Back in June, Justin and I made a Summer 2023 Bucket List, and one of the items on the list was to do the Joffre Lakes hike outside of Pemberton. Well, I am happy to report that on July 16th, we crossed Joffre Lakes off the list!
Because the hike is around a 3-hour drive from where we live (one way), we thought it would be the perfect opportunity to also spend a night in Whistler.
Before I get into discussing the actual hike, I should note that visitors are required to reserve a Day Pass in order to visit Joffre Lakes – this is a fairly new system (introduced during COVID-19) to help with crowd management. Passes are released 2 days in advance at 7am – this means that if we wanted to do the hike on July 16th, we would be able to reserve the pass starting on July 14th. According to the park rangers (who we spoke to at the Joffre Lakes entrance), between 100 and 200 people show up to do the hike everyday without a pass! Consider yourself warned ツ.
Anyway, due to the booking system, we decided to do a “practice” attempt to ensure we knew all the steps we would need to go through to receive a pass. We did the practice attempt on Thursday to try and receive a pass for Saturday, and to our surprise, all passes were reserved by 7:01am! This made us a bit nervous, as the hike is clearly very busy and popular on weekends.
For this reason, we recruited a couple of friends who were available on Friday morning at 7:00am to help us with securing a pass. We had the webpage loaded, our emails copied and ready to paste, and the world clock counting us down. Fortunately, we were successful in reserving multiple passes – we ended up cancelling all the ones we did not need for anyone else attempting to make a reservation ツ.
We left our place at 7:00am on Sunday morning, with the intention of arriving at the Joffre Lakes parking lot by 10am. We were a bit worried that the lot might be full by this time; however, while the parking lot closest to the entrance was mostly full (a couple spots remaining), the overflow parking was basically empty and we had no trouble finding a spot to park. And, the walk to the start of the trail from the overflow parking is only a couple of minutes long.
Right before the start of the trail head, there is a tent setup with multiple park rangers who ask to verify your pass before allowing you to proceed to the trail. We read several reviews of visitors being turned away without a pass, and having to drive 10-minutes back down the road where there is cell service to try and see if any more passes are available for the day. But, we had our pass ready to go, and after having it scanned, we were off!
If you are not familiar with the Joffre Lakes hike, it is a difficult (as per AllTrails) out-and-back trail, and visitors can expect the hike to take anywhere from 4 to 6 hours. Joffre Lakes is comprised of 3 lakes (lower, middle and upper lakes), and after only a couple of minutes on the trail, you will be greeted by the turquoise blue waters of the lower lake, surrounded by picturesque mountains. Believe it or not, these stunning views are only a “sneak peek” of what is to come!
The real work begins after the first lake – your next 3.7km will be a steady incline (aka nature’s stair master) all the way to the middle lake. If you struggle with going uphill, my recommendation would be to take your time and enjoy your surroundings – the views are definitely worth it.
You will likely spend quite a bit of time at the middle lake. This is where you can get in line for the infamous log photo (search #joffrelakes on Instagram) and you will see many visitors swimming in the glacier waters. On our way back, Justin actually went for a quick dip in the middle lake and swam out to the tip of the log. While he claimed it was refreshing, he also said it was very cold!
After you have enjoyed the middle lake, continue walking for another 20-minutes and you will reach the upper lake. Many visitors will stop here to enjoy their lunch while taking in the views. But, be careful not to make your lunch too obvious – a bird literally flew into me and tried to steal my sandwich! I will neither confirm nor deny this, but there might have been some screaming on my part.
At this point, you are probably thinking you have “seen it all” and it is time to head back, but you can actually keep hiking for another kilometre towards the Upper Lakes Campground. While many visitors opt for a day hike, you can also make overnight reservations at Joffre Lakes. I would definitely encourage you to keep going towards the campground (even if you are not camping), as it provides another perspective of the upper lake that you will not get from the main viewing area.
After taking in the views at the upper lake from multiple angles, it was finally time to start making our way out of Joffre Lakes. While the hike down is not that steep, it does extend for a few kilometres – if you struggle with going down hill, I would definitely recommend bringing hiking poles (something I did not bring with me). One other recommendation I will make, which should seem pretty obvious, is to wear proper clothing and footwear. I was amazed at how many visitors I saw in denim shorts, converse and sandals – I even saw a woman wearing flip-flops, and she was carrying a baby!
In the end, we spent around 4-hours completing this hike – 3-hours of hiking and a little over an hour for photo opportunities and lunch. We thoroughly enjoyed our experience at Joffre Lakes!
