I have been trying to go backpacking to Fish Lakes in Banff National Park for a few years. Everything I’d read about it, said what a beautiful trail it was and I had no doubt but it’s always a tough one to get a reservation for! If I had a reservation, it was so smoky it wasn’t worth the hike or it was early season and the snow was lingering.
But finally the stars aligned and back when booking opened I got two nights to finally allow me to try backpacking to Fish Lakes. The time came, the smoke cleared and it was meant to be. The weather was cold, brutally cold after a stretch of plus 30 but that didn’t matter. Finally I’d done the hike and understood why people raved about it!
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Backpacking To Fish Lakes In Banff National Park
Distance: 16.4km one way
Backpacking to Fish Lakes is not for the faint of heart. It is a tough trail with a little bit of everything, from loose rocks, skiing trenches trails to boggy mud and unbridged stream crossings.
When you start backpacking to Fish Lakes the trail starts with a short but steep climb from the trailhead up through the forest. It’s definitely one way to get warmed up. From here it’s a pretty easy cruise through the forest, plenty of roots across the trail means you can’t zone out entirely though as you really need to watch your footing.
The trail has a few ups and downs before a short descent takes you don’t to the river. From here the views open up and you hike alongside the river with its perfectly clear water. Lots of rocks and the odd boggy patch to navigate but all the major water crossings have bridges which is nice!
Before you know it, you are heading up a small hill and into the Mosquito Creek backcountry campground. You can’t miss it, the trail if you are backpacking to Fish Lakes, runs right through the campground.
Mosquito Creek backcountry campground is a gorgeous spot, five kilometres from the trailhead. With gorgeous views of Noseeum Mountain on the other side of the river. There are plenty of small benches here, so take the time to stop, put your pack down, have a snack and fill up with water if you need to, there is still a long way to go!
Cross the bridge and the trail starts to climb, fairly slowly, through the trees. Shortly after the views start to open up, look up at the glaciers and waterfalls coming off Noseeum Mountain which the trail follows beside. The trail here is rough going though with lots of rocks and uneven surfaces to navigate. Soon there is a junction, it is well signed, keep left to continue backpacking to Fish Lakes.
The trail starts to get steeper and the loose rocks which cover the trail can make the going a little slow. The trail stays like this for some time before the trees start to thin and the views open up fully. You are out of the tree line! Make sure to look behind for beautiful views.
This area is on of the most beautiful when backpacking to Fish Lakes, grassy Meadows and views forever greet you. Mountains towering in every direction distract you from the elevation you are slowly gaining. The trail passes a small but pretty lake before gaining Elevation again as it rolls over another grassy hill.
Eventually North Molar Pass comes into view, the grass gives way to rock and the climb is steep! There aren’t any switchbacks, just a steep climb to the pass. From here you have an incredible view on both valleys, you’ve reached the highest point when backpacking to Fish Lakes.
I’d like to say the going gets easier but the trail descends just as quickly down the other side of the rocks before reaching another meadow. Once again the views are distracting and beautiful. As you make easy time cruising down the trail, cross the river, follow the well worn trail and a little rock hop will get the job done. The trail continues to descend before recrossing the river via a bridge and entering the trees. You’ll get your first view of Fish Lake shortly after, the campground is located near the far end of the first lake.
The down here is more mellow and it’s easy to stride out and make good time. Before you know it, there is a trail sign signaling you’ve arrived at camp. Duck under the tree hanging above the trail and you’ll pass the cooking area by the lake before coming into the camping area.
I’ve got to say when backpacking to Fish Lake, the campground is rather on the more rustic side. There are no clearly defined tent pads here, just a few sort of, maybe, lumps, which might have once been tent pads. We were last into camp so we got the last obvious spot. Our two man tent barely fit on the uneven lump and I can’t say we had the best night sleep. There is an outhouse and a bear hang further away from the lake. Make sure you are prepared to hang your food, since there are no lockers here.
The cooking area is close to the lake and is a gorgeous spot to enjoy food and sit and relax. However it has those unique sized tables, similar to the ones found on the Rockwall, where you often can’t fit your legs under the table if you sit on the benches. It didn’t matter to us since it was so windy and cold we didn’t need to sit much during our time backpacking to Fish Lakes.
