Larch season is here again! This is the much anticipated, most cherished and sought after, hiking season for your average Albertan. Prepare for hordes of cars at Highwood Pass and overflowing parking lots at Lake Louise! Everyone wants to get their annual fall photo with the iconic golden larch (including yours truly!). Going for a ‘Larch March’ (the affectionate colloquialism used for a hike that has views of larches) is probably right up there with drinking pumpkin spiced lattes and wearing cozy knit sweaters on your autumn bucket list.
For those of you who don’t know what a larch is – larches are deciduous conifers. That is, they are a needled tree (conifer) but they shed their needles annually in the fall (like a deciduous tree), unlike most evergreen conifer trees which keep their needles year-round. The main species of larch found in Alberta is the Larix Lyalli, also known as the subalpine or Lyall’s larch, found above 1800 m in elevation. For one, maybe two weeks every autumn, the high alpine landscapes of the Rockies are gilded in gold as Lyall’s larch needles turn from green to yellow. It is a pretty special time of the year, so if you haven’t had the chance to soak in the beauty of this season – I highly recommend it! As a bonus, I’ve included a list of my top 5 “Larch Marches” at the end of this post if you would like to get some ideas on other spots to see these beautiful trees 🙂
Ryan and I finally managed to get away for a quick backpacking trip on September 27th- 29th. At the end of last summer, we backpacked Northover Ridge together with our dog Heidi over two nights and three days (here is my trip report about Northover Ridge in a single day from a few years back) and had such a fantastic time. We really wanted to make another backpacking getaway possible this year, but summer slipped by so quickly, and it seemed like we would have to wait another year. But then all the cards fell into place! We’d been graced with a late start to the fall, Gigi (Grandma) was willing to take our little guy for the weekend, and I managed to find last minute available backcountry campground availability in Skoki Valley over the weekend! So we packed our backpacks, and took off for an autumn adventure!
If you’re looking for a more in-depth report on Skoki Valley including how to scrambling some peaks in the area, check out this post I wrote a few years back when Victoria and I spent 4 blissful days summiting 4 mountains in this area! Ryan and I did a much more laid back and condensed version of Skoki Valley – perfect for those who may be shorter on time 🙂 For those hoping to do the full loop, add an extra night at Baker Lake before hiking back to the trailhead.
Trip Summary:
Fish Creek Parking Lot to Hidden Lake Campground – 7.3 km,
Hidden Lake to Merlin Meadows – 8 km
Merlin Meadows back to Fish Creek Parking Lot – 16.3 km
Logistics:
- Bookings have to be made in advance and can be done on the Parks Canada Reservation site.
- As always, be BEAR AWARE! Bring bear spray and know how to use it. Use the bear lockers or bear hangs provided at the backcountry campsites to store all your food, cooking gear, and toiletries.
- Leave no trace! Always pack out all your belongings including garbage 🙂 Let’s keep our parks wild and clean!
Day 1: Hidden Lake
We got a late start on our hike as this was a Friday and a workday. Ryan and I managed to get to the trailhead around 4:45 PM, threw on our packs, leashed Heidi and started our hike up the service road which is also the ski out from the back of the Lake Louise ski resort. The road is around 4 km long, and steadily climbs uphill until you reach the back of the ski area. We then hit the trail that continues along Corral Creek for around 3 km through the forest, passing by the historic Halfway Hut and crossing the creek to reach Hidden Lake Campground. It took us around 2 hours get to the campsite, which left us just enough time to set up our tent, store our gear, and then take a quick stroll to see Hidden Lake at sunset, which is just another 1.3 km further up from the campground.
Hidden Lake was absolutely stunning in the evening light, nestled beneath a spectacular bowl below the rocky ramparts of Mounts Richardson, Pika and Ptarmigan. There were also incredible views of Mount Redoubt across the valley, basked in a reddish glow from the setting sun. The light was quickly fading, so we descended back to the campground to make dinner (ramen noodles with hot dogs!) in the dark.
