Backpacking Lake Minnewanka Is The Best Trip Close To Banff
I am always so excited to get my backpack on when spring rolls around but most trails aren’t accessible still in the mountains. One great early season option is backpacking Lake Minnewanka. The low level trail is often snow free by early to mid May with the option of a day hike to the Aylmer Lookout in the early season too.
The trail along Lake Minnewanka is rarely too steep and gains little elevation, mostly following the shore of Lake Minnewanka, allowing for awesome views which help distract for the early season leg warm up.
The Lake Minnewanka Trail
The trail along Lake Minnewanka is easy to find from the parking lot, just head towards the boat docks and follow the paved path. At the end of the paved path is the trailhead sign, shortly after this you get to the Stewart Canyon bridge. From here the number of people on the trail drops hugely!
After the bridge, a short hike through the forest brings you to the start of the climb, its steep but fairly short and this is where you gain almost all of the elevation when backpacking Lake Minnewanka. The climb ends as you round the corner and the views of the lake open up wide!
From here the trail heads slowly down towards the lake as it runs parallel to the shore. The trail has lots of small ups and downs but the views are distracting and so I found the time and distance went fairly fast. A few meters before LM8 is a small, slightly wobbly with a heavy backpack, bridge.
After this the trail continues pretty much the same, small ups and downs as you switch between being in the trees and having views of Lake Minnewanka.
A few things to note about the trail. Lake Minnewanka is prime Grizzly Bear habitat and so from July 10th to September 15th you must hike the trail in tight groups of four and everyone in the group must carry bear spray. During this time the LM8 campground is also closed.
Before the closure on July 10th bikes are allowed to use the Lake Minnewanka trail and it seems that it is a very popular trail for bikers! We hiked out on a Saturday and found ourselves having to step off the trail to allow bikes to pass every 5 or so minutes, so be bike aware!
Campsites On The Lake Minnewanka Trail
One of the great things about backpacking Lake Minnewanka is the number of campsites, all of which are along the lake shore! There are 6 in total all with varying numbers of sites at each location. They all have codes based on the approximate hiking distance in kilometers from the trailhead. LM (Lake Minnewanka) 8, 9, 11, 20, 22 and 31.
Each campground when backpacking Lake Minnewanka offers tent pads, a toilet, cooking area and bear food storage. They also have fire pits but please don’t cut down trees to burn! At LM11 where we spent the night, all the lower tree branches around the cooking area had been cut off!
I have to say at the Mount Inglismaldie campground, the tent pads looked like they had been replaced within the last year or so. There was an abundance of bear food lockers in the cooking area as well as a large bench to cook and eat on and smaller benches surrounding the firepit, which overlooked the lake. This campsite also offered a few lake view sites.
In order to camp along the Lake Minnewanka trail you have to reserve a permit for one of the campsites, you can do this online on the Parks Canada website here.
Trip Planning
Backpacking Lake Minnewanka can be done in numerous ways depending on ability and time. For those looking for big views, some opt to spend two nights at LM8 as this is the first site you come to when backpacking Lake Minnewanka. It has 10 tent pads and is also at the junction of the Alymer Lookout and Pass trail. This makes it an awesome base to spend two nights with the middle day allowing you to head on up to the lookout for a birdseye view of Lake Minnewanka.
Anyone with more time can backpack Lake Minnewanka as far as they wish to go. The further you go, the fewer people you will likely encounter but the more likely you might be to see some wildlife! We stayed at LM11 and after we passed the Aylmer Lookout junction we didn’t see another person on the trail!
It is also possible to canoe to the campsites along Lake Minnewanka, however the wind can pick up quickly and make it a rough trip. The best thing would be to get out on the water early, while the lake is calm.
Tips for Backpacking Lake Minnewanka
- The lakeside sites are the perfect spot to relax, make sure to pack a book and some wine to enjoy the lakeside sites
- It’s location to Banff makes it super accessible, I managed to squeeze in a night and be back for my lunchtime shift in town!
- The Lake Minnewanka trail is known for ticks, make sure to check yourself and your pets for the little creepy crawlies when you get home.
