Joffre Lakes Provincial Park — Upper Lake Trailhead

Joffre Lakes Provincial Park delivers one of the most visually striking alpine payoffs on the Sea-to-Sky and Duffey Lake Road corridor. Three tiered glacier-fed lakes — Lower, Middle, and Upper — sit beneath the hanging Matier Glacier. It’s a well-maintained day-use trail but the upper lake backcountry campground makes it a real overnight option for overlanders running the Duffey Lake Road between Pemberton and Lillooet. Upper Joffre Lake backcountry camping is basic — tent pads, no services — and the color of the water is genuinely ridiculous. Worth the stop.

The paved parking lot off Highway 99 near Joffre Creek fills fast on summer weekends — arrive early or expect to queue. Backcountry camping at the upper lake requires a provincial park permit via BC Parks Discover Camping. The trail gains around 1,200 feet over roughly 6 km return to the upper lake — it’s a hike in, not a drive in. Great intel stop for crews running Duffey Lake FSR or heading toward Cayoosh Creek country.

Turquoise glacier lakes off the Duffey corridor.