The Lake Louise/Skoki area in fall is to die for. This was a fun and laid back weekend trip in almost-optimal conditions.

Date: 2020-09-11 to 2020-09-13

Location: Banff National Park

Friends: Chris, Kat, Nick, Mel, John, Eric

Day 1 - Fish Creek trailhead to Hidden Lake campground

Half of us headed out fairly late in the afternoon and got to camp just in time to set up our tent before the sun went down. I don’t do enough sunrise/sunset hiking - it is absolutely magical to be bathed in golden rays of light while admiring the views around you! Hidden Lake campground was surprisingly photogenic. Most people don’t even stay there, overlooking it in favour of Merlin Meadows or Baker Lake. The only thing I regret was not getting the chance to check out the actual Hidden Lake.

Day 2 - Hidden Lake campground to Merlin Meadows campground, day trip to Skoki Mountain

The next day, we hiked to Merlin Meadows campground and bagged Skoki Mountain along the way. The Merlin Meadows campground was another absolute stunner. Everything was the slightest bit smoky today, which resulted in a rosy cast over the fall foliage.

Ptarmigan Lake with the distinctive Mount Redoubt behind it.

Baker Lake.

The Skoki Lakes - a preview of the next day’s journey.

Red Deer Lakes.

Skoki Mountain was a short and straightforward scramble. I didn’t get to enjoy it as much as I would have liked since my knee was starting to bother me at that point.

Merlin Lake and Castilleja Lake, flowing to Merlin Meadows.

Merlin Meadows - a backcountry beauty.

Day 3 - Merlin Meadows campground to Fish Creek trailhead

It was starting to get very smoky on the final day of our trip. At the suggestion of a worker at Skoki Lodge, we decided to hike out via Packer’s Pass instead of Deception Pass. The views were supposed to be better, and we would get to “climb up a waterfall”.

Skoki Mountain - a tiny peak, but still big enough for me!

A mountain range named “the Wall of Jericho”.

Approaching that waterfall!

There were some handy stairs leading straight up past the waterfall. Only a bit of hands-on climbing was required to squeeze through the chimney.

Possibly my first pika sighting in the Rockies.

The first Skoki Lake.

And the second one!

The final ascent up to Packer’s Pass.

Back to a much smokier Ptarmigan Lake.

The fireroad out was even more of a grind than I anticipated. My feet really hated this one! I think everyone was wincing a bit by the time we got back to the parking lot.

Despite the boring access road and wildfire smoke, this was a fantastic and fun weekend. I can’t wait to come back to this gorgeous area again to thoroughly explore it, and knock off a few more scrambles as well.