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Lake of the Falls Trail

Our first exposure to David Thompson Highway hikes

By: Kait Tx + Save to a List

After thoroughly enjoying some backcountry hikes in various national and provincial parks (mainly Banff and Jasper), my husband and I decided to try out some Public Land Use Zone (PLUZ)  camping.  I bought a reputable hiking guide and after a little research, we decided that the Lake of the Falls hike would be the perfect introductory weekend trip.  We set out a bit unsure of what to expect - the first challenge was finding the trail head; this proved to be fairly straightforward.   We parked at the gravel pit near the trailhead and headed out.  Less than five kilometres into our hike we took a wrong turn - chalk this up to the rookie move of not checking our map and some bad assumptions.  Our error saw us gain a considerable amount of elevation toward a horse camp only to return the way we came to relink with the trail.  Around the 10km mark we happened upon a beautiful random camping site.  Faced with a tired dog and, feeling a little peckish, and not on a timeline, we decided to camp for the night and hike to the lake the next day as a day hike.  The campsite was beautiful, right near the river.  The next day we set out to find the lake - we made it within two kilometres (we think) but lost the trail on the north side of Entry Creek.  This is because it crosses to the south side and our ageing dog was not up for another crossing that day after negotiating washed out areas of the trail and fallen trees. We headed back to camp a bit disappointed that we didn't make the Lake, but happy for the beautiful hike and weather.  The next day, our beloved beast could barely move - she hiked out the 12km back to the car at a snail's pace - I'm not sure she has forgiven us for the adventure yet. Overall we had a great trip and will definitely be coming back to the area a bit more prepared. 

We want to acknowledge and thank the past, present, and future generations of all Native Nations and Indigenous Peoples whose ancestral lands we travel, explore, and play on. Always practice Leave No Trace ethics on your adventures and follow local regulations. Please explore responsibly!

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