Berg Lake trail. Wow, possibly one of the most scenic trails I’ve done. For 20km / 12.5mi each way the trail has it all: forest, lakes, mountains, glaciers and views.
Day 1 we get an early start heading to the Robson Pass campground, the furthest from the trailhead at 20km / 12.5mi. The hike up begins along the brooding Robson river through thick forest with glimpses of waterfall tumbling off the cliffs above. After 11km / 7mi the trail ascends steeply past Emperor Falls and pops out on Berg Lake and superb alpine views.
Day 2 is spent exploring the meadows around Snowbird Pass and taking in the views of the permanent snow field at the pass. The trail is easy to follow and winds around Mt Robson at the start and then to the pass. It starts to get steep closer to the pass but it’s 100% worth going all the way to the end to get the views of the snowfield.
Getting back to camp I realize my shoes have a chunk missing out of them. I try my hand at fixing them with some super glue and a piece of our pot-scraper, aka Walgreens rewards card. We’ll see how long it lasts.
Day 3 we hike via Toboggan Falls and the Hargreaves Glacier before heading back down the trail to Kinney Lake. It’s windy and we don’t spend a lot of time at the top. At the lake a kaleidoscope of butterflies (yes, that’s the real collective noun!) watches us make dinner in the sun.
Day 4 is a short, 6.5 km / 4 mi, walk back through the forest to the trailhead. Today is considerably more smokey than the past 3 days. Looks like we got the timing right for the views. Back to Jasper, a great little town much more chill and down to earth than Banff.
If you go