Now that the sun had set, the temperature was dropping dramatically. We had already put on several layers of clothing and were getting pretty chilly so nestled into our sleeping bags, ready for an early bedtime (Ryan started work at 5 AM that morning after all!). I managed to muster up enough energy to poke my head out to peek at the stars around 10:45 PM. It was a clear night, and the moon was already below the horizon so the stars were in full display and I could even see the Milky Way! But the crisp air was biting my cheeks so I nestled back into the tent quickly and tried to sleep despite shivering in the cold.
Day 2: Merlin Meadows via Deception Pass
We woke shortly after 7 AM, the sky was the dull grey colour of pre-dawn and I was frigid! I’m not sure how cold it was overnight – the forecast was for overnight lows of around -1 degree Celcius at Lake Louise, but we were at a much higher elevation so I’d guess it was closer to -8. Frost lined the inside of our tent fly and our breath made steamy clouds of condensation in the morning air.
Ryan and I ventured to the cooking area a little while after the sun rose to make coffee and oatmeal for breakfast which helped warm us up. We packed up camp and started hiking towards Boulder Pass through the valley. This area was absolutely stunning, filled with golden larches and incredible views of Mount Temple and the Valley of the Ten Peaks illuminated with the morning light. We passed by many interesting giant boulders (it is an aptly named pass!), and after reaching the top of the pass, we were greeted with a beautiful view of Ptarmigan Lake.
From here, the trail followed along the lakeshore and then steepened to gain Deception Pass, nestled between Fossil Mountain and Packers Peak. Here we were again graced with incredible views – this time of Mount Redoubt towering over Ptarmigan Lake to the south, and Skoki Valley to the north.
Being quite windy at the top of the pass, we hiked down into the valley and found a spot to break for lunch in the larches. This part of the hike has one of my all-time favourite views. A postcard worthy landscape of Ptarmigan Peak towering above Skoki Lakes, surrounded by bright yellow larches.
Feeling energized from our lunch, we continued our hike down through the valley for around 3 km, then arrived at the historic Skoki Lodge. The day had transformed into a warm sunny autumn afternoon. We sat in the Adirondack chairs in front of the lodge for to bask in the sunshine and even had a mini cat nap before hiking another 1.2 km to set up our camp at Merlin Meadows.
It was only around 3 PM in the afternoon, so we decided to head back to the lodge to partake in their afternoon tea… we didn’t buy any tea though! Instead, we enjoyed a crisp Pilsner and refreshing apple cider, and a delicious graham cracker nut square (no idea what it is actually called – but I am determined to try to recreate this dessert at home soon!).
Merlin Lake is only ~2.5 km from Skoki Lodge, so we decided to try hiking up this way for sunset. The highline trail to this lake was just breathtaking. After a short hike through the forest, the trail traverses across the rocky slopes below the “Wall of Jericho” and is above the treeline the entire time. Heidi was struggling a bit with navigating the large rocks and boulders along the trail and the sun was starting to get lower in the sky. So at around the 3/4 mark, we decided to stop for a break. We sat in awe and wonder at the golden rays of sunshine streaming down over the larches and glistening on Castilleja Lake which sits just below the headwall.
Ryan, Heidi and I sat at this viewpoint for over an hour, soaking in the magic of the moment and talking about our lives and the beauty of nature. Life lately has felt quite stressful at times. I know it has been for a lot of people given the state of the world right now, and sometimes it just feels too overwhelming to navigate. Lately Ryan and I have been reflecting a lot about how hard it is to try to juggle work life with home life, the struggles of parenting a toddler while keeping the romance in our marriage alive, pursuing our personal passions while having to manage our mundane but necessary daily responsibilities. It’s just… a lot.
But sitting on the highline trail with my love, in awe of the wonderous beauty of our world… it truly helped put those anxieties and worries into perspective. We were reminded of our smallness in the grand scheme of things. When we see the vastness of nature—the towering mountains, the endless skies, and the deep valleys—our personal problems, which once seemed so large, begin to shrink in comparison.
