Since Keen Creek Road, the only practical access to Joker Millsite and Joker Lakes, was washed out at 15 kilometers in 2002, parks management has decided to not repair it.
Joker Lakes are pretty – unusually the lower lake is turquoise with glacial silt and the upper lake is clear. But as a destination in themselves, they are only ok. Climbing to Coffee Pass gives good views of Kokanee and the Giant’s Kneecap. In fact the Copelands gave them only one boot, their lowest rating. The only good reason to come over here would be as part of a traverse to Woodbury Creek or Coffee Creek or to climb Mt Kane, a worthy destination. There are other ways to reach this beautiful area:
1. Drive to the washout at 15km and bicycle the last 10kms to Joker Millsite. Or bring a motorcycle or an ATV. The washout is actually a severe sagging of the creek-side of the road and is easily passable by a more narrow vehicle.
2. Backpack from Kokanee Creek and Gibson Lake. a. via the Esmeralda Trail (at the height of the trail) through The Keyhole, over Kokanee Glacier (rope and crampons), and descend to Joker Lakes or the summit of your choice. It will usually be necessary to camp. or b. Continue along the trail from Gibson Lake, past Kokanee Lake, and round the northwest end of the Cond Peak-Kokanee Peak ridge on trail. This entails not only much more distance, but also a loss of more than 500 meters of altitude from Slocan Chief to reach the Joker Millsite, and then having to climb back up to the lakes. or c. take the trail to Slocan Chief cabin as in b. above and traverse cross country to Joker Lakes without descending to the Millsite.
3. The Coffee Creek approach might be used, but the trail is in bad shape.