Kinney Lake Hike, Mount Robson Provincial Park, British Columbia, Canada
Mount Robson Provincial Park is a highly underrated park in Canada in my opinion. I had driven through the park two years ago in the winter and could not stop staring at the beautiful south face of Mount Robson. Mike and I found ourselves meeting some friends in the area so we decided to check out the park and hike to Kinney Lake.
We parked at the trailhead at the end of Kinney Lake Road, which is one of the largest trailheads I’ve ever been to. It’s a popular spot to start backpacking trips and the day hike to Kinney Lake is beautiful, so it makes sense that it would require a large trailhead. The trailhead was about half full on a Thursday morning.
This trail was impeccably maintained and in great condition. The trail starts out along the Robson River, which is a beautiful river with an abundance of rapids. It’s also a vibrant shade of blue. The trail very gradually gained elevation, but at no point was steep and was quite flat compared to most hikes in the Canadian Rockies. After 2.8 miles of hiking, we found ourselves at the shore of Kinney Lake. Views were great, however there was a cloud hiding the top of Mount Robson, and, unfortunately, it would remain there for the entire day. Regardless, the lake was still beautiful and the views were very pretty. We decided to hike along the lakeshore, past the Kinney Lake Campground. We turned around shortly thereafter and headed back to the trailhead the same way we had walked in. It as a great outing and one that I’d recommend for anyone that can walk 6-7 miles on a very moderate hiking trail.
Total Stats: 8.5 miles, 800 ft of elevation gain
