Horseshoe, Yellowhead, and Moose Lakes, Jasper

Last Thanksgiving, we headed to Jasper sans kayaks for a family vacation. The weather took a turn and we spent part of one day scouting out three lakes for 2026.

Horseshoe Lake

We've paddled Horseshoe Lake a bunch of times over the years but the 2024 burned through this area. The lake wasn't open when we were here in the spring of 2025. We were delighted to find it open and ready to go for next year.

The lake is located about 30km SE of Jasper, down the Icefield Parkway. It is shaped like a horseshoe and has about a 2.5km perimeter. There is a pit toilet in the parking lot and room for maybe 12 cars.

Access requires carrying down a steep slope from the parking area. The picture below is shot looking west towards the parking area. The two people in it give you a sense of the scale.

You have two main options for entry. The green arrow is probably the easiest. As you approach the bottom of the hill, hang left up the western edge of the western reach. This trek should be easier since the fire burned out a lot of the vegetation. You need to get far enough up the lake to get clear of the downed logs (picture below) in order to launch.

This takes you into the narrow chute (below) with great cliff photos and then into the rest of the lake. This is, honestly, all worth the effort because the lake is wonderful.

The other option is to trek to the orange arrow and work your way down the rocks to the lake. This is a bear of a trip with a hard-sided boat. It is easier with an inflatable. Again, the burn has cleared out a lot of the vegetation so this is an easier trip than in the past.

We'll have to wait until spring to see what the place looks like in better light and with the vegetation regrowing.

Yellowhead Lake

About 35km west of Jasper on Highway 16 is Yellowhead Lake. It runs approximately east-west for about 3.5km and is about 500m wide (though it pinches about half way down.

The best access option looks to be the Mount Fitzwilliam Trail parking lot on the north side of the highway. If you are coming from Jasper, you will pass a rest area and then there is one sign about 400m before you have have to make a sharp turn down into the parking area.

The parking area has lots of space and a pit toilet. You could carry down from here along a dirt trail (orange arrow above). The trail is pretty challenging.

But then you get to this lovely beach.

The better option is to drivey to the boat launch (green arrow), unload and then go park back at the orange arrow. The grave-sand launch is very nice and seems to have a bit of shelter from the west wind.

I am super keen to paddle here next summer.

Moose Lake

Another 25km west of Yellowhead Lake is Moose Lake. Moose Lake runs roughly NW to SE and is 12km long and up to 2km wide. There is a boat launch on the very east end.

The launch is a bit tricky to hit coming from the east. You get two chances to enter, about 30m apart, but both require a left across ongoing traffic and that can be hard if traffic is thick.

The launch itself has a small parking spot, a pit toilet and a cement ramp down into the water.

 

There is also a small gravel beach on the right side of the launch in the picture below.

The east end of the lake offers access to the Fraser River and is probably the most interesting part. 

Mostly, this lake looks too big for me and likely prone to some good waves in any kind of wind.