MAKE WINTER MAGIC AGAIN
Slide through snow to Lake O’Hara
Anyone who’s tried to book a trip to British Columbia’s Lake O’Hara in the summer knows how difficult it is to get a spot. But there’s a much quieter — and even more magical — option in late fall and throughout the winter.
A ski or snowshoe into the historic Elizabeth Parker Hut during the off-season provides a winter wonderland for backcountry recreationalists without the summer crowds.
The hut in Yoho National Park — just west of Banff, Alta. — is a relatively easy 12-kilometre trek each way, travelling on the summer road for most of it.
“If you are looking to experience Lake O’Hara ... going in winter is a really good option to spend the night there and check out a hut,” says Keith Haberl of the Alpine Club of Canada, which operates Elizabeth Parker Hut.
“You have to work a little bit to get to (it), but it’s not too strenuous.”
It takes three to four hours to ski or snowshoe into the hut, which has a 400-metre elevation gain.
When you’re there, you stay at one of two rustic cabins that come with large bunk beds, wood-burning stoves, a selection of books and even a guitar for late-night singalongs. The hut can be booked throughout the year, but it’s so popular in the summer that there’s an annual lottery for the 24 nightly spots.
Reservations are also required by Parks Canada to visit Lake O’Hara from late June until early October, with bookings for a bus that takes you up the road for day hiking and overnight camping. A quota system is in place to limit use and protect the sensitive alpine area.
Calgarian Anja Carlsson visited Elizabeth Parker Hut last November with a group of 10 women.
“I’ve been wanting to go to Lake O’Hara for a long time — at least the past two or three years — but, in the summer, it’s so hard to get a booking so I’ve never managed,” she says. “I never thought about it in the winter.”
Last fall, one of her friends contacted her and invited her to join the group.
“I jumped at it, because it’s amazing and I love cross-country skiing,” says Carlsson.
Another option for skiers or snowshoers is Lake O’Hara Lodge, a high-end accommodation complete with gourmet meals that opens to guests from late January to early April for its winter season.
“Whenever I fall in love with a place in summer, I make a point of trying to return in winter,” says Paul Zizka, a well-known photographer from Banff who has taken photos for the lodge. “Typically it just presents a new side of itself, it looks completely different.
“Lake O’Hara ... looks impressive in the summer, because the topography is so incredible. In the winter, when everything is blanketed in snow, it’s even more impressive.”
There are plenty of options for ski touring in the area once you’ve made the trek into Lake O’Hara.
Zizka recalls skiing into the middle of the frozen lake, looking up at the tall mountains and feeling very tiny.
“It’s quite the feeling — I love that,” he says. “I love how the geography, the location really lends itself to turning into a winter wonderland.”
Carlsson agrees it’s a must-do in the snowy winter months.
“If I would go back, I would almost prefer the winter because it’s a magical wonderland and it’s quiet out there,” she says.
“I would love to see it in the summer, but the winter is really special.”