Eva Lake: Revelstoke National Park

Back in August of 2009 my brothers and I made our first trip out to BC to visit our dad. He had recently retired from the Canadian Navy and moved out to the Okanagan Valley. I absolutely love the area in which he lives, it is stunning, offers so many recreational opportunities and is surrounded my great hiking opportunities including Revelstoke National Park.

Revelstoke is about a two hour drive from my dad's home so it is fairly easy to drive out there for a day hike if you leave at an early hour.

Dad decided to take us on the Eva Lake Trail as it is not too challenging yet still offers gorgeous views of the surrounding mountains and of Eva Lake.

 To get to the trailhead from the parking lot you can walk uphill the short distance or there is a shuttle bus that comes by, we opted to just walk up. Near the Eva Lake/Jade Lakes Trailhead there is also a short trail, the Firetower Trail. It offered some pretty views but nothing extraordinary.

 

The Eva Lake Trail takes you through mountain meadowns, forest and across rock cliffs. The elevation gain is also fairly gradual with a few steep climbs, not too hard of a hike.

It took us about 2 - 2 1/2 hours to get to Eva Lake (I am slow). It was an ideal lunch spot, lots of big boulders to sit on and a beautiful lake to gaze upon.

After we finished walking around and soaking up the beauty of Eva Lake we started to make our way back down the trail with a brief detour to Miller Lake which is also a gem nestled away in the mountains. 

 I was pretty tuckered out by the time we got back to the car, probably because I did not eat a good breakfast before the hike. Remember, you want to provide your body with the right fuel before embarking on a hike!

I plan on revisiting Eva Lake this August, I can't wait!

Lake O'Hara: Opabin Plateau Hike

Dad and I woke up very early on our second day in Lake O'Hara, we wanted to make the most of our day. I was surprised that I slept so well considering how hesitant I was about staying in the Elizabeth Parker Hut with a bunch of strangers. It wasn't so bad after all!

Everybody else in the cabin was still asleep so Dad and I tiptoed around and packed up our stuff and placed it in a corner out of the way. We decided that we would eat our breakfast at the table at the Le Relais day shelter so as not to disturb anybody. I wanted to use the washroom down there anyways since it is much nicer than the one at the cabin.

We started hiking around 7:45am. We(I) decided that the Alpine Circuit looked a little too scary for me and so we were going to hike the Opabin Plateau trail instead. I still hope to work up the courage someday to try the Alpine Circuit as I have read that it is spectacular.

The Opabin Plateau trailhead is located on the Lake O'Hara shoreline trail. There were amazing reflections of the mountains being lit by the early morning sun reflected in the lake.

The start of the Opabin Plateau hike was not very exciting, mostly because the sun was not with us yet and so it was a little dark and we were climbing through the trees and there was no view. Never fear, the views we had later were gorgeous.

We continued down the trail on our way to Opabin Lake passing some smaller lakes on the way. 

When we reached Opabin Lake it had become overcast and was rather chilly. I hunkered down and had a snack while down explored a little further. 

I am sure the lake is much prettier when it has sunlight reflecting off it.

 I didn't want to stay sitting for too long since it was cold so we moved on. This is when the trail started to improve. The sun was out and great views started to unfold in front of us.

We came across a rocky area that had a bunch of marmots and ground squirrels hanging out. 

This was one of my favourite views in the Lake O'Hara area, simply spectacular. 

Dad and I got a little turned around in this area, there were a few trails that interconnected but we eventually found our way. 

Dad and I stopped for lunch at Opabin Prospect which offers fantastic views of Lake O'Hara and the surrounding area. 

 We followed the trail down and connected with the Big Larch trail to get back to the Elizabeth Parker Hut.

It was only mid-afternoon but we did not want to chance doing another hike and missing the last bus out for the day so we decided to call it quits. We were also both pretty tuckered out after almost two weeks of hiking. The pay phone at the Le Relais day shelter was not working so I walked up to the one next to the Lake O'Hara Lodge and phone the stepmother to tell her we were catching the next bus so that she could head over to pick us up from the Lake O'Hara parking lot.

I was sad to leave such a beautiful area but I know that I will be back. Dad wants to bring my brothers with us the next time we visit.