Elizabeth Parker Hut

Elizabeth Parker Hut (EP) is an Alpine Club of Canada backcountry hut in the Lake O’Hara area of Yoho National Park, set in an alpine meadow about 500 metres from the Lake O’Hara shoreline. The hut is in operation year-round and is managed as a high-demand, quota-limited Lake O’Hara site where access is regulated to protect the area.

EP Hut sleeps up to 24 in summer (capacity) and up to 20 in winter, with propane-powered heat and lighting (propane lamps, propane stove and oven). Facilities include a creek water source and outhouses. For summer stays, Lake O’Hara is reached by a Parks Canada bus running from mid-June to early-October; from the bus drop-off in front of the Le Relais Cabin, it’s a short hike to the hut. During peak summer, booking the Parks Canada bus with the hut reservation is recommended; in the shoulder season when the bus is not operational, access is via hiking up the Lake O’Hara Road for 12 km, with mountain bikes not permitted on that road.

Rates are set seasonally with different pricing for members and non-members; peak-season pricing applies for summer dates June 15–Oct 13. Summer access and stays are also governed by the Lake O’Hara quota system, with a hut lottery process in the summer that has closed for the current cycle; winter operation shifts to ski touring or snowshoeing for the 12 km, primarily forested route up the Lake O’Hara Road, with avalanche terrain considerations (Class 1).

Historically, the Wiwaxy cabin is part of the Lake O’Hara hut system dating to 1912, and the current Elizabeth Parker Hut main cabin dates to 1919; the hut is recognized as a Federal Heritage Building (designated in 1997).

Official website