The Elfin Lakes are a pair of lakes nestled below the mighty Diamond Head in Garibaldi Provincial Park. While the lakes are a worthy objective on their own, this can be a good base camp for exploration of other iconic hikes such as The Gargoyles, Opal Cone, or Mamquam Lake.
I have completed Elfin Lakes several times – once as an overnight trip, and once as a two-night trip. In my opinion, it has an excellent effort-to-reward ratio, and after the first 5km of the trail, absolutely stunning views in all directions.
I’ve been lucky enough to have explored Garibaldi Lake, Russet Lake, and Wedgemount Lake as well, all of which fall within the boundaries of Garibaldi Provincial Park. Due to the proximity to the Lower Mainland these can be some of the busiest and most well-trodden hikes in Southwestern BC, but if you pick your time wisely (i.e. mid-week) you may be able to find some solitude here.
Here is some beta for you to use while planning your hike to Elfin Lakes.
Garibaldi Provincial Park is located on the traditional territories of the Coast Salish, Lil’wat, Squamish, and St’at’imc peoples.
Trail Stats
Distance: 22km return from the Diamond Head parking lot to the Elfin Lakes campground and winter hut
Elevation Gain: 700m
Route Type: Out and Back
Difficulty: Moderate
Hiking Season: July to September is the most popular time to complete this hike. If you have the appropriate avalanche gear and training, it is possible to complete this hike in the winter as well.
Planning Resources
- 105 Hikes in Southwestern British Columbia is one of my favourite hiking guides for the area
- The BC Parks website has some maps of the area as well as trail reports
Preparing for the Trip
Itinerary
Elfin Lakes can be done as a day trip, or as an overnight trip. It is worth staying overnight at the campsite for at least two nights for further exploration of the area.
Here are some options for day trips from Elfin Lakes:
Opal Cone: 13km round trip, 460m elevation gain from Elfin Lakes campground
The Gargoyles Saddle: 14km round trip, 400m elevation gain from Elfin Lakes campground
Mamquam Lake/Rampart Ponds: 22km round trip, 570m elevation gain from Elfin Lakes campground
On my first trip to Elfin Lakes, we stayed at the campsite for two nights, and did a day trip to Opal Cone on the second day.
Note that the trail from the Diamond Head parking lot to Elfin Lakes is multi-use, so tackling this on a mountain bike is an option.
Transportation to Trailhead
Elfin Lakes can be accessed from the Diamond Head parking lot. Turn off of Highway 99 onto Mamquam Road (just south of the Canadian Tire in Squamish). Mamquam Road turns into Garibaldi Park Road past Quest University, and transitions from a paved road to a gravel forest service road soon after. It’s about 20-30 minutes from the Highway 99 turn-off to the parking lot.
Note that in the winter, chains are required for access to the Diamond Head parking lot.
Sleeping Options
All campsites in Garibaldi Provincial Park require reservations ahead of time. At the time of writing it was $10 per person per night to camp anywhere in the park. If you would like to complete Elfin Lakes as a day hike, a Day Use Pass may also be required.
The Elfin Lakes campground has 35 raised wooden tent platforms, as well as a day-use shelter, several pit toilet facilities, and a food hanging station. The wooden tent platforms are pitched on a slope facing northwards, with beautiful sunrise views of Mamquam Mountain and the surrounding peaks.
An alternative accommodation option is to book a spot in the Elfin Lakes Shelter. The shelter has around 30 bunks, and comes equippped with propane hot plates, a heater, and pit toilet facilities. The shelter is bookable year-round. Another trip on my bucket list is to stay here overnight for some snowshoeing or ski touring in the area!
Check the BC Parks website for the most up-to-date information about the requirements for this trail.
On the Trail
Day 1: Diamond Head Trailhead to Elfin Lakes
The first 5km of trail from the Diamond Head parking lot to Red Heather Hut is widely agreed to be a bit of a slog. If you can persevere through this section, you will be amply rewarded.
The trail is wide, well-formed with a gravel base, and a moderate grade. It climbs upwards through forest, which eventually opens up into alpine meadows once you hit Red Heather Hut.
Red Heather Hut is not an overnight destination, but has some indoor seating and cooking space.
As soon as you pass Red Heather Hut, continue climbing and traversing for another kilometre or so. You will start to have spectacular views of Diamond Head and the Gargoyles in front of you, and the Tantalus Range to your back.
From here, the trail continues along a ridgeline between Round Mountain and Elfin Lakes. This section of the trail is undulating but provides amazing views in all directions.
At last, you will come over one final hump, and will be presented with views like this of your destination:
Traverse along the left side of these lakes, and you will arrive at the campsite and shelter. Note that you can only swim in the larger, southern lake, as the northernmost lake is only for obtaining drinking and cooking water.
After you claim yourself a scenic tent pad, and spend some time admiring the view with some well-earned snacks, proceed to spend the afternoon swimming and lazing around the lake.
Make sure to enjoy a drink on your tent pad and enjoy the watercolour sky emerging from behind Mamquam Mountain.
Day 2: Day Trip to Opal Cone
If you aim to do a day hike from Elfin Lakes, you’ll want to start reasonably early. When I did Opal Cone back in 2017, we were up and on the trail by 9am to avoid some of the heat.
To get to Opal Cone, you will back track from the campsite to the main trail junction a few hundred metres away. Instead of turning left to return to the parking lot, continue down the slope away from the lakes. You will descend a moderately steep trail for about half a kilometre before you begin to traverse along the slopes of Diamond Head and the Gargoyles. This section has some good tree coverage, but soon you will reach the glacial till below the Diamond Glacier.
Here, a bridge will cross a cloudy gray stream, and will then start to climb upwards at a moderate slope. This section has no tree coverage, and can get very hot, so be sure to carry appropriate sun protection and water.
After about 5 kilometres, there is a fork in the trail. You can continue uphill to get to Opal Cone, or you could continue on the main trail across some alpine flats to get to Rampart Ponds and Mamquam Lake.
The trail to Opal Cone consists of fine glacial till, and in sections can be slippery. We climbed this section using hands and feet, before we arrived at the summit of Opal Cone.
Enjoy views of the Garibaldi Neve above, Zig Zag Creek below, and the mighty Diamond Head and Mamquam Mountain on either side.
Carefully make your way back down these gravelly slopes and back towards the campsite at Elfin Lakes for a well-earned swim. You might be a bit dusty after this one!
Day 3: Elfin Lakes to Diamond Head Trailhead
Enjoy one final sunrise on your tent pad before packing up and returning to the Diamond Head car park using the same trail that you ascended two days before.
This will not be an entirely downhill journey – there is a bit of a climb from Elfin Lakes to the ridgeline, and some moderate uphill climbing between Elfin Lakes and the “summit” of Round Mountain. Once you have passed this section, however, it is a smooth downhill all the way past Red Heather Hut and back to the car park.
Summary
Elfin Lakes is yet another popular hike in Southwestern BC, and is a great base camp for day trips to the Gargoyles, Opal Cone, and Mamquam Lake. One of the next trips on my bucket list is to do a multi-sport overnight adventure to the Wilderness Zone past Mamquam Lake. This will involve mountain biking to Elfin Lakes, hiking to Mamquam Lake, and setting up camp before hiking and biking out the next day.
Have you had the chance to check out Elfin Lakes or any of the other trails around these lakes?
