Elfin Lakes
Location: Elfin Lakes, Howe Sound
Photo Date: July 2026
Description:
Last Light — Elfin Lakes
Just before the sun dropped behind the ridge, the whole basin went gold. The Elfin Lakes shelter caught the last warm rays on its roofline while Mount Garibaldi's peak held onto the fading light behind it, still streaked with snow from the winter before.
The lake hadn't so much as rippled all evening. For a few minutes, it turned into a perfect mirror — doubling the shelter, the subalpine firs, the jagged skyline — right at that narrow window between golden hour and blue hour, when the light shifts from warm to cool in a matter of minutes.
I stood there and watched the color drain out of the mountains, knowing that a few hours later I'd be back at this same spot watching green light instead of gold ripple across the same still water.
Learn more about the hiking trail to Elfin Lakes.
Contest Year Submitted: 2026
