Lake O'Hara Backcountry Camping & Hiking
Far above Lake O’Hara on the Odaray Grandview hike last weekend. We were lucky enough to secure two nights at the Lake O’Hara campground when the reservations opened and it felt even more lucky to go in Covid times. All International bookings were cancelled and the empty spaces have been left unbooked for the season, plus the lodge is not open right now. This meant it was easy to social distance from fellow campers and honestly, once you were on a trail you rarely saw any other hikers. The shuttle bus that goes up the 11km road (345m elevation) is not possible this year so all campers must hike up the road into the campground. It’s an easy hike though and for Ken and I with our ultralight packs, and gear it was just a fun walk both directions. We both have Gossamer Gear packs and recently bought Hammock gear sleeping quilts so now my pack weighs in at about 20 pounds including water and food on the start of a three day trip.
Not that we needed water. I have never been to Lake O’Hara campground before and I gotta say, it’s more like a hostel with tents than a backcountry camping spot. Running water, excellent bathrooms, great common fire pit area and secure garbage even! Normally there are common cooking shelters in case of rain but those are closed up for Covid. Everything in the campground is perfectly maintained and every single person camping was friendly and as happy as we were to be there. We met super nice couples from Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver and Kelowna. Most of the campers were in their late 20’s to late 30’s I would guess.. There were also a couple families with smaller children over the weekend and plenty of hikers who reported returning to Lake O’Hara year after year because it’s so magical.
After a delay because of a stalled train at the start of the trail (no one could get to the parking lot) We threw on our backpacks and excitedly started up the gravel road. It started raining on us on our hike at the 9km mark and it continued to rain that day and evening on and off. This didn’t stop anyone from setting up camp and heading out on a hike or two. Ken and I took a lovely little trail around Lake O’Hara and up the seven veils trail to get a view of all the waterfalls. We started out in the rain but the sun came out gloriously about half way. The weather in Yoho National Park is variable. Extremely. You will want to pack for any possibility on every hike. That night and the next we enjoyed conversation around the fire pit (distanced) with all the other campers. Since I had never been there before, talking to the other campers was an excellent way to learn which hikes were favourites. Some of the bigger circuits are not safe yet this year because of avalanche risk as the late snowpack is melting quickly now but we got to hike up to some incredible views thanks to the recommendations.
This is a national park and a jewel of a park. The trails are all excellent, perfectly maintained and impressive. We spent some time talking with Conservation Officer Lorraine and it’s obvious that everyone who works in the park has a true passion for the outdoors and this place, The conservation officers are super friendly and helpful but don’t go thinking you can get away with any funny business. Part of their job is to greet every single individual on that road and those trails. No bikes! No random camping and absolutely no camping with a permit. When Ken and I reached the top of Odaray Grandview, Lorraine was up there too! She jokingly made goat noises at us because that hike is a bit steep with some small scrambly bits. We also went to McArthur Lake that day. It is famous for the deep cobalt blue of the water. It did not disappoint. No rain, beautiful skies and a perfect day. The nights are cold. It usually rained a bit in the evening so we went to bed a bit chilly most nights. Our ultralight tent by Gossamer Gear is spacious but not warm like traditional tents so we slept in our mid layers coats and wore head buffs.
Our final morning we opted to do a pretty trail to Opabin Lake. The trail is pure Hollywood with stepping stones, hand placed rock stairs, babbling brooks and mountain views that will astound you. We met some scientists at Opabin who have been studying the effects that dying glaciers have on the lakes in the area and I’ll be reading up on their resource information here. I found exactly 1 tiny piece of accidental trash on the trail the entire trip. It was nice to see that everyone was respecting nature. There are NO stereos allowed in the campground or the on the trails thank goodness. The trend amongst new hikers to carry speakers is very rude to fellow hikers and disruptive to nature. On Odaray Grandview, the park has a sign in sheet as they want only 4 groups of people to hike that route on any giving day. When you hike it, you are asked to be quiet and respectful of the grizzlies in the area which is quite different than our usual routine of talking loudly to warn bears. Bring your Bearspray on every hike, We didn’t see much evidence of bears on this trip though. Just plenty of Picas, Marmots and Columbian Ground Squirrels. Most of the other hikers saw mountain goats as well but we missed those.
If you ever get a chance to go to Lake O’hara you must go. It is a dream for hikers of all abilities and a jewel in the Canadian Parks system.