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Canuck Lake
Yankee-Canuck Lakes Loop
Premier Lake Provincial Park, B.C.
September 26, 2025
Distance: 10.2 km (6.3 mi)
Cumulative Elevation Gain: 313 m (1027 ft)
Dinah and I, usually not keen on mountain lake hikes, were drawn to the Yankee Lake – Canuck Lake Loop, a 7 km trip. Unlike most lake trails, this one runs through meadows as well as forests. But the highlight was the turtles at Turtle Lake.
Dinah and I drove an hour north of Cranbrook to Premier Lake Provincial Park and parked at the south end of the lake. We wandered through the campsite to the Yankee-Canuck Loop trailhead. After climbing through a forest, the trail reaches the edge of a rolling expanse of meadow with scattered trees. We took the left fork to Turtle Lake. Unfortunately, we didn't see any turtles.
We continued to Canuck Lake and entered a dense forest. The trail climbed over a ridge and dropped down to Canuck Lake. It followed the lakeshore, with trees crowding the edge and brief trails leading to view points of the beautiful blue-green lake. Yankee Lake and Canuck Lake are only 150 m apart, so we soon came to Yankee. We followed the lakeshore trail to the end of the lake and continued back to the fork.
We decided to return to Turtle Lake, hoping to see the turtles in the afternoon. We hiked 20 minutes and were rewarded with the sight of four turtles sunbathing on a log in the lake. We may have disturbed two, as they slipped into the water, but they soon returned and climbed back onto the log. Although returning to Turtle Lake added 3 km to our hike, it was worth it.
Premier Lake
We reached the trailhead after walking through the campsite
At Cats Eye Lake junction, Dinah reads about the turtles (mouse over)
At the fork, we turned left for Turtle Lake
The trail passes through semi-open terrain
Turtle Lake
On our first visit, we saw no turtles
Continuing along the trail to Canuck Lake
Unnamed peaks appear ahead
Near the end of the ridge, the trail became bushy
Starting up the ridge
Premier Lake is barely visible
Coming to the south end of Canuck Lake
The north end of Yankee Lake
Another look at Yankee
We reached the end of Yankee
On the way back to complete the loop
On our second visit to Turtle Lake, four turtles were on a log
One of the turtles slipped into the water
Two turtles remained before the others returned
