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. 

Griffin, Victor, and Clanwilliam Lakes, near Three Valley Gap

Last September, I made three stops on my way back from the Okanagan to check out possible paddling sites along Highway 1 around Three Valley Gap. I was keeping the boats dry so we could paddle in Banff so we didn't paddle any of these--just scouted them.

Griffin Lake

Griffin Lake is about 3km west of Three Valley Gap and is best accessed coming from the west. The lake runs NW to SE and is about 1.5km long and maybe 400m across.

While it looks like you might be able to sneak boat in at the west end of the lake by the rental cabins, this access has been quite aggressively sealed off. The best option is halfway down the lake (green arrow) at the pullout in the first set of trees after you can see the lake. This pullout comes up fast and you have to be prepared to aggressively decelerate off the highway.

There is lots of room to park but no other facilities. Access is down a little trail towards the lake (which is obvious), shown below. While the carry is only about 20m, the trail drops quite steeply.

This is the drop.

This is the reverse. It is very steep and would suck if it was at all wet. You might be able to wind your way through the trees on a gentler path, minding where you put your feet (note to BC Parks: when there is no public toilet, everywhere becomes a public toilet).

The launch is shallow and easy and reasonably clean.

Despite the overcast day, the lake was quite pretty, with the train track running down the other side. This is the look east.

And this is the look west. 

One day, when we're coming back from BC and I'm not trying to keep the boats dry so we can paddle in Banff, we will put in here.

Victor Lake

Victor Lake is located 5km east of Three Valley Gap and is best approached from the west. The lake runs roughly east-west and is about 600m long and 100m wide. 

While officially a provincial park (which is weird), this is basically just a roadside pull out with no services. It gets rave reviews online even though it was full of garbage when we were there. You have basically two options to get off the road: the official pullout (green arrow) or a gravel pullout (orange arrow).

The official pullout has lots of room but zero realistic lake access. You are about 4 or 5 meters above the lake and the drop is very sharp, rocky, with no real lip at the bottom to stand on.

You could lower your boat down this rain gulley (there is a 1.5m drop before the slope starts). Getting in and out at the bottom would be tricky.

I also pulled out at the gravel pullout but seem to have not taken any pictures. Basically the same issue of a steep slope. Maybe you could walk your boat 100-200m to the east edge of the lake along the highway and bushwhack an entry. I'm just gonna write this lake off.

Clanwilliam Lake

Clanwilliam Lake is located 6km east of Three Valley Gap and is best approached from the east. The lake runs roughly east-west and is about 1km long and 100m wide. This was quite a pretty little lake that looked like something out of a model railway diorama.

Again, for whatever reason, I didn't take any pictures. Your best access is a small parking lot on the west end (green arrow). There is a sign here about unexploded avalanche ordinance (!) so don't pick up any garbage you find. The lake itself looked doable (if small) if you were so inclined. Three Valley Lake is just down the road about 5 minutes and offers a much better paddle.

Bow Lake, Icefields Parkway

Note: Parks Canada has closed paddling on Bow Lake for 2026.

In late-September, we stopped at Bow Lake on the way back from the Okanagan. We put in at the day-use area that is just south of the highway lookout . The carry from the parking lot was about 20m and there were pit toilets and picnic tables here.

The air temperature was between -1 and 1 as we approached the parking lot. The paddling permit box was crusted in ice and I had to chip my way in. 

After layering up, we launched off the gravel beach, crossed to the western shore and turned south (mostly because we haven't been to this end of the lake before).

It is hard to convey how spectacular this paddle is. The water is insanely blue. The mountains are enormous and right there. We had blue skies and no wind.

The clarity of the water is amazing. There was only one other kayak out and there are no rentals so the lake is rarely crowded.

We paddled south into the first little basin.

We then turned east and paddled through shallow spot into a second, deeper southern basin.

Eventually, we decided to turn around (being mindful go the long drive home). If we come back in the spring with higher water, I'd be keen to run the creek at the very south end into the southern-most basin.

Overall, a lovely paddle (despite the cold) and a nice way to end our fall trip into the Okanagan.

Mabel Lake Provincial Park, near Vernon

In mid-September, we had the chance to paddle Mabel Lake, about an hour north-east of Vernon. The road in is paved and lovely until the last five kms, when it becomes gravel. The lake itself is huge, running about 35km SW to NE. The width varies between 1 and 2km.

The day-use area include pit toilets, picnic tables, and playground and a lovely beach.

The beach is about a 60m carry from the parking lot (photo below looks back to the parking lot).

We chose to use the boat launch to save our shoulders. It has a dock, a shallow cement ramp, and a sandy launch right beside. There is also a marina and general store.

Since the lake was calm and our plan was to paddle about 10km around the southern basin, we crossed to the western shore and then turned south.

The western shore was very rocky. There are placed to get out but the first 2km were pretty sheer. 

The water is crystal clear.

Eventually, the shoreline starts to become shallower with more places to get out.

We stopped on the southern shore on a gravel beach for lunch and then turned east towards the inflow of the Shuswap River.

The bird watching was pretty incredible the whole time.

We saw two turkey vultures just hanging out.

Along the south shore there were herons (pictured) and white sandhill cranes as well as all manner of ducks.

There were also two swans that were unhappy to see us.

At the mouth of the river, we watched a bald eagle buzz and bunch of ducks, trying to find a lame one for lunch. We paddled about 500m upstream to continue watching this.

Eventually, we floated back to the lake and headed north up the eastern shoreline.

This was fairy built up with cabins and that brought us back the marina.

Objectively, the nicest paddle of the trip, I think. We did, however get lucky with the weather (+26C and no wind). A big blow would have made this paddle much less pleasant.