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BC Parks is threatening to tow Joffre Lakes hikers’ vehicles this weekend

BC Parks made a post to Instagram yesterday letting people know a little bit about the popular Joffre Lakes Trail, issuing some advice, and a stern warning.
Joffre Lakes
BC Parks is warning hikers ahead of the Labour Day long weekend not to park their cars on the highway near the busy Joffre Lakes trailhead. Photo: Instagram/@yourbcparks

BC Parks made a post to Instagram yesterday letting people know a little bit about the popular Joffre Lakes Trail, issuing some advice, and a stern warning.

More than 6,000 hikers visit the park every weekend, and the parks service politely reminded people to “please remember to pack out what you pack in, stay on the trails, do not feed the wildlife, and remember dogs and other domestic pets are prohibited.”

Local Sea to Sky politicians and BC Parks have been grappling with ways to reduce the amount of users to this park that Instagram made famous. From banning dogs to considering a reservation system, and now eliminating cars parked on the side of the highway.

Ending the post is a note regarding visitor parking. Typically there’s a line of dozens of metres of vehicles parked along the highway. They note that the parking lot and overflow fill up around 10am each morning, then issue the warning that “cars parked along the highway this weekend will be towed.”

 

Joffre Lakes Trail is a very popular trail in the Sea to Sky area, averaging up to 6,000 hikers on busy weekends in the summer season. Every year, the number of visitors continues to increase and the environmental impacts increase as well. Visiting the park requires proper expectations and planning. If you do go to Joffre Lakes this long weekend, please remember to pack out what you pack in, stay on the trails, do not feed the wildlife, and remember dogs and other domestic pets are prohibited. Important note: the trailhead lot and overflow parking lot will likely fill up early each day (by 10AM) and parking is not permitted along the highway. Cars parked along the highway this weekend will be towed. #BCParks Photo on the left: @chrisleboe

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