Luellen Lake Trail

Luellen Lake is a demanding out-and-back from Moose Meadows, via the Ink Pots, Johnston Creek Trail and Sawback Trail: 21.25 mi (34.2 km) round trip. Budget about 12 hours. The route begins on the signed, well-used Ink Pots approach, then continues as a long forest-and-meadow backcountry walk. Its payoff is a long, narrow lake below the steep cliffs of Helena Ridge.

The first 5.3 km lead from Moose Meadows toward the Ink Pots. From there, cross the meadows to a bridge over Johnston Creek and join Johnston Creek Trail. At the creek junction, take the branch toward Larry’s Camp and Luellen Lake; the other direction leads to Mystic Pass. Larry’s Camp is about 7.6 km from the start.

Beyond camp, the Sawback route climbs gradually through a mix of meadow and forest for roughly 8.5 km to an open area with a west-pointing Luellen Lake sign. Cross Johnston Creek again, then climb gently for about 15 minutes to the shore. The mapped route follows this line once; the listed distance counts the return along the same trail.

This is an all-day walk with a substantial distance and sustained climbing. The route’s gradual profile does not make it a short outing: the final lake approach comes after many kilometres, and you retrace the full route to Moose Meadows. If you want a shorter day, the Ink Pots make a separate turnaround at about 5.3 km each way (10.6 km return); that shorter walk does not reach Luellen Lake.

The lake is long and narrow beneath Helena Ridge’s cliffs, a striking contrast to the forested approach. Luellen Lake is backcountry campground Jo19. Overnight campers need a reserved backcountry permit; day hikers do not need to camp there. For a photograph, include the near shoreline with the long water and cliff face so the image conveys the setting’s scale.