Hiking Lake O'Hara Alpine Circuit | Yoho National Park, Canada

Distance (out & back): 16 km • Elevation gain (total): 535 m • Max elevation: 2537 m

We hiked the Lake O'Hara Alpine Circuit on a perfect autumn day on September 22, 2023. This was our third year trying to make reservations, and we finally succeeded. We chose fall to avoid wildfires and see the golden larches, and the hike did not disappoint.

Due to road closures and construction along Hwy 1 from BC, we had to take the detour through the Kootenays, adding 2 hours to our drive. We woke up at 2 am to catch the 10:30 am bus and started hiking at 11:30 am. It took us a total of 8 hours to complete the loop, with about 4 hours of moving time, and arrived back at camp around 7:30 pm. We hiked clockwise, with the steepest part being the 500 m elevation gain over 2 km from Lake O’Hara to Wiwaxy Gap. Although the Opabin Prospect Lookout is arguably the most photographed of this circuit, our favorite section was from Wiwaxy Gap to Lake Oesa.

The trail was well maintained and very easy to follow, marked by blue squares and two parallel yellow lines. It also has many opportunities to branch off and return to camp if needed. Overall we had high expectations of the hikes around Lake O’Hara and we are happy to say that those expectations were met!

The next day, the weather turned a complete 180 and we hiked Odaray Grandview in rain, sleet, and snow. We got incredibly soaked and cold, so when we got back we decided not to camp another night. We'll try this hike again next time we’re there.

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0:20 Route flyover
0:48 Bus to the lake
0:55 Trailhead
1:26 Ground level view of Lake O'Hara
2:14 Top view of Lake O'Hara
2:57 Wiwaxy Gap
3:10 Wiwaxy to Lake Oesa
4:04 Lake Oesa
5:48 Hungabee Lake
6:31 Opabin Prospect Lookout
7:13 All Soul's Prospect

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GEAR

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