Four Lakes Trail Hike

The Four Lakes Trail in Alice Lake Provincial Park is a relatively quick and family-friendly hike just a few kilometers north of Squamish. The trail takes you through a beautiful forest, which unsurprisingly passes by four lakes in a 6.5-kilometre loop. The main loop has little elevation change and should take around two hours to complete, although there are shorter loop options available and links to longer trails outside the park boundary, or you could easily spend a few hours just hanging out by one of the lakes. Alice Lake is large, beautiful, and great for swimming, but it can be extremely busy. The other three lakes are smaller and not very swim-friendly, but they are much more likely to offer a bit of privacy. The trails in the area are well-marked, well-maintained, easy to follow, and open year-round for hiking. Mountain biking is allowed in Alice Lake Provincial Park from September 15 to May 1 only due to congestion during the summer months.

While there are several places hikers can park and begin the loop, the information provided here begins from the parking area on Alice Lake Road just past the campground entrance. From the parking area the trail enters the forest, and within 300 meters you’ll reach an intersection at the edge of Stump Lake, the second largest lake of the four. Take a left and  walk along the length of Stump Lake and around its tip before reaching another intersection where you’ll take another left and veer off into the forest toward the Cheekeye River. The trail briefly meets the riverbank before turning back to the right and climbing up the hill to Fawn Lake, the smallest and swampiest of the four. Here you’ll find a short detour down to a nice spot on the water.

Follow the signs for Edith Lake/Alice Lake down an old dirt road for about a kilometer and continue straight through an intersection with another, larger gravel road, and soon you’ll see Edith Lake on your left. This is another rather small and swampy lake, and like Fawn Lake it is not great for swimming, but it’s nice to look at. As you walk along the trail with Edith Lake on your left, watch for a turnoff heading uphill to the right. After a brief climb the trail descends through a beautiful mossy valley and emerges at the southern tip of Alice Lake where there are several picnic tables, a dock, and a large parking area. Alice Lake is a great spot to hang out for an afternoon, and unlike the other three lakes that are beautiful yet uninviting, this one offers fantastic swimming. Unlike the other three lakes, it does get crowded at times during the summer. To return to the original trailhead, follow the west shore of Alice Lake up to the main day use area on the north side, then walk along the trail through the campground back out to the road.