Upper Elk Lake and Lower Elk Lake, collectively known as the Elk Lakes, are a pair of alpine lake

Alpine lake

Alpine lakes are classified as lakes or reservoirs at high altitudes, usually starting around 5,000 feet in elevation above sea level or above the tree line....

s in southeastern British Columbia

British Columbia

British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...

, Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

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Upper Elk Lake is the headwaters of the Elk River

Elk River (British Columbia)

The Elk River is a long river, in the southeastern Kootenay district of the Canadian province of British Columbia. Its drainage basin is in area. Its mean discharge is approximately 60 m³/s, with a maximum recorded discharge of 818 m³/s.-Course:...

. The lakes and their immediate surroundings accordingly mark the northernmost portion of the Elk Valley and are protected as Elk Lakes Provincial Park

Elk Lakes Provincial Park

Elk Lakes Provincial Park is a provincial park in south eastern British Columbia, Canada, located west of the continental divide ....

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The Elk Lakes cabin

Elk Lakes cabin

The Elk Lakes cabin is an alpine hut located between the French and Italian Military Groups in the Canadian Rockies, set near the Continental Divide among massive cliff faces, waterfalls, lakes, craggy summits, and hanging icefalls in Elk Lakes Provincial Park, British Columbia...

, maintained by the Alpine Club of Canada

Alpine Club of Canada

The Alpine Club of Canada is a mountain club with a National Office in Canmore, Alberta that has been a focal point for Canadian mountaineering since its founding in 1906. The club was co-founded by Arthur Oliver Wheeler, who served as its first president, and Elizabeth Parker, a journalist for...

, is located a short distance east of Lower Elk Lake.