Sometimes a place can make us feel far, far away from our everyday life. With every step we take, another worry falls away and we allow ourselves to simply bask in the beauty and serenity surrounding us. Joffre Lakes Provincial Park is such a place for me. Last week was my third time visiting and each time I’m amazed how a (relatively) short 2.5-hour hike can catapult you into another world.

Well, “catapult” might be a bit of an exaggeration. There are 400 metres of elevation to overcome, so at times it feel more like a slow crawl — and you might start to swear a little under your breath after having climbed uphill for an hour, your calves screaming for more oxygen. But it’s worth it!

Joffre Lakes trail leads you past three lakes, each one more impossibly turquoise. The colour is prompted by sunlight reflecting off grains of glacial rock flour in the water. Joffre trail winds through forestry areas with old gnarly trees, past cascading waterfalls and over a moraine field closer to Upper Joffre Lake. But more about that later. Let’s start with the basics:

Time: 5 hours

Distance: 11 km

Elevation Gain: 400 metres

Season: June-September (it’s a great snowshoe hike in the winter, too)

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Comedian Graham Clark puts beard & heart into his art

March 13th, 2015

March 13^th, 2015