The Perfect Lake O’Hara Hiking Itinerary→ 3-4 Days

When I started planning for my trip to Lake O’Hara, I knew I wanted to see as much as physically possible. But when I was looking at the hiking map, I found it quite confusing to figure out how to combine all the amazing hikes without too many overlaps.

But after two visits, I’ve finally put together the perfect Lake O’Hara hiking itinerary which allows you to complete nearly every hiking trail in the park in just 3 days. The itinerary has a reasonable amount of hiking per day and minimal backtracking. And if you’re lucky enough to have an extra day, I’ve also added an optional 4th day to the itinerary.

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Quick Summary

This itinerary is based on 2-3 nights of camping at the Lake O’Hara campground but is also applicable if you have reservations for Lake O’Hara Lodge or the Elizabeth Parker Hut. If you haven’t yet booked your trip, make sure you read my complete Lake O’Hara guide for all the important details about reservations, camping, bus times and more.

For those of you who have just 1 day, I recommend my version of the Alpine Route as you will get to see all the best sites (including some that are skipped on the regular Alpine Route), regardless of the weather or conditions.

You’ll also see that I’ve provided a GAIA map with each day’s itinerary listed turn by turn. But if you have the official Lake O’Hara trail map, I’ve also listed each route number in brackets throughout the article so you can easily follow along.

Day 1: Arrival + Lake McArthur & Lake O’Hara Loop

When making your Lake O’Hara reservation you have the option to choose whether you prefer a morning or afternoon bus. I recommend opting for the morning bus if you can.

TOP TIP: Usually, most morning bus campers will be allocated the 10:30 am bus to allow campers from the previous day to pack up. If you have 2-3 nights, this is plenty of time to complete all the hikes. But if you have just one night and want to pack in as much as possible, call the reservation hotline (250-343-6433) ahead of time to try and change to the 8:30 am bus.

Anyhow, once you arrive at the campsite you will be given a quick rundown/tour by the park ranger and asked to pick your site. This takes a little bit of time so you may as well set up camp now before heading out on your first hike of the trip.

Once you’re ready, it’s time to get your first glimpse of Lake O’Hara! From the campsite, head towards Les Relais where the trail begins.

As you’ll see above, on day 1 I’ve combined Schaffer Lake, Lake McArthur, the Lake O’Hara Loop and Seven Veils Falls into one long loop. This actually checks off a bunch of the smaller trails as there are multiple options for going out and back around this area.

Here are the specific trails you should take in order as shown on the official Lake O’Hara map:

• Big Larch (2)
• McArthur Cut Off (17)
• Highline McArthur (10)
• Low Level McArthur (14)
• McArthur Pass (18)
• Lake O’Hara Loop (25) – Clockwise
• Seven Veils Falls (far side of Lake O’Hara)

I recommend walking in this direction as you will need the most daylight for the Lake McArthur section since it’s longer and more technically challenging than Lake O’Hara/Seven Veils Falls loop.

These variations also let you enjoy the beautiful Big Larch trail (yes it’s full of larch trees) and check out the historic Elizabeth Parker hut on your way back.

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Day 2: Alternative Alpine Circuit

On day two it’s time to get up relatively early and make sure you’re warmed up for a lot of ups and downs.

If you really want to do the official Alpine Route (Huber Ledges -> Yukness Ledges -> All Souls), go right ahead, but in my opinion, this route isn’t very efficient when it comes to seeing as much as possible. That’s why I designed (and hiked) the alternative circuit that I will explain below.

To start off, you’ll need to make your way to Lake O’Hara again. If you haven’t already, you may want to walk Don Quixote (6), a trail that begins just across the road from the campsite and follows a creek to the entrance of Lake O’Hara. To be honest, this trail isn’t very exciting but you may as well do it once to tick it off the list.

Once you arrive at Le Relais, we’re going to take the same trail that heads up behind the day-use shelter but when you reach the intersection with Big Larch, you will turn left and head towards Mary Lake.

I recommend walking in this direction so you will get to the famous Opabin Prospect as early as possible. This is the most famous viewpoint in the park and can become a little crowded later in the afternoon when all the day hikers arrive. Plus, if you have less than optimal weather, it’s usually better in the morning.

