Galatea Lakes Hike is a 10.5 mile heavily trafficked out and back trail located near Kananaskis Improvement, Alberta, Canada that features a lake and is rated as moderate. The trail offers a number of activity options and is best used from May until October. Dogs are also able to use this trail but must be kept on leash.
Please note: This trail has been closed due to annual Seasonal Closure: May 1 - late June to allow area to dry and prevent damage. For further information, please check the Kananaskis Valley Trail Report page.
April 16, 2021First time doing Galatea lake. So first off conditions. The trail was hard pack snow covered almost entirely. With some sections at the bottom that were fairly icy. I started my hike at 11 am on the 16th of April. so by the time I came back down some parts of the trail were much softer, It had turned to slush. If you're looking for a fairly easy beginner hike then this is a good choice, trail is super simple to follow. Never once was I concerned I was going to get turned around. It's a gradual climb pretty much all the way, with the last 1.5 kms getting a bit steeper. Trail is closed in most of the hike, with some openings here and there, where you can see up the valley. Once you hit the top it opens up into the beautiful lake and valley.
March 31, 2021Pretty slushy and soupy. I would recommend spikes. Then next week this trail will be super messy so start early! We could not go past Lilian Lake due to avalanche conditions.
March 27, 2021March 21, 2021Bit narrow in places. Steady uphill. No snowshoes needed. Avalanche conditions had us stopping at Lillian Lake.
March 18, 2021Beautiful blue bird day. Started in later afternoon was slushy and a little slippery in some parts. No one on the trail, had it to ourselves. Its gradually to steady up and down. The last bit before the lake is steeper. Worth it to get up to Galatea lakes for the views in all directions. Didn't venture past lower Galatea Lake to the Upper Galatea Lake. Was slippery on the way down. Took our time and in total 5 hours.
March 13, 2021March 12, 2021March 9, 2021February 21, 2021Did this on a windy day with just spikes. We didn’t finish the hike because the wind blew snow over some treks that felt avalanchy. Views were nice but was cloudy/windy. Hoping to try it again on a clear day to make it further. Parking lot pretty empty at 9:30 when we arrived. More busy when we got back around 12 despite the weather. Lots of folks wearing snow shoes which would probably have helped.
February 20, 2021We hiked it on February, 13 and it was a very cold day (-33). My body needed the first 5k hike to warm up. The hike was up and down both ways, but only at 400m elevation. A good winter hike, regardless! I didn't use my snowshoes on my way back, but it’s a good option to carry one.
February 9, 2021Trekked both of the Galatea lakes on July 1, 2020. It was pouring rain the day I hiked. The trail is 80% shaded which gave ample protection from rain and hail. Both of the lakes were partially frozen on July 1 so I would recommend going either in late July or early August. Overall, a beautiful and enjoyable hike. Instagram - Follow / DM me @realasifzeb. We can do a collab on a hike/scramble in the near future.
January 21, 2021Went up to lower Galatea Lake today. Great packed conditions on the trail. Watch for the beautiful giant ice waterfall in the valley near the start!
January 17, 2021The snow on the trail was packed upto Lillian Lake but after that it was knee deep at some points. Became very windy once out of tree line. overall, was a wonderful day and took us 5h30m to complete the trail.
January 2, 2021Beautiful trail. Recommend an early start as the packed snow softened up as the sun was out, making it harder. Also the trail got quite crowded as we descended ~1pm. You can make it to the campsite without snowshoes, but crampons really help!
January 2, 2021December 20, 2020A fairly nice hike. The path to the first lake was fairly packed down but past the campground it quickly got deeper than my knee. As I didn't bring the appropriate gear for that I turned back. Wasn't overly busy until I was heading leaving around Noon.
December 19, 2020Excellent hike. Past Lillian Lake we broke trail and there was a lot of snow (waist to chest deep). We stopped just short of Gatalea due to the depth of the snow (even with snow shoes we were sinking to our hips). We used snow shoes once you clear the tree line. Crampons and poles a must for the Lillian Lake portion of the climb. Strongly recommend snow shoes up to Galatea.
December 17, 2020Nice snowy weather, icy climbing wall, in the end of trail was too much snow so I just couldn’t walk to 2 last lakes
December 12, 2020The trail is in a good winter hiking condition, and spikes is required. Crystal ice covers the trees and creates a winter wonderland. The temperature was lower than expected. The trailhead was -18c and the face was numb. Overall it is a worth to go.
December 12, 2020December 11, 2020Beautiful winter hike! Didn’t quite make it all around Galatea lakes as the trail wasn’t broken in but up until Lillian conditions were great. Lots of bridges over a creek and some really nice peak views. Excited to come back and complete in the summer.
December 8, 2020Did the hike this past Sunday, December 6 and it was spectacular! You do need spikes as it can be icy but the trail was well packed but still good to have. Once you past Lillian Lake it does get quite windy in the valley before getting to lower Galatea. Incredibly breathtaking and we even had lunch there as I wanted to stay longer. Will return in the spring so I can get to upper Galatea as well
December 3, 2020
