Kokanee Lake Hike in Nelson

The Kokanee Lake Trail in Nelson is the main access into the beautiful Kokanee Glacier Provincial Park. The very scenic hike leads through forest and sub-alpine meadows, passed several waterfalls and ends at the beautiful sapphire alpine lake.

The Kokanee Lake hike is a great day trip from Nelson, or you can stay overnight at Kokanee Glacier Cabin to explore the park further.

THE STATS

Difficulty – Moderate

Hiking time – 3-4 hours

Roundtrip – 9km (11km to the end of the lake)

Elevation Gain – 530m

Summit altitude – 1981m

Season – May to October

Camping – Yes, if you hike further

From Nelson – 1 hour

Public Transit – No

Dog Friendly – No

Trail type – Out and back

THE HIKE

The hike is a steady 3.5km of incline and then the trail levels out for the last 1km to Kokanee Lake.

However, the hike to the other end of the lake adds another 1km+ each way. The trail continues over a scree slope on the left side of the Kokanee Lake, where you can view the deep blue glacial water below.

On the far side of Kokanee Lake, the trail continues and winds through a meadow of babbling brooks and cheeky marmots. You can continue the hike to Kokanee Glacier Cabin, or you can turn around and follow the trail back to Gibson Lake, where you started the hike.

Early fall is great for hiking Kokanee Lake because of the vibrant fall colors highlighting the epic scenery. I hiked at the end of September and it quickly became one of my most favorite and memorable hikes.

NEED TO KNOW

This is grizzly bear country, therefore solo hiking is not recommended. Hike with at least one person, make noise, bring bear spray and be informed about what to do if you encounter a bear. See here on how to handle a grizzly encounter. Luckily, we didn’t see any bears on the hike.

If you’re staying overnight in the park, you must porcupine-proof your vehicle with the available chicken wire. Porcupines are nocturnal creatures who like to chew rubber, so they will chew your tires and brake lines if they’re given free reign. Who knew porcupines were creepy horror film villains? However, the porcupine precaution is not necessary if you’re only there for the day.

A high clearance 4×4 vehicle is highly recommended for the 16km drive to the trailhead in Kokanee Glacier Provincial Park. However, the drive is possible in a regular car if you’re a very experienced driver or if you have a companion to help direct you around the super rough area of the road with very deep pot-holes (which is about 12km in). There’s no cell service, so make a wise decision.

If you’re not confident in navigating the pot holes in a regular car, there is an area right before this section where you can leave your car, like I did. This will add an extra 8km (roundtrip) to your hike, but it’s better than getting stuck. You can hitchhike to the trailhead, if you’re lucky. This is what I did, which gave me 4 new hiking friends so I didn’t have to hike alone.

There is very little shade on the hike.

Do not feed the marmots or other animals.

Dogs and bikes are not allowed.

You cannot camp at Kokanee Lake, but you can stay at Kokanee Glacier Cabin (which is another 3.5km) if you reserve here, or you can camp at Kaslo Lake Campground (bring cash/card).

There is an outhouse at Kokanee Lake.

Take your garbage with you.

WHAT YOU NEED

Bring layers, even on a hot day.
Wear and bring sunscreen. The sun is stronger at higher elevation.
Water and food.
Bug spray.
Toilet paper and hand sanitizer.
Maps.me is an app for offline maps and it’s great for hiking trails.
Remember to stretch before and after!

Kokanee Lake

HOW TO GET THERE

From Nelson, it’s a 20km drive to the turn off on the left for Kokanee Glacier Park (don’t get confused with Kokanee Creek Park on the right), and then you follow the unpaved Kokanee Glacier Road for 16km to reach the parking lot at Gibson Lake. You gain 1km in elevation on this 16km road.

The hiking trail to Kokanee Lake is very obvious and well-marked.

kokanee lake