In the city, surrounded by the constant noise of daily life, it’s easy to get caught up in the rush of things. Project deadlines, family obligations, chores, anxieties about the future—they all pile up, and we feel crushed under their weight. But in the wilderness, time slows. The mountains remind us that life has a rhythm that isn’t dictated by emails or obligations and there is a season for everything. There is peace in knowing that the world just keeps turning regardless of our own struggles.
It’s not that my worries and problems don’t matter – they do. But they are just a small part of the bigger picture. The mountains offer us a sense of perspective, a reminder to breathe, to let go of the things we cannot control, and to find peace in the knowledge that, like nature, we have the capacity to endure, to rise, and to keep moving forward.
We didn’t make it to Merlin Lake – but it felt like we had arrived at the destination that we needed for the day. We made our way back to camp in the fading light of dusk, and reflected on our day and the lessons that it gave us.
Day 3: Back Home
It was another chilly night – fortunately not as cold as our night at Hidden Lake – but rained off and on. The sound of wind and rain against our tent woke us several times through the night, and in the morning we woke to overcast skies. We managed to make breakfast in a light drizzle, then it started raining again. We waited for another break in the weather to pack up our soaking wet tent and started the long hike back to our car.
I wanted to try to take a different route back – though Packers Pass instead of over Deception Pass. The trail for Packers Pass begins at a fork in the road on the trail towards Merlin Meadows. It is supposed to take hikers up towards the Skoki Lakes then over Packers Pass which is the pass between Packers Peak and Ptarmigan Peak. However, we took a wrong turn at the waterfall below the headwall, and ended up route-finding our way over boulders and across streams back to Deception Pass – rejoining the “normal” Skoki trail after a lot of extra effort. I now realize we missed a branch in the trail that ascends up the rocks of the headwall towards the lakes – but probably for the best as it would have been tough to get Heidi up the headwall. She is an old girl after all!
It snowed on us for most of the morning, but once we reached Deception Pass, it began to clear up and we were again blessed with awe inspiring views of the valley – now dusted with snow. We took a break for lunch and enjoyed the sunshine on the rocky shores of Ptarmigan Lake as several trail runners, and a couple groups of hikers passed by.
The rest of the hike back flew by – as it was all downhill from here. We hiked down Boulder Pass, past Hidden Lake Campground and the Halfway Hut, through the forest to the back of Lake Louise Ski Resort and down the service road. It sounds straightforward – but it was still a long grind and my feet were aching under the weight of my pack and the many kilometers we had already covered. I’m sure the lack of good sleep over the past couple of nights didn’t help much either! Even Heidi was dragging her paws over the last few kilometers – she was one bagged pooch!
We got back to our car in fairly good time, around 3 in the afternoon, or 6 hours of hiking. It was SUCH a relief to kick off our boots and take our packs off! Heidi was too tired to hop into the backseat and Ryan had to lift her up into the car. She fell asleep as soon as we started driving and didn’t move a muscle the entire car ride home.
We ordered in a pizza (a post-backpacking tradition) for dinner and spent the evening relaxing and reminiscing about our trip. There really were no words for the incredible views we got to witness. The theme for us the entire trip was gratitude. Gratitude for the quality time we got to spend together, for the beauty of nature, for the opportunity to have had this adventure, for the time to disconnect from the rush of everyday life and reconnect with what truly matters.
My Top 5 Larch Hikes
As promised at the start of my post, here are my top 5 ‘Larch Marches’ I’ve done! Skoki Valley is easily in my top three, but these other recommendations are also pretty special and can be done in a single day. Ptarmigan Cirque, Chester Lake and Larch Valley are the “easiest”, while Lake O’Hara Alpine Circuit, Mount Temple and Mount Chester are the “most difficult”. Pocaterra Ridge & Sentinel Pass are moderate.
- Larch Valley and Sentinel Pass (Bonus if you want to scramble up to the top of Mount Temple!)
- Lake O’Hara Alpine Circuit
- Pocaterra Ridge
- Ptarmigan Cirque
- Chester Lake (and Mount Chester)
Christina Lives Freely 