This hike is best done later in the summer (July, August and September) as the lake itself does not open up very early. When we did this trip, it had been very hot out, but the lake was still completely frozen, and it was FREEZING cold up there with the wind and the elevation in the mountains! If you look at the first photo above, you will see the frozen lake behind me! That is usually bright blue and great for a cold plunge!
You are walking along a creek bed for the majority of the hike, so although quick-drying trail runners would be beneficial for the creek crossings, I chose to wear full hiking boots for the ankle support on the rocks! This ended up making the hike a little slower as I was often changing back and forth between boots and creek crossing shoes, but my ankles thanked me in the end!
If it is cold and windy, you can set your tent up on the grassy ledge just before cresting the hill that leads to the lake to get out of the wind, but most people will pitch their tents close to the water itself! We stayed farrrrrr away from the lake on our visit as we had dogs and were worried about the ice, but if it's open, you should make it a priority to take in as many views as possible!
There are several day hikes you can take from this area, and I would recommend taking a day or two to hike around and explore more! Our trip was super short as we didn't have much time, but next year I would love to take a full 3-4 days hiking around and exploring this area in Kluane. :)
This is part of the Kluane Wildlife Refuge, so make sure you are packing out all trash and not taking anything from the hike out with you!
Check out the website linked if you want to complete this hike, and make sure to do your research while hiking in the Yukon!! :)
