Mount Robson And The Berg Lake Trail – The Best Hike In BC (2025 Guide)
The Berg Lake Trail & Mt Robson Provincial Park
The Berg lake Trail in Mount Robson Provincial park is the best hike in BC and one of the most scenic hiking trails in the world. I have, seen the Alps, the Himalayas and even Patagonia. The views at berg lake are literally world class. I can’t believe I waited this long to do this hike!
The trail follows the scenic Robson river 22km past waterfalls and lookouts to Berg Lake and the base of Mount Robson, the highest mountain in the Canadian Rockies.
Mount Robson Provincial park is located in northern BC 4 hours north of Kamloops or 1 hour east of Jasper AB.
Berg Lake Trail Update Facts 2025
The Berg lake trail was closed since July 2021 due to flooding but it has been rehabilitated and is now 100% open.
New trail building to circumvent the flood damage has made the trail a little bit longer. You can read more about the flood and the rebuild here.
Berg Lake Trail Hike Info
- Difficulty Level: Hard – Trail is well maintained but it is along hike
- Elevation gain: 800m+ more if you do the add on hikes
- Distance: 44km round trip to Berg Lake Campsite
- Time Needed: 2-4 Days Backpacking or 10+ hours as a fast day hike
- Best Time To Go: July – Sept – High alpine environment
- Dog Friendly – Yes but dogs are not allowed to stay overnight in the park
- Terrain – Varied terrain recommend good hiking boots or trail runners
- Fires – Not allowed anywhere in Mt Robson Provincial Park
- 4 x 4 – Not required parking is behind Mt Robson Visitor center on Kinney Lake Rd
How To Get To The Berg Lake Trail
Mt Robson Provincial Park and The Berg Lake trail are located on highway 16 between the town of Valemount BC and Jasper Alberta. The trailhead at the visitor center where you need to check in before your hike is easily searchable on google maps.
Coming From BC
Leaving Kamloops take highway 5 north (Yellowhead), 360km or just under 4 hours until you reach the highway 16 junction where you turn east.
Leaving Pring George take highway 16 south 3 hours or 290 km to the trailhead.
Coming From Alberta
Leaving from Jasper AB head west a scenic 90km or one hour on highway 16.
Where To Park
Parking Is Available right at the trailhead on Kinney Lake Rd as well as the visitor center. Both lot are large with information signs and bathrooms. There is also a restaurant and charging stations if you have an electric car right beside the visitor center.
Berg Lake Trail Map & Route Breakdown
The berg lake trail is easily one of the most impressive hikes in Canada. We found ourselves constantly wowed at all stages of the trail. The trail can be broken down to 5 easy to understand main stages you can camp at. There has been about a kilometer of extra trail added between Whitehorn and Emperor not reflected in the map below.
Berg Lake Trail Campsite Distances
- Trailhead to Kinney Lake & Campground – 7km
- Kinney Lake to Whitehorn Campground – 4km
- Whitehorn Campground To Emperor Falls – 5km
- Emperor Falls to Marmot Campground – 3km
- Marmot to Berg Lake Campground – 3km
There is almost no elevation until you get past Whitehorn campground so the first 11 or 12 km of the trail goes really quickly.
Hiking To Berg Lake
The views at the lake
So after you park the first thing we did was go to the visitor center for our check in. The process was quick and they gave us laminated camping cards that you attach to your tent. You do not need to schedule a time to watch a video anymore.
We then drove two minutes up the road to the main trail parking lot.
Even though the parking lot was huge this is about 1/4 of it here, there was only 1 or 2 spots left.
Stage 1 Parking to Kinney Lake (7km)
Meghan settling into the reality of her 3 day bag.
The trail starts out very easily along this beautiful path following the Robson river. You follow this for an almost flat pleasant 6km until you reach Kinney Lake.
The views really start to open up as you approach Kinney Lake
At the edge of Kinney Lake you have the choice of going left or right. Going left takes you along the lakeshore to some super pretty swimming and day use spots. The trail meets up with the original right after this so no reason not to take the scenic route.
You want to take the path to the left if you have time.
Kinney Lake campground and cooking shelter. Kinney lake was beautiful and this could be a destination by itself!
Stage 2 Kinney Lake to Whitehorn Campground (4km)
This is where you finally start to gain a bit of elevation. We ascended a gradual 200m up over the 4km to Whitehorn
With no time to hangout we continue to push on for Whitehorn campground.
Right after Kinney Lake campground you will see the chain up posts for your bikes. The park doesn’t want you to ride past this point. I wish we had known about this option as it it saves 12km with the return.
