Valley of the Five Lakes Trail – Best Canadian Rockies Day Hikes

#36 Canadian Rockies Day Hikes: Valley of the Five Lakes Trail

Valley of the Five Lakes Trail
Pin this post to your Pinterest board to easily return to it later.
  • Location: Jasper National Park
  • Trailhead: Valley of the Five Lakes
  • Type: Lollypop Loop (Partial Out-n-Back with Loop)
  • Rating: Moderately-Easy
  • Total Distance: 2.75 miles
  • Trailhead Elevation: 3553′
  • Total Elevation Gain: 296′
  • Recommended Time: 1.5 hours
  • Recommended Season: Early-June to Late-September

Valley of the Five Lakes Trail

The Canadian Rockies are world renowned for their rich turquoise-colored lakes. The rich color is created by the density of rock flour suspended in the water. The Valley of the Five Lakes trail in Jasper National Park allows hikers to immerse themselves into nature and see five beautiful glaciated lakes up close in a relatively easy and short trail.

Third Lake on the Valley of the Five Lakes
A set of the iconic red Adirondack chairs of the Canadian National Parks system are perched on the edge of the Third Lake.

The Draw of the Five Lakes

There are more beautiful lakes in the Canadian Rockies to be seen then these five lakes and many are a part of this Best of the Canadian Rockies Day Hikes list. But, the Valley of the Five Lakes Trail is unique in the abundance and ease at which these greenish-blue lakes can be taken in. All five lakes have varying degrees of blue and green coloration, adding to the uniqueness of the trail. Hikers can see how the hue changes based on the density of the rock flour in each lake.

First Lake - Valley of the Five Lakes
The First Lake on the Valley of the Five Lakes Trail.

Great Family Hike

Bear Cubs
Bear cubs climb a tree for safety, not far from their mother, during the early summer in Jasper National Park.

This is a great family hike. Just don’t forget the bear spray as the creatures are active throughout this area, especially in the early summer. We saw a bear family with three baby bears along the road just before the parking area. They are very cute when they are so small but momma bear is all the more protective of her fragile cubs.

Sunset on Mount Edith Cavell
The Valley of the Five Lakes Trail is also a great spot to watch the sunset on the beautiful Mount Edith Cavell.

Share the Best Canadian Rockies Day Hikes on your social networks.

Let us know what you think about this moment.