Looking for a sneaky wonderful trail that most people in Jasper seem to know about, but way fewer have actually experienced? The Geraldine Lakes hike might be your ticket. 

The hike is possible as an overnighter or an afternoon hike and although some beautiful sights can be seen on a five km hike in, the trail offers an extra three km at the end for those who want to see a little more. However you choose to hike, you’re going to see some beautiful waterfalls, mountains and lakes and, all in all, some wonderful Jasper National Park jewels (and possibly porcupines).

Despite being well known, the trail somehow still seems to be a little under the radar. One of the guides at the visitor centre in Jasper said that while she had lived in Jasper for a dozen years now, she had only done the Geraldine Lake hike in the last month. She described herself as an avid hiker, well versed with trails in the area. It had just slipped by her. On a weekend in July, the Valley of the Five Lakes trailhead was so crowded, cars and RVs were stacked onto the highway. At the Geraldine Lakes trailhead, nine vehicles lackadaisically filled the parking lot.

The trail is short and not easy, but it’s not extreme either. There is rock hopping across talus fields for several kilometres and ankles can be easily sprained. There’s also a scramble up a headway beside the second waterfall leading up to the second Geraldine Lake that is not for the faint of heart or the under-12 set. It’s steep and slippery when wet. Mind your footing and if you don’t like heights, don’t look down.

But if you’ve got the skills, the hike can be very rewarding. The route passes through tranquil lakes surrounded by beautiful mountains and takes you right next to several large waterfalls. For the camera happy, there are plenty of points to stop and look right on top of the massive deluges of falling water. Although there are more spectacular long distance views in Jasper, the ones offered along the Geraldine Lakes Trail can still be gorgeous.

Overall, the words challenging and rewarding best describe the hike. Short and sweet work wonderfully too.

Part of the reason the Geraldine Lakes hike might be slightly underused is that the access to it is a little tricky. A steep hill runs up for several kilometres from an access point just past Athabasca Falls on the old Highway 93A. Several hairpin turns adorn the road. While the access is tricky, that didn’t stop someone from taking their BMW 5 Series sedan up to the parking lot on a sunny morning in July.

From the lot, a good quality dirt path meanders uphill for 1.5 km through attractive, dense subalpine forested areas until clearing out to Geraldine Creek, and after 300 more metres, the shores of the first Geraldine Lake. This is where the hike gets really beautiful. The water is crystal clear in spots but the trail, which hugs right next to the lake, is anything but. Expect mud, but nothing the resourceful cannot handle. 

After the lake, one encounters the first waterfall. There are numerous points cleared out alongside the falls to stop and get a great view of the cascading water or to stop and eat a banana. There are also reports that a porcupine lives near the far end of the lake. This prickly character has rustled in the bushes next to many frightened hikers, tricking them into thinking that a bear is looming.

After the trek up the side of the falls, things get harder. There’s a field of talus and no visible trail. Look for the rock cairns and follow them.

A very important point in the trail is coming up. The trail is about to cross from the right hand side of the waterways to the left. Yellow markers lodged in the rocks mark this point, but missing them is possible. The crossover is important because the trail on the left hand side of the water is easier. While the right hand side is still possible to negotiate, it’s significantly harder. At the upcoming climb up the side of a waterfall, hiking poles would be a necessity.

This is also the easiest point to cross over onto the left hand side. The river from this point was fully gushing in July. Falling in would mean crushed flesh and bones on the jagged rocks in the river. Your day would probably be over. Do yourself a favour and make the cross.

After several kilometres more of talus field hopping and some more forested meandering, the trail comes to one of the most beautiful waterfalls in the entire Jasper National Park trail system. Take out your camera and get happy. 

The trail is also very hard at this point. There is a major headwall that needs to be climbed up next to the waterfall. There is little to hold on to during the 40m of vertical over the next 100m. Keep low, make sure you’ve got traction underneath your soles that you trust and move deliberately and slowly. Ignore the screaming in your calves too.

The trail levels out near the top, but there’s still more talus to overcome before the trail opens up to a wide angle view of the second Geraldine Lake. Take the path down to the shore, crack open a juice box and enjoy the view. Hopefully you remembered to bring a wind breaker too. It’s a little cold here.

This is the five km mark, so if you’re doing a day hike, this is a good time to turn around. If you’re on an overnighter and just want to see what the final four km to the end of the fourth Geraldine Lake looks like, then there is some more work to go.

The trail to the campground, on the far side of the lake, is only about 1.2 km, but it’s rock-hopping and boulder dashing the whole way. At the campground, there are four tent pads, two picnic tables, a bear pole with cables and a fairly luxurious dunny. Campfires are not allowed, so bring a stove if you want to cook. Tricky porcupines have been spotted around this campsite as well and have been rumoured to eat the occasional salty boot. Be wary ye traveller.

For the particularly adventurous, there’s still some more trail to go, although it’s rugged and hardly used. Call it more art than science because no trail is formally marked out. Keep to the left over the talus field creek. At the third lake, it’s shorter and easier to take off your shoes and wade through the water to the west shore, but be quick; the water can get your feet uncomfortably numb tout de suite. Bushwhack the eastern shore to the fourth lake if you don’t want to remove your footwear. After the lake, follow the creek (easier said than done, but certainly possible) and the fourth and final lake is your prize.