People come from all over the world just to see this lake that used to grace the Canadian $20 bill. It is indeed quite a site to behold. The color alone is absolutely breathtaking. But the setting in which you find yourself with the lake, surrounded by the Valley of Ten Peaks brings it to another level. You could easily just drive here and take a picture of the lake and call it a day, but the lake serves a base for an amazing 8 – 10 mile hike up into Larch Valley and then continuing on to Sentinel Pass.
Brian, Lizzy, and I showed up at around 8:00am because we had read the parking lot fills up early. It was in the high 30’s when we arrived there and a heavy fog was just starting to rise from the lake. After doing what any normal human would do upon setting sights on the lake and taking some pictures, we set off for Larch Valley. At the trailhead, you are met with a sign requiring a minimum group size of four because of bears. Luckily there was a couple from Edmonton who we were able to link up with and wasted no time getting started. The hike up to Larch Valley consists of switchback after switchback in a wet and dense forest. After about 45 minutes to an hour it flattens out into Larch Valley.
If your timing is right, Larch Valley becomes a spectacular sea of gold as the larch’s needles turn a vivid gold before they fall off for the winter. We must have been just a week or so too early as they the green was just starting to give way. Regardless, the hike through the valley is incredible. The hike through the forest is short, maybe 20 minutes. As you exit the trees, you find yourself surrounded by snow covered peaks in any direction you look. When we escaped the tree cover, the fog was slowly lifting to create an epic reveal. As we continued on through the grassy fields to Sentinel Pass, I found myself thinking back to scenes in the Sound of Music.
The hike from Larch Valley to Sentinel Pass is fairly easy with the only moderately difficult part consisting of three or four long switch backs that get you to the top. The view from the top is inspiring to say the least.
