Floe Lake Hike Guide: Difficulty, Distance, Camping & Tips
Floe Lake is the kind of hike you’ll remember for years to come. More than once, I found myself lost in the landscape, staring at the perfect reflections of the limestone cliffs of the Rockwall over Floe Lake.
If you’re visiting Banff in summer or doing a Canadian Rockies road trip, the Floe Lake trailhead is easy to reach. It’s officially located in Kootenay National Park, but it’s less than 1 hour drive from Banff.
You can hike Floe Lake as a long day hike or an overnight trip. In this guide, I cover everything you need to know, including distance, elevation gain, difficulty, camping reservations and the best time to hike to Floe Lake.
Floe Lake Map and Key Stats
Where is Floe Lake
Floe Lake is located in Kootenay National Park, British Columbia. It is on the border with Alberta and just 50 minutes drive from Banff along Highway 93. It’s also an excellent addition to a Canadian Rockies itinerary if you’re planning a trip to Banff in summer.
It sits beneath the Rockwall, a massive limestone rock, and is the southern access point to the Rockwall Trail. I did this backpacking trip in August and I’m still not over it. Floe Lake is undoubtedly one of the main highlights of the entire trek.
Getting to the Floe Lake Trailhead
The Floe Lake Trailhead is located along Highway 93. I recommend using Google Maps to get to the destination, as the turnoff is not obvious and it’s easy to miss. We drove from Banff and it took us under an hour to get here.
The parking lot is quite small and fills up quickly, especially on weekends. Since it’s also one of the trailheads to the Rockwall Trail, it gets double the traffic. I would strongly recommend arriving early in the morning.
How Hard is Floe Lake Hike
The Floe Lake hike is a moderate trail if you have some prior hiking experience. If it’s one of your first hikes, you might find the hike a bit hard, but it’s absolutely doable.
The first section ascends gradually, and the trail only gets really steep in the final 2 to 3 km. You will know you have reached this point by the series of switchbacks climbing toward the top.
During our Floe Lake hike, the trail was quite overgrown, which turned the already narrow path into a bit of an obstacle course. I found my hiking sticks very helpful here, holding them straight out in front of me to push the vegetation out of the way.
How Long is the Floe Lake Hike
The Floe Lake hike is around 20 km round trip. If you decide to do a day hike to Floe Lake, you should plan around 7 to 9 hours, including a break at the top. The elevation gain is around 800 m. Although it makes for a long day, if you start the hike early in the morning, you should have plenty of time to enjoy Floe Lake.
This being said, I prefer backpacking to Floe Lake and camping there for the night. But getting a camping reservation is quite a task, as it’s in high demand and very popular. Staying overnight at Floe Lake also allows you to split the 20 km hike over two easier days. If you do so, you’re going to have some additional time to add a 6 km return trip to Numa Pass. This is, in my opinion, one of the most beautiful viewpoint of the Rockwall and Floe Lake.
When is the Best Time to Hike Floe Lake
The best time to hike the Floe Lake trail is between mid July and mid September. The trail is open outside this window for day hikes too, but you may still encounter snow. I hiked to Floe Lake in August and had the best weather I could have asked for. It was also wildflower season and the meadows toward Numa Pass were in full bloom. The nights were still very cold though, so I recommend packing some warm clothing.
September and October are great months to see the golden larches and prime time for fall hikes. I would recommend checking the current trail conditions before starting the hike, since snow is always possible in the Canadian Rockies, even in summer at times.
Day Hiking vs Overnight Camping at Floe Lake
You can do the Floe Lake hike as a day hike or an overnight backpacking trip. Since getting a Floe Lake camping reservation is quite hard, many people decide to cover the 20 km round trip hike in a day.
If you decide to hike Floe Lake in a day, you should aim to be at the Floe Lake parking lot early in the morning. This helps you secure a parking spot and start the uphill hike before it gets too hot. It is a very popular trail, whether you visit in summer for the wildflowers or in fall for the golden larches. Don’t make the mistake of thinking it is an easy hike. You should be prepared to cover 10 km with 770 m of elevation gain one way, taking about 3 hours.
If you instead managed to secure a Floe Lake camping permit, you can split the 20 km hike over two days. This way you can even add the detour hike to Numa Pass (strongly recommend it!) to take in the full view of Floe Lake and the Rockwall. Another benefit of staying overnight at Floe Lake, is that you can both watch the sun set and rise over the Rockwall. It’s truly an incredible experience.
If you can secure a Floe Lake camping reservation, I would recommend staying overnight at Floe Lake. You can also check for cancellations on Campnab.
What to Expect on a Day Hike to Floe Lake
The Floe Lake hike starts with a gradual climb past Vermillion river and the valley below.
You’ll then follow the trail along the side of the mountain slope, crossing an old burn zone from the 2003 wildfires and surrounding wildflower meadows. Most of the section is exposed to sun with little shade up to the top. This makes an early start on hot summer days almost a must.
You’ll come across a creek around the middle section of the Floe Lake trail. This is the only water source on the Floe Lake trail before the lake itself. Therefore, if you need to refill your water bottles, make sure you do it here.
Most of the elevation gain is covered in the last 2-3 km of the Floe Lake hike, which follows a series of switchbacks up to the top. You should account for at least 6-7 hours for the Floe Lake return hike, plus 1-2 hours to enjoy the lake.
One of my favorite views at Floe Lake is from Numa Pass. To reach the viewpoint you’ll need to hike for an extra 3 km one day, but on a clear day the views are absolutely breathtaking. If you’re doing a day hike to Floe Lake, I’d recommend hiking to Numa Pass only if you’re an experienced hiker, used to long hikes and with good endurance.
Camping at Floe Lake
The Floe Lake campground is one of the most popular backcountry campsites in Kootenay National Park. This doesn’t mean that the lake is overcrowded, but that getting a reservation is quite difficult.
Most of the sites are located above the lakeshore, with direct views of the Rockwall. But there are two tent sites with open views of Floe Lake. Unless you are one of the first hikers to arrive at Floe Lake, these tent pads get taken very fast.
At the campground there is a designated cooking and eating area, with bear proof food lockers nearby.
Floe Lake sits at over 2,000 m above the sea level and as such nights can get very cold even in the middle of summer. We camped at Floe Lake in August and the temperatures at night dropped below 0. So, be prepared and pack warm layers regardless of the season.
You may also meet other hikers that are either starting or finishing the 54 km long Rockwall Trail. That’s what we did and having Floe Lake as the last stop of our backpacking trip was the perfect way to finish our multi-day hike.
How to Reserve a Floe Lake Campground
If you want to stay overnight at Floe Lake, you need to reserve a site at the Floe Lake campground well in advance at Parks Canada website. There are limited tent pads that can be reserved and the lake is extremely popular. Usually, Floe Lake books out as soon as reservations are released in January.
I recommend setting up an alarm in your calendar so that you don’t miss the reservation window. But if you’re not successful in getting a site, try using Campnab for when people cancel their reservation. This happens all the time, so it’s worth checking back regularly.
Also don’t forget that you also need a valid national park pass in addition to the backcountry camping permit. You can buy one online at the following link.
