Taylor Lake is a great short, easy backcountry trip that is a beautiful spot away from it all, but not too far to drive if you want to stay local in the rockies.

The hike in is only 6.3km and a wide, graded trail through the forest, gaining 585 m in elevation to the picteresque lake at 2065m.

Mt Bell forms the looming backdrop to Taylor lake, and late at night we heard rockfall.

The campground is situated on the boggy shore of the lake, and makes for a stunning morning view out of the tent door.

Myself and three friends did this quick overnighter late June in 2017 when there was still some snow around.

Once arriving at Taylor Lake and having a lazy afternoon, we proceeded to hike the 2.1 km trail through meadows to O’Brien lake where we made our dinner.

It was pretty chilly at this time of year, and parts of the trail at higher elevation were still covered in snow and made for a bit of slippery walking.

I would highly recommend this trip as a short overnighter or for anyone wanting to get into backcountry camping as a first trip.

Although the trail itself is not particularly bountiful with rewards, the destination is stunning and provides some good short side trips worth exploring. Panorama Ridge is another option for exploring through the larch meadows towards the north end of the campground.