Backpacking Joffre Lakes

Did you know that ParksBC allows 1,100 people to hike Joffre Lakes every day and that every day those 1,100 passes are sold out?

I think Joffre Lakes is one of the most talked about, hyped-up and insta-worthy places in BC.

My sister and I were pretty stoked to be able to book a camping spot there and see it for myself. And yes, it does live up to the hype. Yes, it is spectacular. Yes, you should go.

So whether you are planning a day trip or camping there overnight, here's some things to know about Joffre Lakes.

1. Get there early. We left the city at 5:30 am and made it to the parking lot just after 8:10am on a Friday morning. There were still lots of spots but I am sure on a weekend it fills up fast. After the main parking lot and overflow parking lot are full, there aren't any other places to park because you are not allowed to park on the highway so just set your alarm clock and get there early. It will be worth it. 

2. Hike prepared even if it means carrying bags that weight a third of your body weight. There is no cell signal so come with everything you need because you won't be able to call for help. When we were hiking, there was a group of 3 young women hiking in front of us. One of the girls started lagging behind the other two women and then I noticed she stepped to the side of the trail and then fall over head first. I walked closer and realized she was having an epileptic seizure. I ran up to her friends who were now way ahead with no idea what had happened and called for them to come over. They had no idea what to do and had no first aid kit. Luckily, there were another group of more experienced hikers and they helped roll her over into recovery position. We all stayed until she regained consciousness. It was so fortunate that she only cut her chin when she had her seizure, if she had fallen to the other side of the trail, it could have been fatal. 

3. There are three lakes. Each one is turquoise green blue. There is also a stunning waterfall in between the second and third lake. Take your time at each lake and enjoy the beauty.

4. The campsite is 1km past the third lake. If you have the time, it's worth it to keep going even if you don't plan on spending the night. The campsite is on the other side of the lake and it takes another 30-45 minutes to get there. It was raining on and off when we got to the campsite - we were lucky to find a quiet partially sheltered spot and set up the tent before it started raining again.

5. Heavy backpacks and slippery trails don't mix. I had a few falls during the hike but gladly all minor. On route to the campsite, I slipped on a slippery rock and the weight of my backpack made me lose my balance and I was like a turtle flipped on its shell. My legs were flailing in the air while I lay on my back. Good thing it was just landing on clothes, my sleeping bag and slightly squished our dinner. Unlike the well-maintained trail, the area past the campsite is very rocky and there are no marked trails past the campsite. The glaciers and glacier waterfalls are observable from the campsite and we trekked for several hours to get closer to the waterfalls. 

6. Explore the waterfalls past the campsite. The rocks and the incline make it a bit tricky but getting up close to the waterfall is pretty amazing. You can feel the rush of the water and also see the third lake from a stellar viewpoint.

7. Enjoy dinner and breakfast with a view.  Undeniably the most scenic spot to enjoy a meal.

8. Take lots of picture. I took over 100 photos and it is clear why - the bright green waters, the glacier background, the mountains, it really does live up to the hype. 

Conquering Mt. Cheam

That amazing picture above almost didn't happen. We were supposed to hike Mt. Cheam the previous week but the smoke from all the Okanagan fires had drifted down to the valley and the air quality in Chilliwack was 26 times higher than what was recommended as safe to breathe. So we sadly had to bail on hiking Mt. Cheam last week. 

This weekend we weren't supposed to be in town but the Garrison Lake fire cancelled our camping trip to Manning Park. Like everyone else we tried to find a Plan B trip but couldn't find any camping sites that wasn't on fire so we reluctantly opted for a staycation instead. We went to the Aquarium one day and then Watermania and then the icing on the cake was hiking Mt. Cheam. We almost didn't go because the forecast called for cloudy with chance of showers. The worst part about a hike is when you put in all that work and you can't see any views but we decided to take a chance and go for it.

If you're looking for a 4X4 adventure, look no further than Mt. Cheam. The forest service road up to the trail head requires a high clearance vehicle, all wheel drive (preferably 4x4) and the driver needs to be up for navigating the huge ditches and potholes. We went in our GMC Sierra pick-up  and our friends went in their Subaru Ascent . Pictures don't really capture the rugged road conditions. I did film this pick-up repeatedly try to clear this section of the road. Most vehicles gave up about 2 km from the trailhead and the line up of cars parked on the side of the road makes for extra obstacles for the ones that are trying to keep going dodge past. We had walkie talkie radios so the kids could report whether their vehicle made it past the next obstacle. 

Eventually we got to a point in the road where our friends declared on the walkie talkies that they also had to ditch their vehicle and we pulled over and all 2 adults and 5 kids packed into our truck navigating all the ditches to the parking lot. 

We all cheered when the truck made it to the trail head - it felt like quite the accomplishment just to make it to that top and we hadn't even taken a single step yet.