We met some people on the trail on this fork who told us about taking the Kinney flats route. If the weather has been good you can shave off a whole bunch of elevation by taking the flats. If its dry save yourself some km and take the flats!
This option is only available if the rainfall hasn’t been heavy.
Soon after we arrived at Whitehorn Campground for the night and were greeted with peekaboo views of Mt Robson and the Whitehorn Valley. We met some campers there who had recently gone up and down from here and this was there first view of Robson.
On the left you can see some of the early arrivals got sites right on the tree line. We didn’t realize it at the time but the whole rock wall behind us was literally part of Mt Robson.
Whitehorn campground views, not a bad place for the night!
Stage 3 Whitehorn To Emperor Falls (5km)
The views start to get truly impressive at this point on the trail. I don’t think this waterfall even had a name.
This section alone you will do 500 of the total 800m elevation gained on the trail. We met lots of hikers who camped multiple nights here to avoid carrying the big bag up to the lake.
We didn’t find the ascent that bad. Views like this and frequent snack breaks made it easier.
After white falls the trail continues upward over the valley until you get your first glimpse of Emperor Falls.
Emperor falls with Mt Robson as a backdrop. I think we got lucky with the weather!
The truly impressive Emperor Falls!
Emperor has some amazing campsites. Reservations anywhere in the park are tough to come by but the spots here were pretty magical.
Stage 4 Emperor Falls To Marmot Camp (3 km)
The views just continue to get better all the way to Berg Lake itself. From here it is only another 100m of climbing and all your elevation is done. This section has limited shade approaching Marmot so I would leave before it gets to hot.
Incredible views approaching Marmot.
Walking in front of Mt Robson looks like a frame straight out of Nepal. This section was truly impressive.
The final section across the flats just before Marmot campsite can be quite prone to flooding.
Marmot campsite is a great spot to take a break before pushing on to the lake.
Marmot Campsite To Berg Lake Campground (3 km)
From Marmot its a scenic lake side walk on the short trail all the way to Berg Lake campground.
After all the uphill the flat 3km along the shore was a great way to arrive.
First things first we grabbed a tent pad and immediately went swimming. The water was “fresh” to say the least!
The cooking shelter had a fabulous views and felt more like a full cabin.
Dinner with a view! and look how cool that tent pad is!
The next morning we headed straight up Toboggan Falls to this famous viewpoint!
The million dollar view
From the lookout you could see the entire area. Mount Robson is on the right with Mount Rearguard beside it. The valley on the left follows Robson lake up the valley to Robson glacier and Snowbird pass.
The Berg Lake Add On Hikes
So what wasn’t obvious to us before our hike is there are only two real hiking areas.
Mumm Basin Toboggan Falls and the Hargreaves lake loop are one the west side of Berg Lake Campground and are all kind of connected in a big loop.
Snowbird pass goes east in the other direction towards Rearguard mountain.
TLDR – Mumm Basin and Toboggan Falls on the west side of Berg Lake are the highlights. If you have the time and legs also head east to Snowbird pass to see the glacier.
Toboggan Falls
1km one way 300m elevation gain – Short steep trail starts right past Berg Lake Campground.
A very unique waterfall that continuously flows the entire way up. Can be combined with the Mumm Basin lookout or Hargreaves Lake loop. Make sure you do this trail as the views even part way up looking back are incredible.
Cross the bridge just past Berg Campground and then head up hill as soon as you see the sign. Its an easy to follow trail!
This would be a great little hike to catch a sunset!
Mumm Basin
The Berg Lake viewpoint and the Mumm Basin trail was damaged by a landslide. Because of this Mumm basin loop trail is closed.
You can still reach an incredible lookout but you have to go the Toboggan Falls way. You can no longer do the loop trail from the Robson Pass campground. Head up Toboggan falls and take a right 500m to get to this view!
plenty of spots and rocks to make your own lookout!
The landslide that took out the Mumm Basin loop.
Meghan standing at the trail fork. Head to the right towards Mumm Basin to find the epic view.
Hargreaves Lake Loop
6km trail with 350 m elevation gain – Hargreaves lake is located just above Marmot campground and can be reached by climbing up from Marmot or Toboggan falls and traversing.
If leaving from Berg Lake Campground the easiest way is to go up the Toboggan falls trail turn left and traverse the ridge trail to Hargreaves lake. We elected to skip this to spend more time at the lake.
Snowbird Pass
20km Return with a 800m elevation gain – Snowbird pass is a big day out no matter how you slice it. The views are incredible and being able to walk right up to the glacier and look back at Mt Robson and Mt Rearguard is quite special. The weather was not co-operating on our hike day but the trail was still beautiful.
