Parking
Start behind Le Relais Day Shelter. Day visitors park at the Lake O’Hara lot and use the reserved seasonal shuttle; walking from the lot adds 11 km each way.
Overview
About Big Larches and Schäffer Lake Loop
Why go
- The Alpine Meadow and larch-forest sides give the loop two different feels.
Heads up
- Without a shuttle reservation, the access road adds 22 km to the outing.
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Yoho map
Full mapElevation2,030–2,167 m
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Best time to go
Safety
5 active Yoho alerts
- ClosureYoho Valley Road closed for avalanche seasonYoho Valley Road is closed to vehicles from mid-October to mid-June because of avalanche risk. - Parks Canada’s current trail report lists no vehicle access to trails in the Yoho Valley.Official details
- CautionWatercraft and angling prohibited in YohoWatercraft use and angling are prohibited on all waterbodies in Yoho National Park until March 31, 2027, to reduce the spread of aquatic invasive species, including whirling disease.Official details
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Yoho Tour Guide
Your drive to Big Larches and Schäffer Lake Loop, narrated.
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Yoho National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
See the Yoho audio tourMore stories near here in the app
- A Predator With a Softer Menu
- Lower Spiral Tunnel: Climbing Inside the Mountain
- Sherbrooke Lake and Paget Lookout: Choose Your Climb
- The Bird That Plants Pines
- 35 audio storiesacross Yoho’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Grizzly Bear, Mountain Goat, Black Bear, and 13 more
- Works offlinemaps, 54 trails, 58 places, and audio download before you lose signal
- CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Trail guide
Hiking Big Larches and Schäffer Lake Loop
The short Lake O’Hara loopBig Larches and Schäffer Lake Loop is a 2-mile loop from behind Le Relais Day Shelter.
Big Larches and Schäffer Lake Loop is a 2-mile loop from behind Le Relais Day Shelter. It goes out through Alpine Meadow, reaches Schäffer Lake, then returns by Big Larches and the West Opabin connection, sharing the opening access trail. Allow about 1½ to 2 hours. The route climbs about 135 m to the lake, so expect a moderate hike rather than a stroll. It’s a good way to get a lake and larch forest without continuing on the longer Lake McArthur circuit.
Two different approachesStart behind the Day Shelter. The first 200 m is shared; take the west turn for Alpine Meadow.
Start behind the Day Shelter. The first 200 m is shared; take the west turn for Alpine Meadow. That side passes Elizabeth Parker Hut, crosses a small stream, then switchbacks through forest before leveling near the bridge at Schäffer Lake’s outlet. On the return, follow Big Larches: it curves below a large rockfall, climbs, then wanders through larch forest past the All Souls junction. It rejoins the West Opabin trail and the short shared approach to Le Relais.
Larches, a hut and a lakeThe larches are the draw in late September, when their needles turn gold.
The larches are the draw in late September, when their needles turn gold. The Alpine Meadow side also passes the smaller Elizabeth Parker Hut, built in 1911; it is the oldest building in the Lake O’Hara area. At the lake, take a pause for the clear shallows and the snowy peaks behind them. The rocky shore makes a useful foreground if you’re taking a photo.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Yoho
21 sightingsGrizzly BearMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
55 sightingsMountain GoatMost seen around 8 AMSighting map
61 sightingsBlack BearMost seen around 8 PMSighting map
66 sightingsElkMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
26 sightingsMooseMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
10 sightingsBald EagleMost seen around 7 AMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Yoho. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
