The hike to lake McArthur is one we will never forget. Last August we were lucky enough to experience the great outdoors in the Lake O'hara region of Yoho National Park, British Columbia. The scenery here is incredible, it feels like you are on an epic journey.
The hike itself is relatively easy, it took us just under two hours to get to the lake and back. It's about seven kilometers long with a few hundred meters of vertical, you don't have to use your hands and the trail is surprisingly good.
Mount Schaffer is seen across a meadow, the first little bit of the hike is relatively flat. The Alpine Club of Canada used to set up large tents in these fields and leave their horses here as they would head up to the peaks.
Here is Elizabeth Parker Hut, one of the most famous ski in or hike to huts in the Canadian Rocky Mountains. Odaray Mountain is in the background with its peaks towering 3137 meters above sea level. From here on out, we are in the backcountry.
There are so many trail options, it's no wonder that the Lake O'Hara area is called a hikers paradise. It was our second hike of the day after doing the alpine circuit. I'd love to come back and do the Linda Lake Morning Glory Circuits.
Alpine flowers carpet the gaps in the forest canopy. They change with the seasons and follow the snow melt up the mountains. Flowers that could be seen in May or June in the Bow River Valley are found blooming up in the McArthur Pass in August.
There is a babbling brook hidden by the carpet of flowers and a tree makes a nice arch over the trail. We stopped here for a bit to admire such natural beauty.
The trail opens up near the height of McArthur Pass. The lake is up to the left and the air is getting thin.
Up on the ledge we are about 2250 meters above sea level. This area is free of snow and ice for a couple months each year or mere weeks in the shade.
Lake McArthur in its full glory. It was a cool summer evening, there are glaciers up here and a few scrawny trees to block the wind. Storm Clouds were moving in and it was 7pm so we wanted to get off the mountain. You can see more photos of the Lake Here.
The trail back down into the pass would not be a good place to be during a thunderstorm. You never know if you're walking on rocks that attract lightning and there is no cover. Regardless, the view was spectacular.
One of the side paths was closed due to Grizzly Bear activity. Best respect the signs, humans aren't supposed to be here. The other side of the sign would say no bears allowed, so we were fine.
Schaffer lake is more of a pond than a lake but it is still stunning. Those are the Wiwaxy peaks in the background, part of Mount Huber, on the other side is Alberta.
We walked a lot this day and it was time to head back to our tent at the Lake O'Hara Campground. I'll never forget this Saturday and we still have more to share as each and every kilometer is worthy of a post. Thank you for viewing.
They only allow 3000 people to visit this area each year by bus. Applications for the random draw will be accepted between March 11 and March 31, 2024, on Parks Canada’s Reservation Service website.
All photos were taken with an s22 or iphone 13 pro and are unfiltered
