A short drive north of Vancouver, in Garibaldi Provincial Park, is the 22km (13.5mi) return, Elfin Lakes Trail.
Elfin Lakes
We hiked this trail back in the summer of 2018. It was a sweltering day but we knew when we arrived at our destination there'd be a lovely lake for us to swim in a cool off. And cool off we definitely did!
We set up camp for the night with a stunning view as our backdrop.
cooling off in the icy lake
On day two we packed up camp and hiked an extra ~17km to Mamquam Lake (which we re-named Mosquito Lake). It was another hot day but the scenery was remarkable. In some parts we were hiking through walls of wildflowers, then what seemed like a martian landscape, only to round a bend and be surrounded by snow and ice. It was an incredible experience, especially for two Australians who didn't know snow and ice could still be on the ground after multiple 35+ degree days.
the incredible landscape between Elfin and Mamquam Lakes
We set up camp on the edge of Mamquam Lake and spent the remainder of the afternoon inside the tent reading and avoiding the mosquitoes.
camp at Mamquam Lake
On the return hike we stayed another night at Elfin Lakes to break up the journey. I look back on this experience fondly as the hike that got us started in backcountry hiking. Every Summer is now spent backcountry hiking as often as possible, and every off-season is spent looking for new hikes to book in the summer.