Grassi Lakes

If you feel like a walk in the woods but don’t want to trek up a mountain this “hike” is for you. I put hike in quotations as it’s only around 30 minutes walk up, heavily trafficked as well as an easy route which resembles a road.

Theres two routes which can be taken from the carpark, the easy route and the more difficult (no kidding the sign actually states this). The easy way resembles a gravel road and is a gradual incline whereas the more difficult route is a packed down path in the woods which then turns into stone stairs, tree roots and more scene look outs.

So after nearly being in Canada for 2 years, Laura and myself thought we may as well get around to doing one of the easier and close walks there was to offer. Right away we were having a few giggles as we turned up in converse, pulling up next to a large group of Americans who had the whole hiking gear, poles, boots, packs, radios, you name it they had it. The fact they had radios so they didn’t get lost was a little funny as it was such a short walk with a very defined path.

We took the more difficult route which I would say is by no means hard, but has steeper inclines and tree roots to maneuver than what the easy route does. On the way up we decided to venture off and found a path that lead down to the base of a massive waterfall. On a scorcher day this would be the perfect place to sit under the water and let the spray cool you down.

From the waterfall we followed the large rock stairs up to a lookout before coming out to an opening under the power lines which indicates you’ve reached the lakes.

These lakes are crystal blue. Dark vibrant blue with touch of green weeds around the edges. There are two lakes. The bottom lake is weed filled with a good view of Ha-ling and East End behind it with many benches placed around. The second lake is nestled up against the rock walls, filled with a few large boulders and more vibrant than the first due to less weed. Due to the coverage from the surrounding rock walls the second lake is shelter from the wind so you can almost get a perfect reflection in the lake. Just above this second lake there are rock faces there are climbing routes ranging from 5.5 to 5.13, with the rock having more holds than sunshine slabs seems to have. I will be 100% back to this spot to test my level of climbing and try a few new routes.

If you’re looking for a nice morning or afternoon walk where you won’t exert much energy but get the benefits of a vibrant glacial lake and views this walk it perfect! Keep in mind it is a busy spot and has a wildlife corridor in very close proximity to the walk, as well as being renowned for having black bears.