Park overview
Joffre Lakes Park is a magnificent area of jagged peaks, icefields, cold rushing streams, and turquoise-blue lakes. The waters of Lower, Middle, and Upper Joffre Lakes are popular highlights of the park. All three lakes are located along the trail from the parking lot, and each is more stunning than the last. Their striking, saturated blue colour is caused by ‘rockflour’ (or glacial silt) that is suspended in the water and reflects green and blue wavelengths of sunlight.
The park's glacier-laden peaks rise steeply from Lower Joffre Lake. They are visible from an easily accessible viewpoint 500m from the parking lot. If you carry on towards Middle and Upper Joffre Lakes, the trail becomes steeper and more challenging. Evidence of the park’s glacial history can be found in U-shaped valleys, glacial silts, and lateral moraines.
Joffre Lakes Park has opportunities for hiking, camping, mountaineering, wildlife viewing, and fishing.
The park was established as a recreation area in 1988 and became a class A park in 1996.
Advisories
Dates of operation
The park gate is open year-round
Current status:
Open
- Facility type
- Backcountry camping
- Number of campsites
- Backcountry sites: 26
- Main operating season
- 2023: June 14 to November 12
- Reservable dates
- 2023: June 14 to November 12
- Winter note
- Winter camping in this campground is closed due to avalanche risk.
- Service note
- The park gate is open from May 1 to November 13, 2023. Outside of these dates, there is no vehicle access to the park.
Safety info
- Trail report [PDF] (November 19, 2022)
- No emergency services are available. You must be self-sufficient in this remote wilderness environment and properly equipped for self-rescue.
- Bring your own drinking water as potable water is not available in the park. Water from lakes or streams should be boiled for at least two minutes.
- Campfires are not permitted.
- The glacier-fed lakes are very cold and are not recommended for swimming.
- Expect winter conditions from November until the end of May. Anyone travelling into Joffre Lakes Park should be properly equipped and experienced in winter travel.
Special notes
Special notes
- Parking on the edges of highway 99 is not permitted. Use the designated parking lot only.
- The parking lot fills up very quickly, particularly on the weekends. A reservation does not guarantee a parking space in the lot, so plan ahead and arrive early.
- There are no garbage cans in the park. Please pack out what you pack in.
- This is a very high-use park. It is busy seven days per week and extremely busy on weekends.
- Camping is only allowed in the designated area at the Upper Lake.
- A reservation is required for any overnight stay in Joffre Lakes Park. Camping is unavailable from November 15 to June 13 due to avalanche risk.
- Campers without a reservation will not be permitted to stay overnight.
Leave No Trace wilderness ethics
Prohibited in this park
- Fires
- Harvesting of natural resources (including mushrooms)
- Domestic animals
Camping
Free day-use passes
Day-use passes are required May 3 to October 9, 2023, for visitors to Joffre Lakes trailhead.
If you have a valid reservation for overnight camping, you do not need a day-use pass. You must carry proof of your reservation while in the park.
For details, visit the day-use pass page.
Free day-use pass reservations
A free day-use pass is required to visit Joffre Lakes Park. Reserve your free day-use pass though our online day-use pass booking service. Passes are available to book starting at 7am, two days in advance of your planned visit.
| Trail or trailhead | Pass required | Timing | Overnight stays |
|---|---|---|---|
| Joffre Lakes | Trail (person) | All day | Day-use passes are not required for overnight campers. A camping reservation is required and must be carried at all times. |
Find out more about BC Parks’ free day-use pass program.
Backcountry camping reservations
The BC Parks reservations service allows you to purchase a backcountry camping reservation and have a tent pad guaranteed for you before leaving home. As there is no cellphone coverage in Joffre Lakes Park, your reservation must be made before you arrive at the park.
Backcountry reservations are required for all overnight stays in Joffre Lakes Park.
Camping is permitted only within the designated campground at Upper Joffre Lake, a 5.5km moderate-to-challenging hike from the parking lot. There are 26 backcountry tent pads, one urine diversion toilet, and a bear-proof food storage unit. The small gravel tent pads are located on the far (south) end of the lake and accommodate small backcountry tents.