Trail head

One of the pros of starting at alpine level when you start a hike is that it's beautiful right from the start. The path winds through the side of the mountain but you get all these beautiful views along the way. A lot of the view was still in the clouds when we were hiking but people who had reached the summit already and were hiking back down told us to keep on trekking and it would be worth it at the top.

They were right and we were so glad we pressed on. Near the top we could see blue sky and feel the warmth of the sun. The view of the blue sky and a constant supply of sour patch gummies kept the kids trekking along to the very top.

The rock formations and being above the clouds just felt so surreal.  I am sure on a sunny day you would see the whole valley below from the summit but yesterday it was a valley of clouds. It felt like being in the heavens.

Standing on the rocks above the clouds was pretty breathtaking and incredible. What an amazing spot to have lunch with friendly chipmunks and just be in awe. 

This hike is so beautiful with the alpine flowers and winding path. We will definitely be back again next summer and I'm sure next time will be a whole difference experience when we can hopefully see more of the valley at the summit. 

It is a full day excursion though - it takes 2.5 hours to drive to the trailhead (if you are one of the lucky few that make it there) and it took us 4.5 hours to hike the 10km round trip. Don't forget you have to drive back down the gnarly mountain after.

Maybe some other friends with a 4x4 truck will want to come along for the adventure. Or there’s lots of room in the back of our pickup truck too!

Smokanagan

Smokanagn Part I: Enderby

Covid kept us away from Grandma and Grandpa's farm in the Okanagan for over a year. The forest fires almost derailed our plans but we were able to go back to Enderby. The smoke was intense there but we were determined to make some memories. We made the best of the situation by

1. Having Christmas in July - we never had a chance to come up to the farm for Christmas so we did Christmas on July 31st. Better late than never. Grandma had planned her traditional scavenger hunt around the farm for the kids that led to presents to be unwrapped.

Grandma had to sweep ash from the outdoor furniture and then we opened Christmas presents outside together. (Note - check out the sweet retro snowsuit that Simon received from his brother)

2. Going to the river and pretending it was a hot summer day. Despite our optimism, it didn't feel very "beachy" at the beach with the heavy smoke blocking out the sun. But Grandma's dog and a mermaid were a great distraction for the fact that despite the weather saying it was 37 degrees, it was barely 23 degrees.

3.  Ditching the beach and going to Davison's Orchards instead in Vernon. This was a great alternative to the beach and despite the smoky air, the kids had a great time feeding goats and running around the farm.

4. Finding a great trail. We didn't want to be breathing in all that smoke so we couldn't do a strenuous hike so the BX Falls trail was the perfect outdoor playground for the afternoon.

5. Going to the drive-in. It was a really late night for the kids but it was worth it to cuddle up  altogether and watch Space Jam at the Starlight theatre. 

6. Biking the Okanagan Rail Trail. We met up with good friends from Kelowna at Kekuli Bay Provincial Park and enjoyed a beautiful bike ride along the water. After lunch, we noticed some darker smoke appearing while we were biking and decided to turn around and realized after that a car had caught fire and triggered a grass fire right above where we were biking. When we got to the parking lot and on the drive back to the farm, we saw the firefighters working to put out the fire and they closed the highway right behind us. Glad we got out of there just in time!

7. Riding with Daddy and Grandpa. Daddy just bought a dirt bike and Grandpa has an ATV so despite the smoky skies, the kids enjoyed doubling up and going for a ride.

Smokanagon Part II: Summerland 

After our time in Enderby, we headed to Summerland for several days. I hadn't seen blue sky in 5 days and it was honestly a bit depressing but as we drove the two hours through Peachland, I saw a hint of blue sky and it was so exciting! There was still some lingering smoke but for our days in Summerland and Penticton but I was so glad to see and feel the sun again. If we get to go back here next summer, I would definitely include:

1. Loco Landing - high ropes course, bumper boats, mini golf, go karts! 

2. Lunch at Thornhaven winery. Enjoy the views and bring your own lunch and pair it with wine or in our case sparkling apple juice for all the kids.

3. Dessert at Summerland Sweets (although next time I need to remember that a double scoop is WAY too much ice cream for any child to eat and most of it melts before they can finish it)

4. Explore the mountain biking trails. The guys woke up early and biked a trail called "The Test of Humanity" twice.  I picked up the tourist brochure and The Rotary Lakeshore loop sounded so scenic and lovely and thought it would be a great evening activity. The brochure did not make clear that to get to those beautiful vistas required and insane amount of uphill. We were all jealous of our one friend with the e-bike because the rest of us were wheezing up the mountain. But the views were stunning and there were so many deer. And next time I will try not to fall off my bike trying to get my camera to take a picture of all the deer.

5. Float the Penticton canal. Took a bit of effort and logistical planning with the other families we were with but we managed to get 6 adults and 8 kids cruising down the canal on SUPs and inflatables. That in itself is quite the accomplishment. 

6. Sun-Oka Beach. This is the best beach ever. Yes. The best. So good we went back there 3 times and stayed an extra day so we could do more of this.