Joffre Lakes Park

Highlights in this park

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.

Know before you go

Advisories

Safety information

No emergency services are available nearby. You must be self-sufficient in this remote 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. Visitors should be properly equipped and experienced in winter travel.

Special notes

Parking on the edges of highway 99 is not permitted. Use the designated parking lot only.
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 Upper Joffre Lake.
Visitors should follow Leave No Trace outdoor ethics

Prohibited in this park

Fires
Harvesting of natural resources (including mushrooms)
Domestic animals

Review the detailed guides under visit responsibly for more information on staying safe and preserving our natural spaces.

Visit responsibly

Follow these guides to ensure your activities are safe, respectful, and ecologically friendly:

Reservation policies

Get information on:

Maps and location

Joffre Lakes Park trail map [PDF]

Getting there

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.

Camping

Backcountry camping

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.

Camping is not permitted in the winter due to increased avalanche risk.

Check the current trail conditions report before heading out.

Campfires are prohibited year-round.

Fees

Backcountry camping fees (per night)

$5 per person (6+)
Free for children under 6

For a trail map, see maps and location.

There is no garbage pick-up in the park, so pack out what you pack in. When visiting the backcountry, visitors should follow Leave No Trace outdoor ethics. To learn more about staying safe in the backcountry, please read our backcountry guide.

Backcountry areas

Make a reservation

Joffre Lakes Backcountry Campground

Operating season

2024: June 15 to November 14

Booking required

2024: June 15 to November 13

Winter season

Not known

Number of campsites

Backcountry sites: 26

Winter season note

Winter camping in this campground is closed due to avalanche risk.

Things to do

Hiking

Free day-use passes

Day-use passes are required May 16 to October 31, 2024, for visitors to Joffre Lakes Park.

If you have a valid reservation for overnight camping, you do not need a day-use pass. Simply carry your reservation details with you throughout your stay.

For full details, visit the day-use pass page.

Hiking trail

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 an easy, five-minute walk from the parking lot.

Continuing on, the trail winds upward through old-growth forests of hemlock and spruce and along talus slopes. This section becomes steeper and more challenging. Middle Joffre 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. It brings you to the largest and most stunning of the three lakes, Upper Joffre Lake. Here you stand beneath the frozen cascade of Matier Glacier, with a great view of the 2,721 m (8,927 ft) Joffre Peak.

In the warm afternoon sun you can hear crashing ice as it calves from the glacier, and rockfall from the slopes above. Because of the instability of glacial terrain, scrambling upslope is not recommended.

Only experienced and well-prepared mountaineers should attempt mountain climbing or venture onto glaciers and snow fields.

Pack 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.

Fishing

Anyone fishing in British Columbia must have an appropriate licence. To learn more, see the fishing and hunting guide.

Climbing

All climbing opportunities are classified as mountaineering. They should only be attempted by experienced and properly equipped mountaineers.

Winter recreation

Backcountry skiing and snowshoeing opportunities are available.

Be prepared for coastal winter weather, which can change rapidly, affecting visibility and travel conditions. Park visitors will encounter deep snow, ice and slippery conditions. Micro spikes or snowshoes are strongly recommended. Use at your own risk.

Visitors during the fall, winter and spring months will be exposed to avalanche terrain. Visitors should bring and know how to use an avalanche transceiver, probe, and shovel. Consider taking a formal avalanche training course prior to visiting the park during winter and spring.

Parking spaces are limited in winter due to snow clearing and weather conditions. Vehicle access to the park is weather dependent from November to May.

Facilities

Accessibility information

Accessibility information is available about the parking lot toilets at Joffre Lakes Park.

Pit or flush toilets

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.

About this park

History

The park was established as a recreation area in 1988 and became a class A park in 1996.

Wildlife

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.

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