As one of the most famous hiking destinations in the world, Lake O’Hara is infamously hard to access. For most people, you either bag one of the few backcountry camping spots, one of the even-harder-to-get bus tickets for day visitors (aka “The Hardest Bus To Get On In British Columbia”), or you hike the 11km in and 11km back in one day. All these restrictions are in place to make sure the wonderfully diverse biosphere of Lake O’Hara is preserved, after previously suffering from over visitation. Every summer season, 17,000 people try to visit Lake O’Hara, and only 1,000 succeed. While not everyone’s wallet can stretch to a night at the luxurious Lake O’Hara Lodge, if you can afford it, it will be one of your most memorable mountain experiences. Plus, the lodge runs its own shuttle bus service, so you will guarantee yourself one of those elusive 1,000 spots. Either stay in the historic lodge itself, or book one of the lakeside cabins to wake up to a view you will never forget.
"Environmental thinking is prevalent throughout our operation. It is challenging at times to work with such a historic property however we continually explore opportunities which will help us to lessen our footprint".
Lake O'Hara Lodge has many measures in place to minimise their environmental footprint. For example, they use native plants and shrubs to reclaim disturbed areas and help the Lake O'Hara Trails Club in maintaining the magnificent trails.