Last updated on October 17th, 2021 at 09:29 pm
High up on my bucket list was cross country skiing to Lake O’Hara. I went into this winter with magical dreams of cross country skiing into backcountry huts, of bluebird days spent on trails and cozy evenings huddled around a wood burning stove. Of course I’m sure for some people this is what winter adventures look like. In all honesty though the last time I was on skis, they were downhill skis and it was almost 15 years ago, even my snowboard has spent the last few years on the rack.
Still none of this discouraged me and when a saw spots available at the Elizabeth Parker Hut popped up, I jumped on the phone and snapped them up for my boyfriend and I along with another couple, if I was going to try cross country skiing to Lake O’Hara I wanted to make sure I could sleep off my exhaustion, before heading home after all. To check hut availability head here, you’ll also find information on how to book on that page.
I was ecstatic, I love the Lake O’Hara area and have been lucky enough to go twice for their opening camping date and a trip cross country skiing to Lake O’Hara to see the place in winter was something which had been on my ‘to do’ list for a long time.
On a Friday evening after work our merry group of four headed to Backtrax in Banff to rent cross country ski set ups. For all but one of us, it would be our first time trying out cross country skiing, so after a lot of laughs at how good we looked in our boots we headed our separate ways to prepare for our trip the following day.
This was to be our first time staying in a backcountry hut. I packed in the knowledge that I would have more space and less weight in my pack, which by the end was not entirely true. I packed a lot of extra layers, the weatherman called for cold temperatures and snow, plus I also packed my hiking boots, so I had something more comfortable to explore in, once we arrived. Add onto this two bottles of red wine and a great stash of food and my pack ended up only being a tiny bit lighter than for a five day backpacking trip.
Trailhead For Lake O’Hara
We planned to hit the trail early, it was an 11km uphill cross country ski to Lake O’Hara and the Elizabeth Parker Hut and none of us was really sure what to expect and how long it may take us. From Banff to the Lake O’Hara parking lot was approximately an hour and fifteen minute drive, after passing Lake Louise the turn off is clearly signed on the left hand side shortly after entering British Columbia. The car park is just over the railroad and was plowed and maintained, there is even an outhouse, use it, there wasn’t another one until we reached the Lake.
Cross Country Skiing To Lake O’Hara And A Night At The Elizabeth Parker Hut
It had snowed a lot in the days leading up to our trip and upon arriving at the car park we realized that the trail was no longer trackset. Inevitably the cross country ski to Lake O’Hara was going to be harder than we initially thought. The first stretch from the car park was uphill….we moved with the grace of four people with zero coordination. Once we hit the flat section we started to get our glide on and everything became a little more fluid and easy going.
The trail markers all the way up the road kept us going as we counted our way up to the lake 1km at a time. At around the 5km mark there is a picnic bench in a gully, a perfect stop for a bite if you wish. We made a point of stopping every few kilometers for drinks and snacks. I think we were all surprised at just how hard cross country skiing to Lake O’Hara turned out to be and warm drinks and snack stops kept us going.
Most of the hills on the way in are short but after the 9km mark they seemed to get noticeably steeper. We didn’t have the skill to slide up and our skis tried to take us backwards down the hill, so we resorted to a backwards pizza type walk up some of them. Once you reach the campsite (which doesn’t operate in the winter) the downhill cruise begins. Eventually taking you to Le Relais shelter near the end of the cross country ski to Lake O’Hara.
From the shelter the ACC Hut is well signposted, turn right and follow the trail through the forest, keep right at the following junction and you end up in a clearing. The home of the Elizabeth Parker Hut, our cozy spot for the night.
After we unpacked our gear and got our beds ready, we threw on our hiking books and decided to head down to explore Lake O’Hara on foot. The snow was DEEP and the sky promised to release more so we couldn’t get too far. But the views across the lake from the boat dock near the Lake O’Hara Lodge afforded us some beautiful views of the surrounding mountains and the frozen Thousand Veil Falls. Walking around the lake in winter would require crossing some huge avalanche paths which are more easily seen in summer and therefore should be avoided at all costs.
As a snow storm rolled in we headed back to the hut where we spent the night holed up in the warm, eating steak, drinking red wine and warming by the roaring fire. By 9pm we were exhausted from the big day and went to bed.
We woke up to a deep fresh blanket of snow, had a slow breakfast and eventually hit the trail at noon. Not wanting to attempt the scary steep ski down from the hut to the day use shelter we walked back out to the fire road and popped our skis on there.
For those, like us, who anticipate the outward downhill being the easy day, they would be wrong. As complete novice cross country skiers it took us a long time to master how to get down some of the steep hills on our skis and at some points had to call it and walk.
I can’t even count the amount of times I hit the ground, crossed over my ski tips or got stuck in the powder on the sides of the trail. It took us almost as long to get out as it did to get into Lake O’Hara. We finished our first trip cross country skiing to Lake O’Hara with big grins on our face though having had lots of laughs.
This was an incredible and beautiful trip cross country skiing to Lake O’Hara. One which was filled with laughter as well as blood, sweat and a few tears. If I was to choose a trail to learn to cross country ski on for the first time, this probably wouldn’t be it, I’d start with something flatter and shorter. But for the experience it was one hundred percent worth it. I can’t wait to give it another try next winter!
Where To Rent Cross Country Skis
There are a number of places to rent cross country skis for the trip to Lake O’Hara in Banff and Lake Louise. We went to Bactrax and they were fantastic, they also offer touring cross country skis which could be helpful for the cross country ski to Lake O’Hara, although we did the trip on traditional skinny skis. You can book your rentals ahead of time at Bactrax, here.
Other places to rent cross country skis include Banff Adventures in Banff and Wilsons Mountain Sport in Lake Louise.
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