Day Hikes And Further Travel
If you are lucky enough to get more than one night for backpacking to Fish Lakes, there are a number of day hikes for any style of adventure.
We chose to hike to Moose Lake via the Pipestone Pass trail in the morning. A beautiful alpine lake and the trail runs right beside the lake with a nice little area where you can reach the lake towards the far end.
Our aim was to carry on the Pipestone Pass, so after the lake we continued until we got a view of the valley ahead, rain could be seen further down and feeling tired after a rough night’s sleep we decided to turn around there and head back to camp for lunch. We’ll be back for Pipestone Pass next time we go backpacking to Fish Lakes.
After our lunch we headed down the trail to the lower Fish Lake, a small version of where we were camped and with no lake access. We continued past the lake a little way along a horse trail which opened up into a beautiful meadow and offered some great views of the valley and its mountains. You can also head away from the lower Fish Lake and head down to Pipestone River, we ventured a short way down the trail but it looked like a rough trail which lost a fair amount of elevation so we turned around and headed back to camp.
If you have a few days, it is possible to extend your trip. You can spend a night at Fish Lakes, the following day head to Devon Lakes, you’ll need to call Parks Canada to obtain a random camping permit to stay here and be prepared to be self sufficient as there is no campsite here, so no outhouses and you’ll need bear proof food storage. The following day backtrack for a second night at Fish Lake before heading out on your final day.
How To Get A Reservation To Backpack To Fish Lakes
You’ll need a reservation if you want to go backpacking to Fish Lakes. I’d recommend trying to book a site here on the day reservations open. It is a very popular site and usually booked for the whole summer with a few hours of booking opening!
Bookings are made through the Parks Canada reservation website and you book per tent pad and pay per person on that tent pad.
If you aren’t lucky enough to snag a spot on opening day, never fear, reservations are common! Keep checking the Parks Canada website closer to the time you want to go and maybe you’ll get lucky!
Where Is The Trailhead To Backpack To Fish Lakes
The trailhead for backpacking to Fish Lakes is somewhat obscure. You’ll drive along Highway 93N between Lake Louise and Jasper and pull in at the Mosquito parking area. One entrance is the campground, on the other side of the river is a parking area and a wilderness hostel. We parked in the parking area near the wilderness hostel.
Once you are parked up and ready to go, head back to the entrance of the car park, cross over the bridge and then cross over the highway. A steep trail at the end of the bridge takes you to the trailhead kiosk. It is barely noticeable from the Highway so keep your eyes peeled.
To park here and hike in the park you’ll need a National Park Pass. This can be purchased ahead of time online or at the park gates on the highway.
Items You Might Want To Take
Rugged hiking boots, this trail was rough and long, I wore my La Sportiva Raptor 2 hiking boots which were the perfect combination of lightweight, rugged and waterproof. Perfect for this trip.
I couldn’t have done all the elevation with a full pack without hiking poles. These saved my knees on the up and down!
You’ll want a waterproof sack to store your fragranced items in which will keep them dry when you hang your food at camp. We use a 20l Sea To Summit dry bag and it’s the perfect size to keep our food and pot set in for a few nights in the backcountry.
Sitting pads are a must for the tiny benches at camp, they really kept me toasty when I was sitting down enjoying a hot chocolate and trying to stay warm.
We took a tarp and we needed it. From the minute we got to camp on the first night of Backpack To Fish Lakes until the middle of the following morning, it rained. It was nice to be under the trap, in our tent and all our gear stayed dry.
I had read there was a porcupine which frequented camp and the fact the outhouse was covered in chicken wire would confirm this, keep your shoes inside your tent at night to prevent them getting chewed on, bring a garbage bag or similar to store them in so you aren’t getting dirt on everything inside your tent. As it was we didn’t see or hear the porcupine but there were a number of deer in camp.
The minute the wind died down when we were backpacking to Fish Lakes, the mosquitos came out, and they were bad! Don’t forget bug spray and we also took Mosquito coils to burn at camp.
