The Lake O’Hara area is so appealing and fragile that access to it is tightly controlled. Anyone can hike the 13 kilometres one way from the highway at any time, but you can not drive up the road on your own.

Day hikers, overnight campers, and guests heading for Lake O’Hara Lodge must park near the highway and shuttle to the lake in a bus. The bus has a limited number of seats available each day, so reserve well in advance.

In general, competition for reservations at Lake O’Hara is fierce. Day hikers or campers can reserve three months in advance, and it helps if you are flexible with the dates of your visit. The visitor restrictions serve to protect wildlife, particularly grizzly bears. But mostly Parks Canada is mainly endeavouring to conserve the sensitive alpine and high subalpine habitat for which the Lake O’Hara area is renowned.