Fall Hiking Lake O’Hara
It was a last minute decision to snag our spot at Lake Ohara for some Larch hiking last fall.
We saw a spot pop up and we jumped on it, knowing that could mean snow, rain or both we packed our bags loaded the truck and set off for some hikes around the Lake Ohara region.
Fortunately with Lake Ohara the bus that takes you up there, also takes all your camp gear. Which basically means we treat it like clamping and take way more than we need. Upon arriving at camp we were greeted with a heavy rain downpour which made setting up our tent a little dicey. However we managed without getting all of our gear too wet, and hung up what we needed to, to ensure everything was as dry as possible.
Once we were settled we geared up, tied our boots and hit the trail to find some Larches, though when we departed the sky was clearing, in true Lake Ohara fashion we were met with a torrential downpour once again then while hiding in a small cave to the side of Lake Oesa that rain turned to snow. At which point we decided to abandon our goal of doing the Alpine Circuit and head back to camp to wait for better weather.
Better weather never came, in fact it rained and snow for the remainder of the night, bending our tent poles with the weight. However after a rather chilly nights sleep, we awoke to a uniquely stunning combination of Fall and Winter.
Shin deep snow in places but still with the stunning Golden Larches to create vibrant scenes along the trail.
We set out to the right of Lake Ohara and headed towards the beginning of the Alpine Circuit, which you will notice is marked with Blue and yellow pained signs (a convenience not forgotten about when route finding in other locations in the rockies). From the lake we headed towards Big Larches, somewhat cutting sections of the Alpine Circuit out but with incredible results. Massive Larch trees in every direction shedding their needles to create a stunning golden foreground.
After Big Larches we easily scrambled our way up to the All Souls Prospect. This particular lookout provides a special and less photographed view of Lake Ohara as opposed to the Opabin Plateau, which is your more accessed view point. I would highly recommend the addition kms to get up here and looping around and down back to the Opabin Plateau as we did this time.
Along the trail towards the Opabin Plateau you will find small running streams, stand alone larches and once again incredible views of Lae Ohara and surrounds. For most of our time on the trail at this time of year you will likely not see many other people, be prepared for snow storms, rain and even warmer weather as we encountered them all on our loop.
Once you reach the plateau, you can follow the well beaten path towards the ledges that lead you out to the famous view of Ohara. I have been to this spot many times but this particular time I found it incredible. With low lying cloud, vibrant fall colours and the bright blue hues of the lake notorious int he rockies at this time of year.
After spending some time on the ledges, we saw a storm rolling our way, remembering our time in the cave from the day before we decided rather than completing the loop to B line it for camp.
We were fortunate not to get too drenched while hiking back towards the lake and on this part of the trail we were far from the only people to be venturing through. It had me feeling content with our more ambitious choice of doing the circuit to begin with.
Things to remember about this hike:
Bring layers, Warm and waterproof layers. always. Even in the peak of summer. The glaciers in this area produce their own weather and can be incredibly difficult to predict.
gloves. always gloves. I would have been on the bus home hours earlier had I of forgotten them.
a versatile lens. I was shooting mostly with my 24-105 lens, which meant I could get closer detail and wider shots. Once on the rock ledges of the Opabin Plateau, I switched to my 16-35 however for the majority of the time I was more than content with the focal range 24-105 offers.
When getting the bus from the carpark to the campground. Overpack. You are not hiking this gear at all and it’s well worth bringing some luxuries that you wouldn’t normally bring on a backcountry camping trip.
Carrot Cake. The little store near the camp ground provides Carrot cake twice a day, plus warm drinks, ice creams and coffee so ensure you bring some cash and get yourself some of this famous cake.
