Camping at Rohr Lake, Pemberton
Long weekends are for camping. This Canada Day long weekend Yuki, Frances, and I drove up the sea to sky highway past Pemberton and Joffre Lakes to Rohr Lake. I had been recommended Rohr lake by a colleague who’d been skiing there. Rohr lake is beside the Marriott Basin which is a backcountry skiing mountain bowl complete with a small hut.
We left just after 8am and stopped three times in Squamish for coffee at McDonald’s, Canadian Tire to pick up an inflatable boat and a tarp, and Tim Hortons to use the washroom. From there it was a straight shot to Rohr Lake, passing a super busy Joffre Lakes where cars were parked all along the highway shoulder because the parking lots were full.
The turn off for Rohr Lake is just a few minutes further down the road and is an unmarked dirt dual track. In our borrowed Mazda 3 we bounced our way along the old road for a kilometer until we couldn’t go any further. Exiting the car we were set upon by mosquitos. The road continued for another kilometer or so and we passed several trucks and 4x4 that were able to get further in. The road eventually ended and the trail began.
Memories of Cape Scott flooded back on us as we stepped our way along a muddy trail with tangled roots and dead falls. The trail continued through the forest and over a few streams before climbing up the valley to the junction between Rohr Lake and the Marriott Basin.
The hike got tougher with heavy packs as we slogged up the mountain side, passing several mud pools and climbing a boulder field. While overcast, the effort was worthwhile for some beautiful views of the Marriott Basin and surrounding mountains.
Not long after we passed snow patches and stepped our way through a waterfall to finally summit the hill right beside the lake.
Rohr lake is sizable and very clear along the edge. It isn’t as blue or turquoise as most alpine lakes but this is probably because it isn’t glacial fed. Instead, I think the seasonal run-off is retained in the lake for quite a while, allowing the fine particles to settle out and the water to become crystal clear.
There were a few other groups at the lake but nothing like Joffre. We found ourselves a spot to pitch our tent near a slope and a waterfall that made it feel like we were perched on the side of a cliff.
Yuki had a great idea to get an inflatable boat and paddle around in the lake. This was an excellent idea and I’m glad she insisted on it. The $15 boat was well worth the fun of being on lake with a tree branch as a paddle. Funny enough, the tree branch wasn’t very effective and made us go in circles. We used a rope to tether the boat to land for a quick rescue if needed. I imagine that if it were super hot and sunny, this would have been a wonderful way to relax and cool down.
In the evening we made small fire to keep the bugs away. I found that the smoke didn’t bother my hayfever at all but did bother Yuki. This is strange, because when I went back to work I was immediately hit with a runny nose and sneezing. Evidently the building my office is in is really bad for my health.
The next day we got up to somewhat sunny and cloudy skies and cooked some breakfast. Then we went back into the tent to nap and ended up sleeping for another 3–4 hours until 1 in the afternoon. We needed the sleep though, because we’d been lacking sleep all week. After making lunch, we started our hike around the lake. The trail led us to another scattered boulder field where we were able to get some epic photos.
Our original plan was to hike up Rohr mountain at the end of the valley but because of the overcast skies it wasn’t very promising for pictures. Instead, we decided to hike up the side of the valley to where the boulders turn into grass. Along the way we stopped at several large rocks for photos. There were several large rocks along the way, each promising a better view.
At the very top of the rocks I sat down on a big boulder and two marmots poked their heads out to look at me. They were the cutest things and very curious. When Frances and Yuki arrived, we spent a long time watching as they watched us. We could see them smelling the air and staring at us. This was definitely the highlight of the trip and made a great hike even better.
On the way back down we stopped at a small lake for some photos and to eat chocolate. There were a few rocks to climb but the views weren’t as good because we were lower down.
We got back to camp and set up the tarp beside the fire just in time before it started raining. We were quite proud of our tarp set up and it kept us dry but during the night it blew in the wind and made a lot of noise that kept us up.
On the last day we slept in and missed the sun. It didn’t last long anyways before the clouds came in and it started raining on and off. We managed to pack up in between the rain and the weather steadily improved as we descended down the mountain. The same can’t be said about the trail which was muddier and wetter than before. Frances pointed out that my hiking boots have a hole in them but I somehow managed to not water log myself. I’ll have to get some new boots. Yuki’s Italian made, nearly brand new boots, performed excellent and kept her feet dry though.
The drive back to Vancouver was uneventful until we got to Thai for dinner. Apparently Burns Bog is on fire so the city was quite smokey.
Rohr lake was a lot of fun and a great hike. Of course it would have been nicer with sunny skies but we still came out with minimal rain and some great photos. The hike to the lake itself isn’t very long and is easily done as a day hike, though it is quite steep. It is a hike I would do again except there are so many other alpine lakes and mountains in the region to visit too.
