Lake O'Hara

Our next stop was one of the prime reasons for our trip ... Lake O'Hara. It's located in Yoho National Park in the Canadian Rockies, just over the mountain from world famous Lake Louise. Access is via a bus up a 11 km road (~7 miles), or you can walk it. Overnight options are limited to a very expensive lodge, a climbers bunkhouse, or a 30-site campground. One big challenge is actually getting lodging or bus reservations, since access is very limited and there's tons of demand. We fortunately snagged 2 nights camping, and were very excited to finally get to visit.

Since we were blessed with bluebird skies and no smoke (for a second day in a row!), we headed out on a hike as soon as we finished setting up camp. And what a absolutely stunning place!! Big mountains, lovely subalpine basins, tumbling streams, wildflowers galore, and gorgeous lakes! And accessed by a a combination of excellent trails and some well-marked high routes. The second day, more of the same (!), though a bit of smoke that was mostly gone by noon. On the final morning, we awoke to some significant smoke, so we decided take the early bus back out, and try our luck elsewhere. But our bliss was untarnished. What a visit! The nearly perfect weather and astounding beauty easily exceeded our high expectations! Perhaps a bit of karmic payback for all of our previous aborted attempts!