Snowbird Pass Easy Option
We elected to just walk to the edge of the glacier and Mt Robson lake. The lake has icebergs floating in it and is quite a pretty view. This part of the trail is a far more manageable 6km return and 100m elevation. As we did not have the time or energy to add a 20km day hike we were happy with this view!
Where To Camp On The Berg Lake Trail
Honestly all the campgrounds on the Berg Lake trail were great. Saying that we definitely had some favorites. This will totally depend on the available bookings and rest assured there are no bad choices. Just some sites make more sense logistically for your trip.
We did a 3 night trip 1 night Whitehorn and 2 night at Berg and we were quite happy with that.
What Do The Berg Lake Campsites Look Like?
Kinney Lake Campground Km 7
Beautiful lake side sites with a view and a shelter
Whitehorn Campground Km 11
Has some lovely sites by the creek and several more in the trees. Covered dining area and great views of the valley with Mt Robson behind the site. This campsite makes a lot of sense kilometre wise to break up your hike.
Emperor Falls Campground Km 17
Incredible sites right on the river above Emperor falls. This would be a beautiful area to camp. Has no covered shelter but its a great location and fully reachable in a day.
Marmot Campground Km 20
On the near shore of Berg Lake has great views and a decent shoreline. Pretty but not as nice as Berg Lake site.
Berg Lake Campground Km 22
The place to be on the trail. Lots of sites near the water with views of Mt Robson. Has a full cabin that you can use as a cooking shelter and many picnic tables.
If you walk past the main campground and the shelter there was 3 or 4 more sites that had great views.
Rearguard Campground Km 23
I would only choose rearguard if Berg Lake campground is not available. Some of the sites have incredible views looking back towards Robson but it is a 1km or so hike to the lake.
Rearguard is right on the river with amazing views so its not all bad. We just preferred to have easy lake access and scenic picnic tables at Berg.
Trail Conditions & What to Expect in 2025
The Berg lake trail has been very lightly trafficked since its re opening after the flood. Expect a trail in great condition with some newly graveled sections. It is a very easy path to follow and very difficult to lose your way.
The only con of the new trail is that its about 2km longer in total as they had to remake some sections north of Whitehorn campground.
We found the trail had good drainage and we had no issues with mud. There are sections where you want to pay attention to water level and rainfall. Heading into Marmot campground area and between the Kinney flats.
The old Km and distance signs have been left up. These new shiny blue Berg Lake Trail signs show the new distance after the trail rebuild.
Permits & Reservations: What You Need to Know
No permits are required for Mt Robson Provincial Park and the Berg Lake trail. If you would like to stay overnight camping reservations are required.
Camping reservations for the season usually June 29 – Sept 29 are usually released all at once in early April. You can find the reservation site here.
I am not going to lie it can be pretty hard to get a reservation at the nicer sites like Berg or Emperor falls. You want to be logged on ready to go the moment it opens with a couple date choices that will work for you.
I recommend trying to get a Berg Lake site and planning the rest of your hike around that booking.
What If You Can’t Get A Camping Reservation At Berg Lake Site
Don’t despair you can still see the area. We met lots of people that booked 2 nights at Whitehorn and day hiked to Berg Lake on their second day. Since almost all the elevation gain happens between Whitehorn and Berg this means you don’t have to carry your heavy bag uphill.
This might be what I would recommend if you are not a great uphill hiker or short on time. This can also work from Emperor Falls but it is a longer day.
You can also day hike like many people we met. If you bike to Kinney lake its really not that bad!
Berg Lake Trail Check In Procedure
Before you start the trail everyone is required to check in at the Mt Robson Visitor center. The visitor center is on the way and gives you a chance to use the bathroom and check the weather or send a last message with their wifi.
If you are day hiking the rangers will tell you about developments on the trail wildlife in the area precautions etc. If you are camping they will give you little laminated reservation cards to put on your tent.
You do not need to print out your camping reservations like you do at other BC Parks anymore. There is also a 15 minute video you can watch if you are curious about the park. You do not need to schedule this check in just head up to the counter and they will sort you out.
We found the check in to be valuable and good update on the area. The ranger told us to watch out for a Moose and calf around the Berg site and a grizzly that had been watching people from the ridge before Marmot campground.
We didn’t get lucky and see either. Happy about missing the grizzly but I have never seen a moose and that would have been very cool.
