The Beautiful Family-Friendly Emerald Lake Hike
Updated April 2019
The exceptionally beautiful Emerald Lake hike in Yoho National Park is the perfect outing for a young family or – as in my case for my visiting mother-in-law who turned 80 just days before we visited. It’s also the base for a number of longer, harder hikes including the Emerald Basin Trail, the Yoho Pass Trail, the Hamilton Lake Trail and the famous Burgess Pass Trail.
The Burgess Pass Trail takes you up to the UNESCO designated Burgess Shale – one of the world’s most significant fossil sites. It requires a reservation, a guide and stamina since you’ll be hiking for up to 10 hours.
Your 5.2 km loop hike around Emerald Lake will likely take an hour or two tops. This is a popular trail and you won’t be alone.
Looking through the trees to the cabins at Emerald Lake Lodge
The hiking trail around Emerald Lake
Starting from the parking lot, the hike is only 5.2 kilometres (3.1 miles) long with an elevation gain of perhaps fifty feet. Despite the short distance the hike offers ever changing panoramas including majestic mountains, Emerald Glacier views and a section through the woods with hemlock, cedar and devil’s club. It’s especially beautiful in fall with loads of colourful leaves and berries adding to the drama in an area that already sees plenty of it.
If you are adverse to a lot of people on the trail, plan to hike the loop first thing in the morning or late in the day.
You might be more inclined to lounge beside Emerald Lake when you see this guy
Extraordinary views right from the start of the hike
If you don’t want to hike you can rent canoes by the hour ($35/hour). Judging by the number we saw out on the lake, it’s a very popular activity.
Enjoy the sight of canoeists in bright red canoes on the lake
The following photos takes you around Emerald Lake in a clockwise direction.
Trail along the west side of Emerald Lake
Mountain views from the far end of Emerald Lake; the Burgess Shales are up in the mountains in this photo
Lots of red berries in the fall beside the path
Views at the end of Emerald Lake
Looking down the length of Emerald Lake
It’s a very pleasant hike up to Emerald Basin – accessed from the loop trail around Emerald Lake
Thick vegetation in early fall as you complete the loop at Emerald Lake Lodge
Along the trail you can see a variety of wild flowers and berries with salmonberries and black currants still hanging onto the bushes. In June and July keep an eye out for wild orchids. There are lots of birds around too including spruce grouse, grosbeaks, stellar and gray jays as well as some ravens.
Complete the Emerald lake loop by walking past some of the cabins you can rent at Emerald Lake Lodge
Kind of makes you want to rent a canoe doesn’t it
How to get to the start of the Emerald Lake hike
Emerald Lake is reached via Emerald Lake Road, located 1.6 kilometres west of the Yoho Park Visitor Center in Field, BC. It’s also only about a 25 minute drive from Lake Louise. Make sure you have a valid Parks Canada permit. They can be bought at the Visitor Center. Parking is in a large lot at the end of the road.
Where you can eat either before or after your Emerald Lake hike
If you get hungry and you haven’t brought food you can eat at Cilantro Cafe at the end of the bridge, at the Kicking Horse Lounge or in the Mount Burgess Dining room. These are all part of Emerald Lake Lodge. There are a few places to get food in Field; otherwise plan ahead and bring from home.
Map of the Emerald Lake loop hiking trail
Is a trip to Emerald Lake to go hiking on your wish list?
Click on the photo to bookmark to your Pinterest boards.
Leigh McAdam
This Post Has 46 Comments
Leave a Reply
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
Beautiful! And your photography is amazing – thank you for sharing these photos. I’ll be in Banff the last week of September – wish Emerald Lake was a little closer. That means I need to plan a special trip to Yoho National Park.
Beautiful! And your photography is amazing – thank you for sharing these photos. I’ll be in Banff the last week of September – wish Emerald Lake was a little closer. That means I need to plan a special trip to Yoho National Park.
Roberta – I hope there is still some colour left in the trees. Head to Lake Louise if you can for some easy but very beautiful hiking. Yoho NP is worth a trip on its own.
I second that notion Roberta, amazing photos of a wonderful location – I definitely need to make it back to Canada soon. 🙂
@Rusty Hope you come soon – there are a lot of places that are just as beautiful as Emerald Lake.
So enjoyed checking in with you today and finding this. Such a beautiful spot, isn’t it? That whole area is wonderful. We have been to the area once, and I hope we’ll have a chance to visit again.
Susan -What a treat to find you visiting. It was my mother-in-laws 80th birthday so we celebrated it by taking her to Yoho Nat’l park for the weekend. She pronounced it a lovely walk with something new around every corner.
