Alpine Circuit, Lake O'Hara, Yoho National Park

The Alpine Circuit hike around Lake O’Hara has got to be one of the most spectacular hikes around. For terrific mountain scenery, there are very few day hikes (or even multi-day hikes) that can top this. We hiked the Wiwaxy gap/Huber ledges/Lake Oesa part of the Alpine circuit during our 2004 Canada trip.

Most people take the shuttle to get to the Lake O’Hara area. Be sure to make advance reservations for this shuttle. If you were really desperate, you could also walk the 11 km. approach road to the lake. Our shuttle reached the LeRelais cabin near the lake around 10 AM. The cabin is a good place to check on trail conditions and bear updates before heading out. We followed the Lake O’Hara shoreline trail up the north shore of the lake till the Wiwaxy Gap – Huber Ledges Alpine Route cutoff.

Heading out
 

From here, the trail pretty much went straight uphill. I read somewhere that it climbs about 3000 ft. in one mile. It sure felt like it. But the views were terrific and we didn’t mind all the rest stops that we had to take.

View along Wiwaxy Gap trail

It took us 2 hours(!) to reach Wiwaxy gap, and it was totally worth it. The panorama from Wiwaxy Gap is one of the best that I have seen. I won't attempt to describe it.

And finally...the view from Wiwaxy Gap!

From Wiwaxy Gap, the Huber ledges trail leads to Lake Oesa. This is really a cross country traverse from the gap to the lake. It is somewhat exposed in places, but quite enjoyable. You are more likely to get distracted by the spectacular views, so keep your eyes on the trail and enjoy the views during your rest stops. Every step is a photo opportunity….and take it from me - photos don’t do justice to the real thing.

Heading out to Lake Oesa via the Huber Ledges

An hour later, we were at Lake Oesa. Just before Lake Oesa, the trail meets up with the trail coming up from Lake O’Hara. Another spur nearby goes up left towards Abbot Pass and the Abbot Pass Hut. You can cross over into the Plain of the Six Glaciers in Banff using this trail. That sounds like an interesting trip.

Nearing Lake Oesa

After a short snack break, we headed back to Lake O’Hara. The trail goes past some meadows and random pools of water before descending rocky steps built by Lawrence Grassi (a local mountaineer and Park Warden at Lake O’Hara). The Yukness Ledges Alpine trail goes left from here. At the end of the cliff, the trail descends to meet the Lake O’Hara shoreline trail. It was short walk back to the LeRelais cabin.

This was (and is) one of the best hikes that we have ever done. Even though it is somewhat strenuous, especially the trail to Wiwaxy Gap, the superb scenery totally obliterates any downside that anyone can think of (I couldn’t think of any). The whole area is a hiker’s paradise. It would be cool to stay on one of the cabins there and explore all the surroundings at leisure. A five star hike in a five star area!