Joffre Lakes Trail is near Pemberton, British Columbia, Canada. The trail head is a 3-hours-one-way-drive from Vancouver. The lakes are beautiful and the trail is relatively easy. The trail is very heavy traffic very day during hiking season. The driving distance is probably the only reason that it doesn’t have more people than it has currently. Arrive early if you don’t want to line up for popular photo spots, or park from far away.
The trail is about 8 km round trip and has elevation gain of about 500 m. It is well maintained. From above description, you probably guess it’s a relatively easy hike. Even if you are not hiking regularly, you can probably still able to hike to the upper lake. It might take you a little bit longer, but you will get to it.
The reason I said upper lake is that the trail passes through 3 lakes at 3 different elevation. The lower lake is literally next to the trail head (ok, it’s probably about 2 hundred meters from the trail head). By looking at the lower lake, you can have a taste of what middle lake and upper lake might look like. The most of its elevation is between the lower lake and the middle lake. You also need to hike through an exposed area (no shade), so you might need to be sun wise (sunscreen or long sleeve shirt). There is short distance between the middle lake and the third lake.
There are a lot of rocks/boulders along the upper lake for you to sit down and enjoy the view, and enjoy your snacks. You can also have a dip in the ice-cold water if you are up for it. After you have enough of the view, you can go back to the parking lot from the same route you come from.
Again, the trail is very popular and some sections are narrow, therefore practicing good hiking etiquette is essential.
Photos of Joffre lake