Quick Facts:

• AllTrails link: Lightning Lake Loop, 6km with 200m elevation gain
• Difficulty: easy, with some sections that require closer supervision for a toddler
• Traffic: moderate
• Facilities: pit toilets at trail head
• View: nice views of Lightning Lake
• Overall score: 6/10

We did a modified version of the Lightning Lake Loop, starting from Lighting Lake Campground, going south to loop around the southern half of Lightning Lake, and coming back to the campground via Rainbow Bridge.

You would expect better signage for a loop hike around the most popular lake. However, the signs in the park don’t actually use the name “Lightning Lake Loop”, so be sure to bring a navigating tool such as a GPS device or a detailed map (the provincial park map barely sufficed).

Near the Spruce Bay Beach area, there were some muddy section and lots of mosquitoes.

Most of the trail followed the lake shore at a small distance. Some detours were available to the lake but we skipped them this time.

After a lunch break, Junior was charged up and did most of the second half of the hike.

There were some sections where closer supervision is required for a toddler, such as a bridge and some cliff side trail sections with no railing. A scramble across a rock slide slope was fun too.

It was getting close to lunch time, so we cut the loop short and crossed at Rainbow Bridge.

There wasn’t a jaw-dropping view point on this hike, but it has a good variety of trail, lake view, bridges, and rock scrambles to keep an active toddler interested. Looking at people paddling on the water was also a lot of fun.