Safety Tips: Wildlife, Weather & Navigation
Safety & Wildlife:
The Berg Lake trail had been closed for 4 + years so wildlife has re-inhabited the area. You should prepare for bear and other wildlife encounters. Bring bear spray and make noise on remote sections of the trail.
At the lake we found numerous ground nesting birds that had laid eggs on the beach. People we met on the way out as we headed up saw porcupine and moose on the trail. I kept dragging protection frames left by the rangers over the nests so they didn’t get stepped on.
Many people were carrying GPS and SOS devices and this would be a great idea. If you don’t have a GPS or sat phone there are emergency radios at the various campgrounds you can use to contact the rangers.
DO NOT FORGET BUG SPRAY! There was a cold snap right before our arrival so a lot of the bugs died off. By the last night of our trip they were already coming back in force!
I find that anything with Icaridin or Pricaridin like this PI active repellent we use seems to work way better than DEET based repellents. I think the bugs in Canada have been conditioned to DEET. Icaridin is also non toxic which is always nice.
If you don’t have time to buy online Canadian Tire has a no name version that works as well.
Weather:
Mt Robson is high enough it can form its own weather system. Take your forecasts with a grain of salt the weather changed very quickly. Prepare for alpine exposed weather wind and rain even if the forecast is sun. This is not the camping trip to forget your jacket or rain fly on your tent.
On our first night we had lightning and thunder after a full day of sun. The next day we had 40km winds that blew the storm away and gave us a sunny day. The last day it rained for 10 hours. The forecast was 3 days of sun with no wind.
Navigation:
There is no cell reception in the Berg Lake trail area. Make sure you have your maps and weather forecast saved and downloaded on your phone. We are big fans of using maps.me and All Trails so we always know where we are.
We also take detailed pictures of the trail maps at the beginning of the hike and download the area in google maps offline. You can use all these maps systems for free!
FAQs About Hiking Berg Lake Trail
The Berg lake trail is not exceptionally difficult at 44 km return it is just long. Because of the length and the 800m of elevation I rate this hike as hard
If you are willing to fast walk and trail run this trail is totally doable in a day. If you go in July when the days are still long it should be no trouble if you move quickly. We met several groups of day trippers.
Absolutely not. Even thought Berg Lake really is beautiful the whole trail is very scenic. We met many groups of people who were just heading to Kinney Lake or Emperor falls as day trips.
We wish we knew this before but you can bike all the way to Kinney Lake. There is an obvious stop on the trail with racks where you can lock your bikes up. This can shave 6km each way of your hike.
If you are planning to stay overnight you will need a camping reservation. Day trippers are able to visit permit free.
Leashed dogs are allowed on all portions of the trail but they are not allowed to stay overnight in Mt Robson Provincial Park.
No the trail officially completely reopened June 29th 2025.
The Berg Lake trail was heavily damaged by flooding from the July 2021 heat dome. The high temperatures caused a large amount of glacial melt that washed out bridges and destroyed parts of the trail.
Yes absolutely Canada especially this area of BC and AB can be very spread out and remote and having some sort of cell connection is a safety issue. By the far the best eSim deal I have ever found is Hoam. Just download at home and activate as soon as you land or cross the border and you are good to go.
Where To Stay To Visit Mt Robson & Berg Lake
There are two convenient places to stay before your hike Valemount and Jasper Here are our recommendations for both. Jasper has far higher end accommodation and is priced accordingly. There are some great budget options in Valemount.
Hotel Recommendations In Jasper!
Budget – Jasper Downtown hostel 2 Star Rating
Budget – Athabasca Hotel Downtown – 3 Star
Mid – Miette Hot Springs Bungalows – 3 Star
High – The Fairmont is world class 5 Star
Hotel Recommendations In Valemount!
When Is The Best Time To Hike The Berg Lake Trail
Berg Lake Trail in July
The majority of trail ins Mt Robson Provincial Park is not accessible until later in spring. This year (2025) the trail opened on June 26 and reservations can be made until Sept 29.
When we did the hike on July 1 Snowbird pass the highest point on the trail had just opened. There was still snow on the peaks but the trail was snow free.
What Else To See In Valemount & Jasper
After taking the Kamloops to Mt Robson route we opted to head home via Jasper, the Icefields parkway and Banff. This was a phenomenal way to see this part of the world. Taking some time to do a scenic drive after a big hike is a great way to appreciate the views without a hike.
To see some of the highlights of the area check out our Banff + Icefields Parkway Itinerary here.
There are also some incredible waterfalls in Wells Grey Provincial Park just outside of Clearwater BC if you are heading back the Kamloops way!
