Lake O’Hara has become an exclusive backcountry area as Parks Canada limits the number of visitors each day in order to protect the fragile ecosystem. Visitors must apply through a lottery system to be able to purchase tickets from Parks Canada on the shuttle. Applications for each summer are usually accepted in the early spring (March). However, the Parks Canada website will post specific yearly updates regarding the opening and closing dates for shuttle and campground reservations. Alternatively, visitors can hike in via the access road, but keep in mind this is an 11-km route one way, so plan accordingly.
We were lucky to get a reservation on the bus, and were able to visit the stunning lakes in the area on August 2, 2022. We hiked a mix of alpine routes and lower elevation routes to experience as much of the area as we could.
Lake O’Hara Shuttle
We arrived at the Lake O’Hara parking lot at 7:50 am, for our 8:30 bus. The park recommends passengers arrive at least 20 minutes before the bus leaves as extra seats are sold to others waiting on stand-by. If you are hopeful about getting to Lake O’Hara without a reservation, you can try arriving early at the parking lot to see if there is any space. If you want to take the risk, I’d recommend Yoho Valley as a great back-up plan in the area.
The bus ride takes about 15-20 minutes through a narrow bumpy road. It dropped us off at the Le Relais/Day-Use Shelter.
Choosing a Route
Lake O’Hara is surrounded by a network of trails that can be mixed and matched based on your preferences. More experienced hikers might opt for the alpine routes, while beginner hikers may choose to stay closer to the lake with detours to Seven Veils Falls and Opabin Prospect.
We made our own mixed-level route that combined some of the lakeshore sections with the Yukness Ledges alpine route. To simplify our path, we primarily followed four routes: Lake O’Hara to Lake Oesa; Yukness Ledges; Opabin Lake; and West Opabin to Lake O’Hara with Opabin Prospect detour. Our total route was about 12.8 km and took us close to 6 hours to complete.
Route One: Lake O’Hara Shoreline to Lake Oesa Trail
Lake Oesa Hike Summary
- Difficulty: Moderate
- Distance: 4.8 km one way (includes detour to Seven Veils Falls)
- Elevation: 301 metres
- Trail type: Point-to-point (combined with other routes)
- Time: 1-2 hours
- Trailhead: Le Relais/Day Use Shelter
After getting off the bus and applying sunscreen, we walked to the closest section of shoreline to get our first glimpse of the lake. The water was still and glassy, and the clouds hanging over the tops of the adjacent mountains made the scene even more ethereal. We began our hike heading clockwise around the lake following the signs for Lake Oesa.
The views along the trail on the shoreline were incredible. We watched as the lake began to change colour in the sun and met a bold little squirrel. Then, we decided to check out the lookout at Seven Veil Falls on the far side of the lake, adding about an extra kilometre to our first section. We rested at the falls for a moment, delayering and taking photos at the falls. Then we hiked back down and back tracked to the path that took us above the cliff in the photograph below and towards Lake Oesa.
We arrived at Lake Oesa at about 11 am. The elevation gain was not too significant (301 m), but it is mostly all at once, causing us to slow down our pace compared to the flat stroll around the lake.
Lake Oesa was beautifully blue, but the wind began to whip around us and we decided to keep moving after taking a few photos. We would take the Alpine route via Yukness Ledges to East Opabin.
Route Two: Yukness Ledges to East Opabin
Yukness Ledges Hike Summary
- Difficulty: Moderate (with exposure)
- Distance: 2.5 km one way
- Elevation: 70 metres ascending and 90 metres descending
- Trail type: Point-to-point (combined with other routes)
- Time: 1-2 hours
- Trailhead: Continue from Lake Oesa
We gained a little more elevation from Lake Oesa to take the Yukness Ledges trail. This trail is marked by blue squares painted on the rocks. It is fairly exposed, but not one of the worst “ledges” I’ve hiked. Unless you have an extreme fear of heights this route should be do-able.
Yukness Ledges passes directly behind Lake O’Hara, giving spectacular views from above. There are some steep sections of the descent, so watch your step. Once we came back down the other side of Yukness, we joined up with the East Opabin trail and followed it to Opabin lake.
Route Three: East Opabin Trail to Opabin Lake
East Opabin Hike Summary
- Difficulty: Easy
- Distance: 0.4 km one way
- Elevation: Little elevation along this short detour
- Trail type: Point-to-point (combined with other routes)
- Time: 10-20 minutes
- Trailhead: Continue from Yukness Ledges
The lake is its own brilliant shade of blue-green. We decided on an elevated plateau over the lake to eat lunch at. Unfortunately the wind picked up again, so we didn’t stay too long here. We starting hiking again around 1:00 pm.
The view walking back towards Lake O’Hara was breathtaking every step of the way. Before descending from Opabin Lake, we appreciated the view of Hungabee Lake (1.3 km route from Opabin to the Highline/West Opabin junction) and the mountains surrounding the valley. Each lake is its own unique shade, adding to the beauty of the area.
Route Four: West Opabin Trail to Lake O’Hara
West Opabin Hike Summary
- Difficulty: Moderate
- Distance: 5.1 km one way
- Elevation: 250 metres of elevation loss
- Trail type: Point-to-point (combined with other routes)
- Time: 1.5-2.5 hours
- Trailhead: Continue from Opabin Lake
From Hungabee Lake we continued on West Opabin trail to Opabin Prospect, one of the most famous views of the area. No matter what route you choose you have to visit Opabin Prospect!
We realized we would be a few minutes short of the 2:30 bus back, so we spent extra time at the prospect, then came down West Opabin, which descends very quickly. After a short detour to Mary Lake, we made our way back to Le Relais and rested our tired feet while waiting for the return bus at 3:30 pm.