Reservations are required year-round. The backcountry permit registration service allows you to purchase a backcountry camping reservation and have a tent pad guaranteed for you before leaving home. As there is no cellphone coverage in Joffre Lakes Park, you must make your reservation before arriving at the park.
Help keep the park pristine by practicing Leave No Trace camping. Pack out what you pack in and take it home with you. There is no garbage pick-up in the park.
Campfires are prohibited year-round.
Facilities
Accessibility information is available about the parking lot toilets at Joffre Lakes Park.
There are four pit toilets located at the main parking lot, two pit toilets in the overflow area, and one pit toilet at Middle Lake. Two urine diversion toilets are located at Upper Lake, one at the viewpoint and one at the camping area. Bring your own toilet paper.
Activities
Free day use passes may be required to visit. For details, see the Reservations section.
Only experienced and well-prepared mountaineers should attempt mountain climbing or venture onto glaciers and snow fields.
The trail from the parking lot leads past three lakes: Lower, Middle, and Upper Joffre Lakes. Elevation gain from the parking lot to Upper Joffre Lake is approximately 400m. For your own safety and the preservation of the park, obey posted signs and keep to designated trails.
The viewpoint at Lower Joffre Lake is just an easy, five-minute walk from the parking lot. If you carry on, the trail becomes steeper, but the more challenging trek to Middle and Upper Joffre lakes is well worth the reward: a sweeping view of rugged peaks, icefields, and cold, rushing streams beneath the Matier Glacier.
Continuing on from Lower Joffre Lake, the trail winds upward through old-growth forests of hemlock and spruce and along talus slopes. At Middle Joffre Lake, you’ll want to stop to photograph the scene in front of you. The lake’s pristine turquoise waters are fringed by sub-alpine forest and backed by rugged Coast Mountain scenery.
The final stretch of the hike is narrower and rougher and brings you to the largest and perhaps most stunning of the three lakes, Upper Joffre Lake. Here you stand beneath the frozen cascade of Matier Glacier, with a fine vantage of the 2,721m (8,927ft) Joffre Peak.
In the warm afternoon sun you can hear the thunderous crashing of ice as it calves from the glacier and rockfall from the slopes above. Because of the instability of glacial terrain, scrambling upslope to get a closer view is not recommended.
Be sure to take insect repellent, as mosquitoes and black flies are often present.
Pack out your garbage and take it home with you. There is no garbage pick-up in the park.
Anyone fishing or angling in British Columbia must have an appropriate licence.
All climbing opportunities are classified as mountaineering. They should only be attempted by experienced and properly equipped mountaineers.
- Backcountry skiing and snowshoeing opportunities are available.
- Be prepared for coastal winter weather, which can change rapidly, affecting visibility and travel conditions. If venturing into avalanche terrain, you must be properly equipped with, and experienced in the use of, avalanche safety gear.
- The parking lot is cleared periodically throughout the winter by a highway maintenance contractor. It may not be cleared when you arrive. Please do your best to park off the highway (shoveling may be required), and allow clearing equipment to access the lot.
Joffre Lakes Park is located off Hwy 99 east of Pemberton, BC on the Duffey Lake Road.
Parkbus
This park is serviced by Parkbus, an environmentally friendly, affordable transportation service from downtown Vancouver to select BC Parks. To find out more and see routes and schedules, visit the Parkbus website or call 1-800-928-7101.
Park and activity maps
Learn more about this park
Park details
- Date established: January 7, 1988
- Size: 1,487 hectares
Park contact
For more information about this park, contact BC Parks.
Nature and culture
Deer, black bears, grizzly bears, and mountain goats live in the area. Pikas may be spotted along the trail. When camping, please store your food in the metal cache provided at the campground, to avoid attracting bears.
Reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples
BC Parks honours Indigenous Peoples’ connection to the land and respects the importance of their diverse teachings, traditions, and practices within these territories. This park webpage may not adequately represent the full history of this park and the connection of Indigenous Peoples to this land. We are working in partnership with Indigenous Peoples to update our websites so that they better reflect the history and cultures of these special places.