September 03, 2008 | Tips from Us >
Pemberton, Hiking
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Mike from
VancouverTrails.com took me on this beautiful hike just north of
Pemberton. About a 5 hour round trip with three gorgeous lakes and a glacier.
February 20, 2007 | Tips from Travellers >
Pemberton, Hiking
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Late last summer we stumbled upon the magnificent Joffre Lakes. This is a tiered network of three fairly small lakes of unbelievably striking turquoise and emerald colour, as a result of being glacier-fed.
This makes a great outing from Vancouver, situated about 2.5 hours away, past Pemberton on the road to Lillooet. You don't need to trek to Banff or Jasper to see the amazing phenomenon of these glacial lakes, with colour so surreal they look 'picture-costcard' perfect. Above the second and third lakes, which are in an amphitheter of mountain peaks, is a glacier with ice that is tinted a pale blue, which was also an impressive sight.
The lakes are situated in a Provincial Park, with the first being only 5 minutes walk from the parking lot, the second about an hour and a half up the trail, and the final one about 45 minutes further.
Backcountry camping is allowed in the park and is on our agend for this year!
August 23, 2005 | Tips from Us >
Pemberton, Hiking
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This past weekend, a bunch of friends and I hiked up to Joffre Lakes, just north of Pemberton. From the parking lot, it was just a short 5 minute walk to the lower lake where we caught the first glimpse of the beautiful turquoise water with the glacial mountains towering above. From there, we started the 3.5km trek up the hill to the second lake, making our way through moss covered forests, up over large boulders that had broken away from the mountains over thousands of years, and across rivers fed by the glaciers above. The second lake was beautiful but it was the extra 1.5km to the third lake that made the hike worth while. The tree line disappears at the far side of the upper Joffre Lake and water falls over the rocks, feeding the lakes below. The view across the upper lake looking at the glacier high above is breathtaking. We had lunch on the rocks over looking the lake before heading back to the parking lot on what turned out to be about a 5-hour hike. For additional hiking suggestions see the
Vancouver, Coast & Mountains Hiking page.