Galatea Lakes is a long out-and-back trail in Spray Valley, Kananaskis. Beginning at Galatea Day Use area, you follow Galatea Creek Trail to the alpine cirque that holds the lakes. The hike brings you past 10 bridges and three lakes. We did this trail as part of our backpacking trip to Lillian Lake campground, but you can also hike the entire trail as a day hike.
Galatea Lakes Hike Summary
- Difficulty: Hard
- Distance: 16.6 km round trip
- Elevation: 629 metres
- Trail type: Out-and-back
- Time: 6-8 hours
- Trailhead: Galatea Day Use Area
Detailed Trail Description
The Galatea Lakes hike follows the Galatea Creek Trail between Mount Kidd and Fortress Ridge. From Highway 40, park at the Galatea Day Use lot. Then, follow the trail across a suspension bridge and a second bridge to get to the signed forked. At the fork, take the left trail towards Lillian Lake and Galatea Lakes.
The trail zigzags over Galatea Creek, with a number of bridges in the first few kilometres. Enjoy the mossy forest through this section.
As the trail gains elevation, you’ll eventually break out of the trees for a short distance. Look up and enjoy the views of Mount Kidd to your right. Carefully cross the small creek before re-entering the forest. There is a final push with more significant elevation before you reach Lillian Lake.
Once you reach Lillian, continue along the length of the lake to the next fork in the trail. Here you will see a map for the backcountry campground and directions to Lower Galatea Lake, approximately 1 km further.
Shortly after passing by Lillian Lake campground, the trail gets steeper. Hike through the trees a little while longer, before reaching the rocky section. You can see Lillian Lake below and the beautiful mountains behind it.
Keep hiking up and over the pass, and Lower Galatea Lake emerges through the trees. This lake is sparkle blue and the mountain cirque around it rises majestically. The trail to Guinn’s Pass and Ribbon Lake branches off to the right before you reach the lakeshore.
Galatea Lakes
We took a lot of photos at the Lower Lake, along with a brief snack break. After that, we continued along the shore to the Upper Lake. This is about 1.3 km to get to the sandy beach of the Upper Lake.
We hung out at the beach and sat on the large black boulder on the edge of the lake. As we made our way around these trails, we caught a glimpse of a pika! There are beautiful wildflowers throughout the trail between the two lakes. The water is crystal clear, blue, and freezing.
Hiking Back Down
The hike down took less time, however, we got caught in the rain. We stayed at Lillian Lake overnight, and descended the rest of the trail in the morning, but took us around 4 hours altogether from Upper Galatea Lake to the trailhead.
The trail was muddy from the rain, so it took us a little longer down than we expected. Either way, the trip was amazing and I would absolutely recommend adding Galatea Lakes to your hiking bucket list!
