May 18th, 2023: Summer has arrived in Whistler and though the mountains are still snowy and tough to hike, all the lower elevation hikes are snow free. Parkhurst Ghost Town is absolutely fantastic in May and nearby Wedge Creek is almost entirely unknown to hikers. If you have ever hiked to Parkhurst, you likely crossed the disintegrating, yet strangely beautiful old bridge over Wedge Creek.

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March 25th, 2023: What trails are good this week?  If you are dying for summer to come, Lillooet Lake is paradise these days.  Just an hours drive north of Whistler is the first of several beach campsites along this massive lake.  Strawberry Point is the first one you come to along the In-Shuck-Ch gravel road that runs along the edge of Lillooet Lake.  The campsites along the lake don't open until April 1st, so you can visit or camp for free before then.

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February 11th, 2023: What trails are good this week?  Driving up into the mountains is a great way to seek out some springtime snow.  Alexander Falls is beautiful these days with deep snow everywhere.  Not really a hike as the walk from your car to the viewpoint is just a hundred metres or so, it is worth the drive, especially on a sunny day!  High up in the Callaghan Valley, Alexander Falls is easy to get to in any weather and amazing in February.

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February 10th, 2023: There are plenty of dog friendly snowshoe trails in Whistler.  They range from easy and quick to get to, to a bit of a drive and a bit more challenging.  Blueberry Park is a wonderful trail just a 2 minute drive from Whistler Village.  You can even walk there in about 20 minutes.  This deep forest park has a great 3 kilometre circle route that takes you up Blueberry Hill and then down along the shore of Alta Lake where you pass by four piers set into the frozen lake.  

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February 4th, 2023: What trails are good this week?  This is a great time of year to check out one of Whistler's impressive waterfalls, Brandywine Falls.  Brandywine Falls is a wonderful place to visit in February, though it is a bit tricky to get to in the winter months due to BC Parks keeping the parking gate locked and towing cars parked outside the gate.

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February 1st, 2023: The beautiful murals that make Whistler Train Wreck the magical place it is today began appearing in 2011 when this hidden place was known by just a few Whistler locals.  Artists ranging from aspiring graffiti artists that mostly remain unnamed, to tremendously gifted professional mural artists like Kups.  Kups is a prolific mural artist with stunning works that can be seen all over Whistler and the lower mainland.  One of his hauntingly beautiful murals can be found inside the first boxcar you come to after crossing the bridge into Whistler Train Wreck.

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January 18th, 2023: Alexander Falls, high up in the Callaghan Valley in Whistler has some interesting historical murals and a mysterious plaque. The information board with as short history of the areas surrounding the falls, complete with museum-like pictures of the regions logging history. One depicts, "A Land of Giants" and describes, with photos, how incredibly huge trees were cut down and moved. One picture from 1910, shows 10 men sitting on an enormous, felled tree and looking tiny by comparison.

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January 5th, 2023: Pack smart by putting heavier items close to your back and higher up your pack.  Be organized and think of keeping important things easily accessible.  Having an accessible sweater makes you more likely to not put off your comfort by difficulty in finding it. Familiarize yourself with your gear before you go.  Setting up your tent in the living room will ensure you have all the parts and know where to put them.

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January 2nd, 2023: The Rubble Creek trailhead to Garibaldi Provincial Park is consistently snowplowed this season.  The two kilometre access road is still difficult for most cars as it is hard packed with about 4 centimetres of snow/ice most of the way up.  It is very icy and regular, non 4x4 cars can't seem to get traction and have to turn back a few metres up the road.  Once you get to the parking lot near the trailhead there is just a centimetre or less of packed ice/snow covering the pavement.

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November 18th, 2022: Way up in the Callaghan Valley on the back side of Mount Sproatt is an abandoned gold mine.  Old cement foundations and two unexpectedly beautiful lakes mark the location of Northair Mine, abandoned in 1982.  For about five years it was a fairly productive gold mine that extracted five tons of gold.  Largely forgotten for years, in the last decade it has come to life in stunning colour by graffiti artists and professional muralists.

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October 22nd, 2022: The Cal-Cheak campground just south of Whistler sits in a tranquil, huge tree forest, nestled between Callaghan Creek and Cheakamus River.  Both Callaghan Creek and Cheakamus River are huge and chaotic torrents of turquoise water that surround the campground on three sides.  Cal-Cheak Recreation Site is divided into three campsite areas, Callaghan Camp is adjacent to Callaghan Creek, the North Camp is along Cheakamus River, and the South Camp has both merging around it. 

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Oct 10th, 2022: Jane Lakes consist of three lakes that are well hidden in the vast wilderness adjacent to Whistler’s Interpretive ForestWest Jane Lake, East Jane Lake and Little Jane Lake are all so engulfed in the forest that they remain unseen until just a few metres away from the shore.  So hidden in fact, that when you do catch a glimpse of West Jane Lake, the biggest of the three, you can’t help but be shocked at the sudden sprawling view.

