Sherbrooke Lake and Niles Meadow: Yoho National Park

Sherbrooke Lake and Niles Meadow: Yoho National Park

We drove over to Yoho to hike this trail from our campground in Glacier National Park. My dad was scouting the trail for a hike he had planned for his hiking club in a few days time.

The drive in was not promising, it was cloudy and raining most of the way over. However, the sun started to peak through when we arrived.  We all got ready and got the dogs prepped, they were excited to be hitting the trail!

The parking lot and trailhead for the Sherbrooke Lake/Niles Meadow hike is right off the Trans-Canada just a few minutes away from the Visitor Centre in Field and is about a 20 minute drive from Lake Louise. There is a port-a-pottie at the trailhead but as is always the case it is not too pleasant. I recommend hitting the bathrooms in the Field Visitor Centre before/after the hike for some more pleasant facilities.

The first part of the hike up to Sherbrooke Lake is not too demanding and is a nice short hike for inexperienced hikers or families with young children. The trail allows a slow gain in elevation and winds through a pleasant forest. Nothing too spectacular at this point.

As the trail leveled out we started to see mountains peaking through the trees, very lovely.

And then we started to see Sherbrooke Lake through the trees. There were several small paths that went down to the lake from the main trail. We chose one and made our way down to find a lunch spot.

We found some logs and rocks to sit on while we munched away and took in the beauty of the lake. 

After lunch my dad and brothers continued with the trail for the Niles Meadow portion of the hike. I stayed behind with the dogs and my step-mother as my dad said there was a portion of the trail that he thought would be too frightening for me as it was washed out the previous year when he had attempted the trail. Well, my brothers reported after the hike that it was not scary at all. Guess I will get to tackle it sometime in the future!

I did explore the trail to the end of the lake while the boys were gone. 

The following pictures are ones taken by my dad and brothers as they hiked up to Niles Meadow. This is a higly rated hike in many hiking guides.

It started to sprinkle on their way back to the car but luckily they were saved from a major soaking.


A few days later Dad went back and hiked this trail again with his hiking club. The weather was a bit nicer for them. We didn't join him on this hike but here are some of his pictures from that day.

Balu Pass: Glacier National Park

Balu Pass: Glacier National Park

We had been trying to hike the magnificent Balu Pass trail for several years. In 2011 we hiked about halfway up the trail but had to turn around due to poor conditions - it was raining and foggy and we would not have been able to see the fantastic views at the top of the pass.

In 2012 my dad tried to take me on the trail with his hiking club but sadly I am unable to hike at the speed of his club (composed of mostly retired people), how embarrassing! So I did not manage the hike that year either.

However, third time is the charm and in August 2013 we managed to hike Balu Pass. The weather was perfect and I was with my family that was accommodating of my slowness.

The Balu Pass trailhead is located in the parking lot at the Rogers Pass Parks Canada information centre. This is a nice stop even if you are not planning on hiking the trail as there are some lovely displays inside and the Parks Canada staff also host lectures on the wildlife of the area. I learned all about caribou and Grizzly Bears during the hours I whiled away at this visitor centre in 2012. Keep in mind though that in order to partake of the offerings at the facility you must have a Parks Canada pass.

The trail starts off with a tough (for me) slog up some switchbacks through the forest. This, to me, was honestly the hardest part of the hike. While there is still a significant amount of elevation gain later on in the trail it is a more gradual climb. So if you get past the initial switchback you should be good to go for the rest of the hike!

Once you finish with the switchbacks you soon leave the forest and enter out into the more open valley. Scattered along the trail are bushes full of berries, no wonder bears like to hang out here, hence the name of the pass. Lots of food to eat!

Bear Food!

The trails winds through the valley crossing over babbling brooks and offering up beautiful views.

Looking back down the valley from about 1/4 way up the trail.

Another view looking back down the valley, about 1/2 way up the trail

Almost to the top of the pass!

Looking back down the valley from the top of the pass.

 The scenery from the top of the pass was beautiful. In one direction was the valley down below and all around us were magnificent mountains.

 We wandered down to the end of the trail to the lunch spot where there were a few other hikers out enjoying the day and the views.

Hurray! After three years we finally made it!

 Our dad had hiked this trail several times in the past with his hiking club and he just had to show us the toilet with the "best view in the world". Don't worry, the toilet is not right on the trail, you have to wander off the path a bit to find it. Allows a little bit more "privacy".

Here are two videos of the view from the top of Balu Pass. The first is from the lunch spot which is at the end of the trail and the second is from the area near the toilet.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UUzQYDxVVGs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zCwO5aZIE8M

During our lunch break one of the other groups told us that once of the Parks Canada staffers had told them that a week previous a family with two children was separated on the trail by a bear and that another group of 6 also in the recent past had been charged by a Grizzly Bear. I was told by my Dad after we got back to the car that he had actually been warned against going on the trail that day by Parks Canada staff due to the recent bear activity. My dad decided that we should go anyways and withheld that information from me until after the hike because he knew I would have chickened out. I was a wee bit mad about that!

In regards to bears, it is called Balu Pass for a reason, and Parks Canada does state that you must hike in a tight group of 4 or more if you plan to tackle the trail. So, if you want to do this hike, which I definitely recommend, make sure that you are carrying bear spray, that you are in at least a group of 4 and that you check with the staff at the information centre before beginning your hike. The hike is well worth the effort!