One thing I was really looking forward to following our hike was stopping at The Hwy Cafe in Pemberton for lunch. This plant-based food establishment serves the best Buffalo Chick’n Wrap. Not only is it absolutely delicious, but the portion size is huge!
Whistler
Following our Joffre Lakes hike, and very satisfying wraps, we made our way to Whistler Village. Because we have been making annual visits to Whistler for four years now, I am reminiscing on all the different activities we have done over the years and the restaurants we have tried:
Activities:
- Hike to the Whistler Train Wreck: As the name suggests, the Whistler Train Wreck is a short hike that includes views of the Cheakamus River and the remains of a derailed freight train from 1956. There are a couple different ways to access the Train Wreck – we opted to park in a pull-off on the Sea to Sky Highway and walk for around 1km. The box cars are covered in colourful graffiti (which make for a fun photo opportunity) and you will also be able to cross a small suspension bridge that extends across the Cheakamus River.
- Hike at Rainbow Falls Loop: This is a relatively easy and short hike (2km), and it provides some nice views of the mountains in addition to the Rainbow Waterfall.
- Walk or bike around the Whistler Valley Trail: The Whistler Valley Trail is the perfect way to see all of Whistler – it will connect you to various different lakes such as Lost Lake and Alta Lake, and take you through different Whistler neighbourhoods like Blueberry and Creekside. On multiple occasions, we have taken our bikes with us to Whistler and enjoyed biking along the Valley Trail for several hours. If you find yourself on the trail near Lost Lake in July or August, please be careful of the Tiny Toads migrating from the lake to the forest!
- Hike the Brandywine Meadows: This trail (which is different from Brandywine Falls) is a stunning 11km hike through the valley/meadow, which is surrounded by wild flowers, streams and mountains. You will need a heavy duty vehicle (4×4) to get to the start of the trail, but be prepared for a very bumpy and rocky ride! Also, bring bug spray – the black flies are out of control.
- Ice Skate in the Village (Winter only, obviously ツ): Back in January 2022, we set out on a mission to find an ODR (outdoor rink), with our sights set on Green Lake. However, there was so much fresh snow in Whistler at the time that all the lakes were covered by several feet of snow, even though they were frozen underneath! As a result, we had to settle for the ice rink in the Village, which was still a fun experience – the music provided for a great atmosphere, and with the snow continuing to fall, it felt like we were skating in a winter wonderland.
- Relax at the Scandinave Spa: Last year for my birthday, Justin surprised me by taking me to Whistler for a day of relaxation. We spent hours in the hot and cold baths, saunas, sleeping in hammocks and even enjoyed a much needed deep tissue massage. If you enjoy Nordic-style spas, you must put this on your to-do list!
Food:
- Earls Kitchen + Bar: While this restaurant is not a local Whistler find, I find myself gravitating to Earls Kitchen + Bar every time we are Whistler. It has a great plant-based menu and a great atmosphere. This is where we had dinner during our last visit – I was surprised we were even hungry after our wraps from The Hwy Cafe!
- Pure Bread: Similarly to Earls, even though there are a couple Pure Bread locations in Vancouver, we only find ourselves enjoying Pure Bread while in Whistler, as the Vancouver locations are not easily accessible for Justin and I. Pure Bread has the most amazing display of pastries and bread, several plant-based options, and they also offer hand-crafted coffee beverages.
- Moguls Coffee House: Moguls is our go-to breakfast spot in Whistler. Their overnight oats and vegan breakfast burrito are both delicious! They also serve a variety of plant-based pastries and their coffee is also very good.
- 21 Steps: After our Scandinave experience last year, Justin took me for a birthday dinner to 21 Steps. And yes, there are actually 21 stairs you need to climb to reach the hostess stand! But, you have to climb more stairs to get to their second level. They used to have a cashew-based pasta on their menu, but it looks to have been replaced by a roasted tomato and garlic option – I look forward to trying this during our next visit!
- Naked Sprout Cafe: This is another great breakfast and lunch spot – Naked Cafe offers several different sandwich and smoothie options, many of which are plant-based.
- La Cantina Tacos: Another favourite go-to while in Whistler. La Cantina offers plant-based taco options, fresh chips and guac, and delicious margaritas!
I hope this blog helps you in planning your future Joffre Lakes hike, as well as provides some ideas on what to do when you visit Whistler!
Always grateful,
Michelle
Exploring With Gratitude 