Lightning Lakes Chain
A chain of 4 lakes
Statistics
| Total Distance: |
24.0 km (return) |
| Estimated Time: |
8 hours |
| Average Grade: |
0.3% |
| Structure: |
Linear - Return |
|
|
Elevation Gain:
|
30 m |
| Start Elevation: |
1220 m |
| Max Elevation: |
1250 m |
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Directions
Follow Highway #3 (Hope-Princeton Highway) 67 km east of Hope to the intersection with a flashing amber light just past the Manning Park Lodge. Turn right onto the road and follow it to the Lightning Lake day-use area parking lot. On your way to the parking lot, ensure that you take the fork on the road leading left and not the one that goes uphill to the Gibsons Pass ski hill area.
Details
There is a trail on both sides of Lightning Lake, but if you want to reach the far end a little faster, hike around the near end of the lake to your left, across the small dam, and then pick up the trail on the far side of the lake.
Walking along the far side of the lake avoids going around a large bay, Lone Duck Bay, on the near side of Lightning Lake; saving an easy 15 minutes.
Good trail all along the far side of Lightning. There is one point close to half way up the lake where it narrows considerably and there's a lovely bridge, Rainbow Bridge, crossing the lake here.
From this bridge, you can now cross over and hike along the other side of the lake if you wish, or just continue on the side that you are on presently.
Flash is the next lake, and is reached within 15 minutes of the end of Lightning. This is the smallest of the four lakes, and is fairly shallow and bushy all around.
Strike lake is the 3rd lake, and offers some great fishing opportunities (as does Lightning also for that matter). The wilderness camp is about 10 minutes past the end of Strike Lake, and has fire pits and a bear cache, plus a pit toilet. Allow around 2.5-3 hours of hiking to get to the Strike Lake camp from the Trailhead.
Thunder lake is the last in the chain, and is reached by another 45-60 minutes of hiking from Strike Camp. Thunder is quite different from the other lakes, as it is surrounded mostly by rock slides and is quite exposed. There is a perpetual logjam at the near end of the lake too.
Photographs
GPS Waypoints
| Lightning Lake Day-Use Area (Trailhead) |
N49.06282 W120.82590 |
10U 658814 5436716 |