For the past two summers, my friend and I have hiked up to these lakes to camp. The trailhead is located north of Pemberton, Canada and is one of the easiest backpacking trips in the area, especially when you consider the rewards! However, you should always be prepared: bring all the essentials, bring bear spray, don't leave food laying around and make lots of noise while hiking. This is grizzly territory.
There are numerous lakes, several roaring waterfalls and countless wildflowers. If you're adventurous, you can even hike up to the glaciers!
An overview of the main area, showing one of the colorful lakes and the largest waterfall. One of the reasons I like camping here so much is because of the white noise constantly produced from the falls - I have really bad tinnitus and those sorts of noises help me sleep better.
This was one of our campsites. On windless days, this little lake provides amazing reflections of the mountains. If only I got windless days more often!
A field of lupins near our other campsite.
If you decide to scramble up the mountain, glaciers and this stunning lake await you. My ankle was in the middle of recovering from a severe sprain, so it wasn't worth the risk trying to get up there. Instead, I sent up my drone. If you look closely you can even spot one of my friends at the shore of the lake!
Another angle of the lake, showing the upper waterfall. A few years ago that glacier touched the lake - it's sad and scary how quickly they're melting!
And finally, one of my favorite images of the area. I stood here for quite a while, waiting for the perfect light. My patience paid off, as I eventually shot this exposure, with beautiful, dappled light on the mountain that illuminated the waterfalls. And best of all, the foreground was in shadow, which really helped that light pop!
Semaphore Lakes is a beautiful place. If you ever visit, please be responsible and leave as little trace as possible!
Want to see more of my work? Visit my Hive profile, or take a look at my presence on other parts of the web:
Website: https://www.tristantodd.photography/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tristan.todd/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/tristan_todd_
OpenSea: https://opensea.io/collection/rainforest-collection-vol-1