Emerald Lake is a great place to spend a few hours exploring! It’s beyond picturesque, and it also makes for a great rest day in between hikes. We had just hiked the Iceline Trail and Takakkaw Falls the day before, and we were pretty beat. So before making a beeline for the coast, we decided to make a stop at Emerald Lake.
I definitely recommend going either early or late because it gets seriously busy during peak mid-day hours. It was cold and gloomy when we got there, but luckily we did get a few sunbeams before we left. Regardless of the weather, this place is stunning in every light.
You can rent canoes to head out into this glacially colored lake, or hike around the edge to look back at the lodge. There’s also a restaurant located at the lodge with a patio overlooking the water. We ended up leaving before the restaurant opened for lunch. But if I would have done some planning ahead, I would’ve booked us some time on that gorgeous patio! (The patio is picture 2 photos below – it’s the little yellow umbrellas.)
This is a perfect example of why it’s nice to have done at least a little pre-research. But we were just winging it as we had gotten a little extra time off work that wasn’t expected. In any case, at least I can pass on the info in hopes you can make the most of your trip.
There are some trails that take off from here and connect up with several from the Takakkaw Falls/Iceline Trail area. We definitely saw some backpackers coming out from several days in the backcountry. I can only imagine how awesome it would’ve been based on how much we loved the Iceline Trail!
Even if you just stop to visit Emerald Lake for an hour or so, it’s so incredibly gorgeous here, you won’t regret it!