Difficulty: Medium

Rating: 4/5

Duration: 4hr / 9.5km

Accessibility: Car

gem lake (bigwhite)

Description:

Gem Lake is both a chair lift and an actual lake, I know weird right. To reach Gem Lake take the Falcon Ridge trail to the Jaimeson Loop, once at the end of the loop walk along the ridge to Gem Lake. There is no marked path to get there so you may have to get creative. 

The path takes you up along a flowery meadow of Big White past the newly opened mountain biking trails with stunning views of the valley below, a familiar view to most locals who spend their winters skiing here. 

The lake itself is well named with its beautiful blue and green colors. The area surrounding the lake is usually covered by snow for ten months a year so plan your trips accordingly. To get a good idea of the general snow conditions on the hill during the summer months, a good trick is to use the 24/7 webcams available on the hill.

 

Directions:

This hike is approximately and hour drive from Kelowna.

  1. Driving from Kelowna head towards BigWhite on Highway 33.
  2. Drive 29.1km along Highway 33, then turn left onto BigWhite rd.
  3. Follow Bigwhite rd for 22.7km until you reach the main village.
  4. Park anywhere here and follow signage for trailheads. 

Click to view this route on GoogleMaps!

Click to view a trail map of BigWhite

To reach Gem Lake take the Falcon Ridge trail to the Jaimeson Loop, once at the end of the loop walk along the ridge to Gem Lake. There is no marked path to get there so you may have to get creative. 

GPS Coordinates:

  • Big White turnoff: 49.801490, -119.09280
  • Trailhead: 49.722419, -118.925883
  • Gem Lake: 49.744582, -118.946770

Features:

  • Lake
  • Dog Friendly
  • Mountain views
  • Summit