My Whistler Joffre Lake Hike Day Itinerary
For our five year anniversary getaway, we’re going on the Joffre Lake Hike near Whistler, my favorite hike in the area! This 10 km hike includes three different glacier lakes, surrounded by beautiful foresty mountains. I’m sharing my full itinerary for our hiking day, and all the tips for planning your next hike here, from tickets to supplies. Plus, we ended the day at our favorite restaurant in Whistler! If you’re looking for a fun weekend outdoor adventure for your next weekend getaway, definitely check out Joffre lake!
Anniversary Weekend Summer Whistler Hiking Adventure
We are back in Whistler for our 5 Year Anniversary weekend! We drove through the Sea to Sky Highway, made a quick stop in Squamish for an easy waterfall hike, and now, we’re doing our favorite hike: Joffre Lake. This trip was such a beautiful reminder on why we keep coming back year after year. Thank you guys so much for joining us on this adventure and spending our anniversary weekend with us!
Whistler isn’t just a winter wonderland for skiing, snowboarding, and snowmobiles, there’s also a ton to explore in the summer time as well! It’s known for the trails, lakes, hikes, and all the outdoor adventures. But if I had to pick one of my favorite hikes near Whistler, it would be Joffre Lake. It’s about a 1-hour drive from Whistler past. So, it’s not right in the village. Dom and I came here years ago and coming back this time was so nostalgic but also very, very humbling. The hike was a bit harder than I remembered! But if you have an extra day and if you’re out for adventure, it is so so worth adding this to your itinerary.
Fix Cafe
Before we headed to Joffre Lake, we decided to fuel up at Fix Cafe inside Nita Lake Lodge. We visited earlier this week for an after-run treat, their dairy-free plant-based ice cream. It was so good after a run! But, Fix Cafe is actually known for their sandwiches, wraps, and coffees that are tasty and filling. They also offer tons of different pastries, scones, and treats.
For our pre-hike breakfast, I got myself a green smoothie, an iced latte, and a breakfast wrap. The smoothies are so good and the iced latte hits the spot. The breakfast wrap is packed to the brim with a slight char, so it was pretty yummy too! For later on during the hike, we got an extra chocolate chip cookie and a smoked meat sandwich. Since our stove didn’t work, the extra sandwich really came in handy during our hike, and was super delicious as well!
Joffre Lake Glacier Hike
Joffre Lake is famous for having three glacier fed lakes you can visit in one hike. The hike itself is around 10 km round trip with about 400 m elevation gain. Even though it’s considered moderate, I personally think it’s a lot harder than people make it sound. The path is pretty easy, but sometimes gets a little rocky. We don’t have hiking shoes. We actually have runners and doesn’t feel too bad.
The first lake is the lower Joffre Lake. It is the easiest to get to and only a short walk from the parking lot. So, even if you don’t do the full hike, this is still a beautiful, beautiful stop. Getting to the second lake is where the hike really starts. We run around 30 km a week, and this hike still felt hard. There are lots of steady uphill sections, a lot of roots, rocks, and stairs. So, definitely give yourself enough time. But trust me, once you get to the second lake, everything will be so, so worth it. Middle Joffre Lake is probably the most famous lake because it’s where you get that bright turquoise water and the classic mountain view. It’s really one of those places where I think it’s worth seeing in person at least once in your life.
You can end the hike here, but I highly recommend going all the way up to Upper Joffre Lake. Between middle and upper Joffrey Lake, there’s also a beautiful waterfall along the trail. It’s definitely worth stopping here before starting the final climb up. Even though this section is shorter in distance, the climb is actually quite steep. The trail has a lot more rocks and roots, so definitely take your time.
Trust me when I say once you reach the final lake, everything will be so worth it. The water looked unreal. You’re surrounded by mountains. The glacier is right there. It was so quiet, so peaceful, and the air was so fresh. I instantly forgot how sore my legs were. Our stove didn’t work, so we enjoyed our sandwich and cookie from Fix Cafe before heading back down. Honestly, the way down was a little harder, so give yourself enough time!
CreekBread: Best Pizza
After our hike, we were starving! So, we had to go for some pizza at Creekbread for a little snack. Creekbread is known for their wood-fire pizzas. I’ve been here a few times and the food is so so good, so it’s exciting that it’s Dom’s first time. This is the casual cozy spot that you want to chill in after a long outdoor adventure with a beer. It’s oly a quick 5-minute walk from our hotel, too! While waiting for our pizzas, I tried one of their margaritas ($16). There’s just something about a drink after a hike that’s so refreshing! You can also try local style, which adds charred jalapeños to your margaritas for $2.5 extra.
Finally, it’s time for pizza. Our go-to order is the Pemberton Potato Pie ($28 for 12”). It comes with pebble potatoes, roasted garlic, rosemary cream sauce, spinach, mozzarella, and lots of cheese. You have to get it local style with bacon for $5 extra! Honestly, I think it is the best pizza in Whistler. We brought our pizza over by the lake to enjoy. After hiking Joffrey Lakes, this was the perfect meal!
Red Door Bistro (Our Fave!)
For dinner, we’re actually going to our favorite restaurant in the world: Red Door Bistro. It is a French-inspired West Coast neighborhood bistro, a place we bring all of our loved ones when we want them to experience one of our favorite spots in Whistler. We started our dinner with a bottle of white wine, and their daily soup ($13.5), a creamy butternut squash bisque.
For our mains, we ordered a couple of their signatures:
- Pan Seared Humboldt Squid ($24), with Sichuan pepper, lemon, tarragon sauce, and garlic chili oil.
- Butter Seared Hokkaido Scallops ($32), with celery root puree, lemon dumplings, pink lady apple, pistachio and apple balsamic
- Five Spice Quebec Duck Breast ($52), with fingerling potatoes, confit shallots, beets, and buckwheat honey.
Lowkey, sometimes I want to gatekeep this place because it’s already so much harder to book compared to when we discovered it years ago. But their food is absolutely delicious, so fresh, so yummy. We’ve been coming here almost every single time we visit Whistler. And, every person that we’ve brought here has had nothing but good things to say about it. But, it’s too good not to recommend!
Super Important Tips For Hiking Joffre Lake
Reserve BC Parks Day Use Pass
We actually went to Joffrey Lake years and years ago. Back then, you didn’t have to book tickets. Now, in order to control the crowds, you’ll need to register for a BC Parks day-use pass ahead of time online. They are free, but we got up 2 days ago at 7:00 AM, when they release them, to register for the tickets. Literally by 7:04, everything was sold out. So, if you guys are interested in hiking Joffrey Lake in the summer, make sure to get up early and make sure to reserve your spot because they do sell out super fast.
Preparing For Your Hike
This hike is so beautiful, we definitely highly recommend. So, come prepared, take your time, respect the trail, and enjoy every single moment. To prepare for your Joffre Lake Hike, here are some tips:
- Wear the right clothes: I would highly recommend wearing proper hiking shoes, bringing layers because the weather can change really quickly
- Pack Supplies: lots of waters, snacks or lunch. Make sure you have sunscreen and bug spray (TONS of mosquitoes!).
- Give yourself enough time: Giving yourself enough time to properly soak everything in, but sure you have time on the way down because the things get pretty steep in some sections. Personally, I found the way down was a lot harder than the way up.
Fun Ways To Spend A Weekend In Whistler!
