Lake O’Hara is located in Yoho National Park in the province of British Columbia, Canada. It is part of the Rocky Mountains and sits along the western side of the continental divide. Banff National Park (Alberta) and Kootenay National Park (British Columbia) lie a little to the east and south, respectively. The lake sits at an elevation of a little over 6,600 feet. Access to the park is limited in order to preserve the alpine environment. The result? Amazing views and not a lot of people. I am a mountain person at heart. John Muir captures my feelings best when he said - “Going to the mountains is like going home.” From the moment I arrived at Lake O’Hara and took in the views my soul started soaring!
“I felt my lungs inflate with the onrush of scenery - air, mountains, trees, people. I thought, “This is what it is to be happy.” —Sylvia Plath
This was not my first trip to Lake O’Hara. I had the good fortune to be here in the fall of 2016 with a women’s hiking group. At that time, we stayed in the Elizabeth Parker Hut. This trip (which was with Muench Workshops) took place during opening weekend on June 17. We stayed in the cabins at Lake O’Hara Lodge. There are a total of eleven cabins located right on the edge of the water. Cabin 2 (pictured below on the right) was my home for four nights. At the time, there was a lot of snow which resulted in some trails being closed due to avalanche danger. This may have initially been a little disappointing but by no means did it put a damper on the trip. I have always thought, mountains look better with snow! In addition, I had never seen an avalanche before but got to see and/or hear quite a few. The sight and sound of an avalanche is something to behold!
The Milky Way and stars light up the skies above Lake O’Hara and the surrounding mountains.
And just like that our time at Lake O’Hara came to an end. Do I ever miss the views! I will hopefully be back someday soon. (Photo credit: Noel Rogers, our Canadian guide, captured this image of me with my iPhone).
