Want to see beautiful, clear lakes the color of emeralds? Valley of the 5 Lakes is the hike to do. For starters, it’s a loop hike which means that you don’t have to double back and see exactly the same scenery on your way back to the car. It’s also one of the best views you can get in relation to the effort it takes to get there. This hike offers optimal sights with minimal exertion. As the name suggests, there are 5 lakes in the center of a loop, all displaying varying shades of green (something that’s pretty rare in the Rockies).

The color was what really took my breath away, as well as the crystal clear water which offered up perfect reflections of the clouds overhead. Valley of the 5 Lakes is truly picturesque. We chose this hike rather than opt for a much longer one because we were tight on time, but this turned out to be a hidden gem. Literally. The water looked like one big glistening gem.

I’m glad we didn’t listen to reviews that said the hike is “boring” – far from it, in fact. The lakes had us mesmerized and made for numerous beautiful photo ops. It even started raining during our hike and we barely noticed! The raindrops added a special little effect to the water which made it look like it was sparkling 😉
This is one of the busier hikes in Jasper but keep in mind that Jasper-busy is nothing like Banff-busy. For those of you used to Banff / Kananaskis hiking trails, this place will seem peaceful and deserted. We’ll let our pictures do the rest of the talking! Happy Trails!

 

 The trailhead is located about 9km south of the Jasper townsite. You’ll see the sign off the highway and the turn-off is on the opposite side of the road, you’ll need to make a left turn.
Roundtrip time: 1 to 2 hours

Elevation: 66m

Loop: 4.5 km

 

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