Joffre Lakes: Three Glacier Lakes Under the Matier Icefield

The colour is real. Lower, Middle and Upper Joffre Lakes are fed by the meltwater of the glaciers on Mount Matier and Joffre Peak, and the fine rock flour suspended in that water turns them a milky turquoise that looks edited even when it is not. The trail climbs about five kilometres from the highway through old forest, past a waterfall and over a rocky moraine, and each lake sits higher and closer to the ice than the one before. At Upper Joffre Lake the glacier hangs directly above the water, and on warm afternoons you may hear it crack and rumble.

This is a moderate hike made popular by a single photograph, and the land managers have had to respond. The park, now officially Pipi7íyekw/Joffre Lakes Park, is co-managed by BC Parks with the Líl̓wat Nation and N’Quatqua, on whose territory it sits. Visitors need a free, per-person trail pass in peak season, and the park closes to recreational visitors for set periods each year so the two Nations can use the land for ceremony and harvesting. In 2026 those closures ran June 20 to 27 and September 8 to 30. Plan your trip around them rather than being surprised by them.

It is also a long day from Vancouver: roughly three hours each way by car, past Whistler and Pemberton and up the Duffey Lake Road. Worth it, but only with an early start or a night in Pemberton or Whistler.

Getting there. Drive Highway 99 north through Squamish, Whistler and Pemberton; the trailhead parking is on the Duffey Lake Road section of Highway 99, east of Pemberton. There is no public transit. Parking is only allowed in the designated lots, not along the highway, and they fill early on summer weekends.

Permits & passes. A free day-use trail pass is required for every person in your group during the pass season (in 2026, May 11 to October 25). Passes are released on the BC Parks website at 7 a.m. Pacific time two days before your visit and go quickly. Campers with a reservation at Upper Joffre Lake do not need a separate day pass. Dates and rules change each year: check the BC Parks page and advisories before you go.

Good to know:

Dogs and other pets are not allowed in the park.
The trail gets rougher and narrower above Middle Lake; the boulder field sections need care when wet.
Expect severe winter conditions from November to late May, and snow on the upper trail well into June.
The trail is out-and-back; the descent is the same route.

Day 1

Lower, Middle and Upper Joffre Lakes

Joffre Lakes parking lot, Highway 99 (Duffey Lake Road) → Joffre Lakes parking lot (out-and-back) 10 km 370 m

Navigate this day Print day

A steady climb from the highway past each of the three lakes in turn, with the glacier getting closer at every one, then back down the same way.

Segments

Lower Joffre Lake 0.3 km 0 m Map

Parking lot → Lower Joffre Lake

Flat, well-graded path

A five-minute walk from the car brings you to the first lake, already a startling colour, with the glacier visible far up the valley. It is the view that draws most people here, and it takes no effort at all. Take the photo and keep going. About 10 minutes.
Forest climb and the moraine 1.5 km 170 m Map

Lower Joffre Lake → Base of the moraine climb

Forest trail with roots and some steps, then a rocky moraine

The trail climbs steadily through forest, then crosses a rocky moraine, the debris left behind by a retreating glacier. The old boulder-hopping sections have been improved, but footing is still uneven and slippery when wet. This is the steepest sustained part of the day. About 50 minutes.

About this place

Mount Matier is a prominent 2,783-metre (9,131-foot) mountain summit located in the Coast Mountains, in Joffre Lakes Provincial Park, in southwestern British Columbia, Canada. It is the highest point of the Joffre Group, which is a subset range of the Coast Mountains. It is situated 26 km (16 mi) east of Pemberton, and 9 km (6 mi) northeast of Lillooet Lake. Its nearest higher peak is Mount Weart, 30 km (19 mi) to the southwest. The slopes of the mountain are covered by the Matier Glacier on the northwest, Anniversary Glacier on the northeast, Twin One Glacier on the southeast, and Hartzell Glacier to the south. Precipitation runoff from the peak drains into Joffre Creek and Twin One Creek, both tributaries of the Lillooet River.
Read more on Wikipedia Photo: Murray Foubister · CC BY-SA 2.0
Middle Joffre Lake and the waterfall 1.2 km 120 m Map

Top of the moraine → Middle Joffre Lake

Rough trail, then lakeshore

Middle Lake is the most vivid of the three, framed by trees and backed by the glacier. A waterfall pours in nearby. The log reaching into the lake here is the famous photo spot; queues form on summer mornings, and the log is slick. About 40 minutes.

About this place

Joffre Peak is a 2,721-metre (8,927-foot) mountain summit located in the Coast Mountains, in Joffre Lakes Provincial Park, in southwestern British Columbia, Canada. It is the second-highest point of the Joffre Group, which is a subset of the Lillooet Ranges. It is situated 26 km (16 mi) east of Pemberton and 11 km (7 mi) northeast of Lillooet Lake. Joffre is more notable for its steep rise above local terrain than for its absolute elevation as topographic relief is significant with the summit rising 1,500 meters (4,920 ft) above Cayoosh Creek in 4 km (2.5 mi). The nearest higher peak is Mount Matier, 1.6 km (1 mi) to the south. The mountain's climate supports the Matier Glacier on the southwest slope, and the Anniversary Glacier on the southeast slope. Precipitation runoff from the peak drains into Joffre Creek and Cayoosh Creek which are within the Fraser River watershed.
Read more on Wikipedia Photo: 潘世博 · CC BY-SA 2.0
Upper Joffre Lake 2 km 80 m Map

Middle Joffre Lake → Upper Joffre Lake

Narrower, rougher trail with rocky sections

The last stretch is narrower and rougher, climbing past cascades to the top lake, which sits directly below the hanging glacier on Mount Matier. Find a rock on the shore away from the campground, eat lunch and watch the ice. Stay well clear of the glacier and the slope below it. About 45 minutes, plus time at the lake.

About this place

Mount Matier is a prominent 2,783-metre (9,131-foot) mountain summit located in the Coast Mountains, in Joffre Lakes Provincial Park, in southwestern British Columbia, Canada. It is the highest point of the Joffre Group, which is a subset range of the Coast Mountains. It is situated 26 km (16 mi) east of Pemberton, and 9 km (6 mi) northeast of Lillooet Lake. Its nearest higher peak is Mount Weart, 30 km (19 mi) to the southwest. The slopes of the mountain are covered by the Matier Glacier on the northwest, Anniversary Glacier on the northeast, Twin One Glacier on the southeast, and Hartzell Glacier to the south. Precipitation runoff from the peak drains into Joffre Creek and Twin One Creek, both tributaries of the Lillooet River.
Read more on Wikipedia Photo: Murray Foubister · CC BY-SA 2.0
Back down to the parking lot 5 km 0 m Map

Upper Joffre Lake → Parking lot

Same trail in reverse

Retrace the route past Middle and Lower Lakes. The descent is kinder on the lungs but harder on the knees, and the moraine and roots are where people slip. About 1.5 hours.

About this place

Pemberton is a village municipality in the Squamish-Lillooet region of southwestern British Columbia. This Pemberton Valley community is on the southwest shore of the Lillooet River and northeast shore of Pemberton Creek. On BC Highway 99, the locality is by road about 153 kilometres (95 mi) north of Vancouver, 33 kilometres (21 mi) northeast of Whistler, and 100 kilometres (62 mi) southwest of Lillooet.
Read more on Wikipedia Photo: Philippe Giabbanelli · CC BY 3.0