Hiking the Emerald Lake Loop

A trail around a mountain lake that is an absolute pleasure to walk. It would be a stretch to call this a hike as the elevation gain is less than a dozen meters and there is a well maintained path around most of the lake. We passed strollers on this 'hike.'

The Emerald Loop starts by the parking lot, it doesn't matter which way you hike it. Other than taking a Canoe out on Emerald Lake, one can go on many more challenging hikes originating here or spend time at the Emerald Lake Lodge. We are in Yoho National Park, in British Columbia, Canada.

This lake is so nice, people have weddings here. The hike is so easy, we were walking with a couple of wedding guests in dress shoes and all. The hike can get a little muddy in places so you probably don't want to do it in your finest.

They put boards across the word part of the trail but there is mud all over the place. Because we went canoeing in the earlier part of the day, we went with our normal shoes and no one wants to get their kicks full of mud.

The lake is surrounded by mountains so little streams and water drains into it from all sides making the forest floor exceptionally wet. There are bridges over the streams and it British Columbia is a relatively wet area in general. We came here on the first weekend of Summer so the snow was still melting on the peaks above the lake.

At the far side of the lake from the lodge, a large stream pours into the lake. This one has a proper bridge over it. In the past, this area would have been part of the lake too, but the river has carried silt and rocks down from the mountains and will slowly fill up the entire lake.

Looking the other way, one can see the snow covered peaks and just how much of the lake has been filled in overtime. It is a process that takes thousands of years which ultimately speaks to the dynamic power of nature.

This is where the path gets easy and great. At one point I believe there was a campground here. This may have been an actual road, it is just too straight and has too much gravel on it to be a walking path.

Emerald lake reflects the sky, when the skies are overcast, the lake takes on a dull grey appearance. Everyone prefers the brilliant greens and blues from the sun reflecting off the minerals in the water.

We only saw ducks and a chipmunk on this hike along with the odd squirrel so it wasn't that exciting. This is a relaxing walk along the shoreline of one of Canada's mountain gems.

Getting back to your car can be half the hike. There is limited parking and the most popular places get packed. If you arrive here too late in the day, you will be turned around at the highway. Best arrive early, or take the bus and if you do not have a parks Canada Pass, you will be ticketed.

As you can see, this was an easy 'green circle' trail, 5.2 kilometers with minimal elevation gain. The blue hikes are more our style and the black hikes are for hardcore mountaineers. A twenty kilometer trail with an 800 plus meter elevation gain is no joke. The trail is barely there as it wouldn't be popular and you would encounter all sorts of washed out terrain and possibly bears.

We prefer a relaxing walk most of the time. Thank you for viewing this and have a nice day!

All photos were taken with an s24 and are unfiltered

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