Here is your route for the day as per the official trail map:

• Big Larch (2) – only first section
• Mary Lake trail (16)
• West Opabin (29)
• Opabin Highline (31) – to Opabin Lake
• Yukness Ledges (28)
• Oesa Lake (26)

TOP TIP: If you set out early and have plenty of time and energy left, you may want to continue onto the Huber Ledges/Wiwaxy Gap from Oesa Lake. However, please take the weather and conditions into account. Last year we were warned by the park rangers that this part of the trail was a little too icy to be considered safe. While some people did complete it in the morning, they told us that it would not have been easily passable by the afternoon due to the dropping temperatures.

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Day 3: Cathedral Lakes, Linda Lake Loop & Departure

If you’re camping for 2 nights, you need to vacate your campsite by 10:30 am so it’s time to pack down your camp. Keep your day pack handy and store your other gear in the shed because we’re not done hiking yet!

Today’s hike is a bit of a pick-your-own adventure, depending on what return bus time you hope to get. If you’re opting for the 4:30 pm or 6:30 pm, you should have more than enough time to complete the whole Cathedral Lakes Loop. For those of you who want to head out a little earlier, you can still follow the route below but start the return loop at either Linda Lake (3hrs return) or Morning Glory Lakes (2hrs return).

These trails are much quieter than the main trails in Lake O’Hara as they are set a little bit apart. But that doesn’t mean they aren’t just as beautiful! What’s more, the loop can start and/or end right at the campsite. It really doesn’t matter which direction you hike this one so just pick whichever way feels best.

• Lower Morning Glory (15)
• Linda Lake Beeline (12)
• Cathedral Lakes (30)
• Cathedral Basin (5) – Optional extra
• Backtrack to Linda Lake (13)

You may notice that I added Cathedral Basin as an optional extra in the list above. This last push is rather steep but takes you up to a great lookout point that gives you a completely different view of the Lake O’Hara region. I added it as an extra option as most people won’t have time for this section unless you are staying another night. The distance may look short on a map but the pitch needs an extra 1.5 hours.

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BONUS Day 4: Odaray Grandview & Mt Schaffer Scramble or Huber Ledges

For those lucky few of you who managed to book all 3 nights at the campground (or those staying even longer at the lodge or hut), I’ve got choices!

If you’ve followed my itinerary for the first 3 days, my top pick for your fourth day would be Odaray Grandview. This special trail is in a high-traffic wildlife corridor and is limited to just 4 groups per day to protect their peace. That being said, it’s important to leave early if you want to be one of the lucky ones!

At the base of the Odaray Highline trail (22) you will find a log book where you must make a record if you hike this trail. Check the log to see how many groups are ahead of you, if there have already been 4, unfortunately, you miss out.

TOP TIP: There is no limit to how big each of the 4 groups can be. The restriction is to limit the number of times the animals may be disturbed. If you want to hike this trail, it’s encouraged for you to team up ahead of time with other hikers who want to go.

Hiking Odaray Highline (22) and Odaray Grandview (9) will be 7.8 km with 530m of elevation gain and will take around 3.5 hours.

Alternatively, if you missed out on hiking Odaray or have even more time, you may want to scramble to the top of Mount Schaffer and complete the Old Souls Route (1) instead. Mount Schaffer is not listed on the official trail map as it is very much a scramble and shouldn’t be taken lightly. This was the main objective when I first visited Lake O’Hara and can attest that it is a super fun outing, but you shouldn’t underestimate the exposure and technicality of it.

Mount Schaffer is best climbed in a loop, starting from Lake McArthur and finishing on the Old Souls Route (around 4.5 hours total). If you choose the Schaffer option, you may want to re-organize day 1 of this itinerary to avoid repeating hikes. I recommend tackling the Huber Ledges and Wiwaxy Gap (11) as an alternative, stand-alone hike (around 3 hours).

Cancelled Bookings Hack

If you miss out on a booking, I recommend you immediately sign up for a tracker on Outdoor Status.

You can choose a set of preferred dates and they search the reservation sites every 10 mins until your date has come and gone. As soon as a spot becomes available, you’ll get a text so you can go and book it immediately.

As cancelled bookings are not released at a set time, this is absolutely the best way to have a good chance of securing a booking.

Frequently Asked Questions about Lake O’Hara Hiking

There you have it, the perfect 3-day Lake O’Hara hiking itinerary! It took me two trips and a lot of planning to put together this trip, but I honestly believe this is the best way to see as much of Lake O’Hara as possible if it’s your first visit to this special area.

If you have any questions about the itinerary, leave them in the comments below and I will do my best to help you. Otherwise, pretty much everything else you could possibly want to know about Lake O’Hara can be found in my comprehensive guide.

Happy Hiking,

Kate

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