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. 

Horseshoe Lake

In late September, we paddled Horseshoe Lake, just south of Jasper on Highway 93. We'd originally hoped to paddle Leech Lake, but the road was closed so Horseshoe was the backup plan. 

Accessing the lake entailed about a 250m carry. The first 100 meters is down a hill. The gravel trail has roots and rocks. Then you hang left at the fork and work your way along a rocky and rooty single track to a point in the lake where you think you can get a boat in (we ended up carrying the boats one at a time down this track). Getting in can require some agility.

Once on the lake, it is spectacular: huge cliffs extending underwater, clear water, and few other paddlers (we were the only ones there this time). The lake isn't huge but there is a lot to see and it is very dramatic.

The underwater rock formations are particularly interesting and varied (and huge).

The large spit of rock that creates the horseshoe shape is also interesting and offers some hiking options.

We watched a large storm pass to the south, obscuring the mountains and then passing to reveal snow-covered tops!

Overall, this is a fun and pretty paddle if you are up for the rather tedious approach and semi-dodgy entry.

Horseshoe Lake, Jasper

A new stop for us in Jasper was Horseshoe Lake, which is located south of town on the Icefields Park way just north of Athabasca Falls. There is a gravel parking lot on the east side of the highway. There is pit toilet and room for maybe 15 cars.

Access is an adventure. The lake is shaped like a horseshoe with the two ends on the south side. To get to the lake, you have to walk down a steep path about 400 feet. The first access is pretty dodgy (see below), with lots of fallen trees to thread through (the water was also very high this year). 

The was the access we used and you basically paddled out and then made a very sharp right after the saskatoon bush in the water. The alternative is to hike through a windy trail maybe another 200 feet to the other end. This is tricky unless you have an inflatable SUP.

Once on the lake, the paddle is amazing with clear water and stunning cliffs. I'll let the pictures tell the tale.

This was one of the nicest paddles I've had in the mountains and made the difficult access worthwhile. Another family was in tied up at the bend in the lake and rock climbing of the water. There were also cliff jumpers!