Leigh, I feel like I’m in your photos – they are so vivid and realistic. Wish I was, in fact! This looks like an amazing place. Need to visit, need to visit, need to visit…my new mantra!
Bob and I purchasing kayaks this fall for home and Canada summers. Perhaps you’ll join us on the Upper French one of these years. Miss you guys. xoxox
Leigh, I feel like I’m in your photos – they are so vivid and realistic. Wish I was, in fact! This looks like an amazing place. Need to visit, need to visit, need to visit…my new mantra!
Bob and I purchasing kayaks this fall for home and Canada summers. Perhaps you’ll join us on the Upper French one of these years. Miss you guys. xoxox
@Sandy We will catch up one day – either in Alberta or on the French River. I have some interesting travel planned for next year if a project goes through.
Wow! This looks like a paradise on earth. Such a spectacular place and what breathtaking pictures! How I wish I can get there one day. Many thanks for sharing.
@Arti Not exactly like what you’d find in India is it. I hope you get the chance to visit Canada.
I love your pictures you took. Emerald lake looks so precious and beautiful with your photos. I think I need to make a visit there, have a camping with my family.
I love your pictures you took. Emerald lake looks so precious and beautiful with your photos. I think I need to make a visit there, have a camping with my family.
@Diego Emerald Lake is gorgeous – and I can imagine even better when no on is around.
What a gorgeous hike and pictures! I love that there are varying sceneries, wildlife and foliage. That lake just looks so inviting and perfect for canoeing. If we ever make it up to your area, this would be a perfect family hike for my little ones.
@Mary This would be the perfect hike for your kids. I bet they’d like to be out canoeing too.
Looks like the perfect dreamscape.
Looks like the perfect dreamscape.
@Mette We need to get you across the Atlantic Ocean to see what the Rockies look like.
I think it would take me longer than 2 hours, because I’d probably stop every second to photograph something.
I think it would take me longer than 2 hours, because I’d probably stop every second to photograph something.
@Ayelet I took a lot of photos and it still only took 2 hours. You may want to hang out on a well placed bench with a view though.
In agreement with all the comments above, Leigh. Beautiful shots and such a lovely place.
In agreement with all the comments above, Leigh. Beautiful shots and such a lovely place.
@Jackie And I’ve loved some of the suggestions from your part of the world.
The lake is not so big but beautiful! I feel the fresh air and the sounds of the forest only looking at your photos 🙂
Victor – I wish I could spend every weekend in the mountains with air and scenery such as we saw last weekend. I had even commented on how glorious the air smelled.
Beautiful photos! I did this hike with my father in law when he was visiting from Germany. The reward far surpasses the effort.
Beautiful photos! I did this hike with my father in law when he was visiting from Germany. The reward far surpasses the effort.
@Laurel I hope he was as impressed as my mother-in-law.
I think you must live in the most beautiful place in the world! Can definitely see how the lake gets its name. All of these pics are mesmerizing but the one looking towards President’s Range is stunning!
@Debbie You can’t beat Yoho National Park for superlative scenery.
Wow! I love the color of the water.
It’s fantastic isn’t Margaret.
Wow! I love the color of the water.
It’s fantastic isn’t Margaret.
Everything that is in there is really beautiful.
The place is so tempting and the crystal clear lake water is so magnificent!
Thanks for sharing these photos!
Everything that is in there is really beautiful.
The place is so tempting and the crystal clear lake water is so magnificent!
Thanks for sharing these photos!
You live in an exceptionally beautiful country. That first picture reminded me so much of Alta Lake in Whistler. I hope my next big trip is BC and Alberta, and hiking around all those fab lakes!!
@Christina I’m sorry that the hiking season is coming to an end. It will be time to pull out the skis and snowshoes soon.
Love the nature-macros, Leigh. Beautiful.
@Hank Thank you.
[…] things to do outdoors if you can drag yourself away from your cabin. In summer I recommend the easy walk around Emerald Lake. In winter snowshoe down to the Kicking Horse River and watch the icy waters flow through the […]
[…] things to do outdoors if you can drag yourself away from your cabin. In summer I recommend the easy walk around Emerald Lake. In winter snowshoe down to the Kicking Horse River and watch the icy waters flow through the […]
[…] things to do outdoors if you can drag yourself away from your cabin. In summer I recommend the easy walk around Emerald Lake. In winter snowshoe down to the Kicking Horse River and watch the icy waters flow through the […]