton Valley about 65km or an hour and a half drive from Whistler. It’s a popular backcountry ski destination in winter and hiking/camping location in spring, summer and fall. There are three lakes in total with the first lake being a few hundred metres from the parking lot and what this lake lacks in appeal the backdrop of Joffre Glacier more than makes up for. The second lake is only a few kilometres further up the trail with the views grow exponentially. The third and final lake in the chain offers the most spectacular up-close-and-personal view of the glacier’s serracs crumbling into the lake. There is a campground on the south side of the lake with approximately 24 camp sites but due to its proximity to Slalok Peak, Joffre and Matier are all but obstructed from view.

While Joffre Lakes is an easy and well earned off season destination its very popular in winter with backcountry skiers. Most people ski the lower slopes of Slalok Peak given their close proximity to the third lake but many people prefer the Tzil Glacier for its longer sustained lines. Having finally seen the terrain at Joffre Lakes I’ll surely be back in future winters to sample some of the goods.

For an ariel overview of the Park have a watch of the following video: 

To see the GPS coordinates of out hike and an overview of stats have a look at Backcountry Skiing Canada’s Garmin Connect Page here.

Specs:

Total elevation gan: 400m / 1300’

Distance: 5.5km (one way)

Time: 1.5 - 2hrs (one way)

Camping cost: $5.00

Campfires: Prohibited

Dogs: Allowed