Our target for the next few hours was to walk the Valley of Five Lakes circuit (above). The trail head is only a few kilometres south of Jasper along the Icefields Parkway.
The three of us set off as it was just starting to warm up. Armed with backpacks filled with water & snacks, we set off through the open forest & down into a valley (above). The marshy area looked to be prime moose country, but unfortunately they were hiding.
After crossing the little timber bridge that spans the valley (above), we followed the trail up into more forest.
Before long we arrived at 1st Lake (above). 1st Lake is the most Northern of the five. The trail runs between 1st & 2nd Lakes before swinging south alongside 2nd Lake (below).
The middle 3 lakes aren't especially large, but all have the typical Rockies turquoise tinge. 3rd Lake (below) was the longest of the smaller lakes.
The lakes are all very close together with small creeks or channels joining them. 4th Lake (below) was probably the most picturesque.
When we reached the land bridge between 4th & 5th Lakes we had to make the decision whether to follow the trail back to the car park or walk around 5th Lake.
Shawn (above) opted to head back to the car, but Kerri & I made the decision to walk around the lake. Not the smartest decision of the trip. The trail is reasonable for just long enough to make you think it's a good idea. After that it gets plain ugly with the trail getting narrow & blocked by fallen trees.
We persevered with it & took a couple of photos (above) but decided that we should have taken the other trail with Shawn. No harm done although a couple of twisted ankles were narrowly avoided.
The Valley of 5 Lakes trail is well worth doing if you are looking for something leisurely without too much elevation gain.
