User:Adelaida1994/sandbox

Directions
The lower lake is located off of the main trail, and is a 5-minute walk on flat terrain from the trail base. The main trail leads to the middle and upper lakes and passes through a Moraine about 1.5 km into the trail. The middle lake is located another 1.5 km from this point, and most of the elevation gain (1535 m) has been attained by then. Trail users are then met by a waterfall located a short distance up the trail from the middle lake. The terrain following the waterfall is less maintained for the remaining distance up to the upper lake.

Maintenance
The trail at Joffre Lakes has been the site of maintenance and upgrades since 2013. The first part of the trail leading to the second lake, is a maintained dirt path. It has been supplemented with steps in some of the steeper areas to reduce the trail grade. The trail has also been slightly rerouted during the upgrade, and is now slightly shorter than before.

Trails designed to minimize soil erosion are more sustainable long term. Soil erosion is irreversible and can enter nearby water sources, impacting the quality of water, and the organisms inhabiting it. A sustainable trail is one that reduces water flow pathways; so that soil isn't displaced during heavy rain. A preferred method of doing this is grade reversal - trails comprised of alternating short sections of ascending and descending trails. The slope and grade of trails has an impact on the amount of soil loss that occurs during rain and traffic. Trail grades of more than 10% result in significantly more soil erosion than trails with smaller slopes. However, grades of more than 10% are sustainable long term if the distance of the trail is short and if there is a strong rock base to it.