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Sept 25th, 2022: Newt Lake is a fantastic, emerald coloured and very hidden lake up on the far side of Cougar Mountain.  In the busy summer months you are not likely to see anyone on the trail or at the lake.  In the much quieter fall months, you almost certainly won’t.  The unmarked trailhead is found at the end of the Ancient Cedars trail between the “TREES IN THE ANCIENT CEDARS… DOUGLAS-FIR” info board and the bridge.

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Sept 11th, 2022: The notoriously difficult biking trail in the wilderness between Emerald Forest and Rainbow Park is a pretty fun place to wander around.  It zig-zags through the deep stretch of forest with Alta Lake Road along one side and the train tracks and the River of Golden Dreams on the other.  A River Runs Through It, or ARRTI as it is more affectionately called by the locals who love it, is buried in such a thick forest that you often only see slivers of sky above and wandering off the trail leads you to bizarre and beautiful places.  

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September 5th, 2022: Madeley Lake is a stunning wilderness lake high up in the Callaghan Valley that is easily accessible by a decades old logging road.  Until 2020, you could drive all the way to the end of the lake and walk the short trail to the old campsite nestled in the forest.  This little corner of paradise has been included in area granted to be part of Whistler Olympic Park built for the 2010 Winter Olympics.  

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July 20th, 2022: A little knowledge before you head out into the wilderness is a good idea.  Especially if you are new to hiking or in unknown terrain.  Planning a suitable hike is a great first step is having a great hike.  Bringing along extra clothing and food is a great idea and having a first aid kit will help you with any troubles you may encounter.  Courtesy and hiking etiquette is an important factor as well.  Leaving no trace and packing out what you pack in are paramount to keeping the wilderness wild. 

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Hike in Whistler Glossary

Accumulation Zone: the area where snow accumulations exceeds melt, located above the firn line.  Snowfall accumulates faster than melting, evaporation and ...
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Overlord Mountain is the highest peak in the Fitzsimmons Range.  Overlord is surrounded by several mountains that collectively are named the Overlord ...
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Deadfall means a tangled mass of fallen trees and branches.  There are several name variations for fallen trees that are commonly used in Whistler.  ...
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When hiking to Parkhurst Ghost Town, the first area you will encounter after you cross the disintegrating bridge over Wedge Creek is the wye.  In railroad ...
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Western hemlock (tsuga heterophylla) is a large evergreen coniferous tree that is native to the west coast of North America. Unlike many other trees in ...
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Erratic or glacier erratic is a piece of rock that has been carried by glacial ice, often hundreds of kilometres.  Characteristic of their massive size and ...
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Along the shore of Green Lake, you will find a monstrous old Caterpillar tractor that dates from the 1930’s.  Abandoned here in the 1950’s, it looks as if the ...
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Waterbar and Cross-Ditch: the purpose of a waterbar or cross-ditch is to capture and redirect surface water from the road and channel it across the road ...
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Best Hiking by Month

In the(usually) deep March snow of Whistler you have an amazing array of snowshoeing options.  If you have not been to the Whistler Train Wreck, you have ...
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April in Whistler is a wonderful time of year.  The winter deep freeze ends and T-shirt weather erupts.  The village comes alive with overflowing patios and ...
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May is an extraordinarily beautiful time of year in Whistler.  The days are longer and warmer and a great lull in between seasons happens.  Whistler is fairly ...
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June is a pretty amazing month to hike in Whistler and Garibaldi Park.  The average low and high temperatures in Whistler range from 9c to 21c(48f/70f).  ...
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Best of Whistler

Whistler is very dog friendly and the number of wonderful hiking trails that your dog will love is huge. The massively varied hiking trails range from easy, short, ...
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There are plenty of excellent, kid and family friendly hiking trails and destinations in and around Whistler. Kid and family friendly generally means an easy and ...
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Whistler is surrounded by an immense wilderness dotted with spectacular, hidden lakes and amazing places to set up a tent.  Decades of logging activity has left a ...
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Whistler as a resort has a wonderful car-free core. The Village Stroll runs through the heart of Whistler Village and is entirely car free. If you are visiting Whistler or ...
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Hike in Whistler News & Blog

February 10th, 2023: There are plenty of dog friendly snowshoe trails in Whistler.  They range from easy and quick to get to, to a bit of a drive and a bit ...
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January 2nd, 2023: The Rubble Creek trailhead to Garibaldi Provincial Park is consistently snowplowed this season.  The two kilometre access road is still ...
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September 5th, 2022: Madeley Lake is a stunning wilderness lake high up in the Callaghan Valley that is easily accessible by a decades old logging road.  ...
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February 1st, 2023: The beautiful murals that make Whistler Train Wreck the magical place it is today began appearing in 2011 when this hidden place was ...
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Best Whistler Waterfalls

Shannon Falls towers above Howe Sound at 335 metres as the third tallest falls in BC.  The wonderful, though very short trail winds through a beautiful old ...
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Cirque Falls crashes down from Cirque Lake to Callaghan Lake, connecting these two remarkably beautiful and very different lakes.  Where Callaghan Lake is ...
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Mount Meager erupted here 2400 years ago and filled the valley with debris that cemented into rock that blocked Lillooet River.  Eventually water erosion ...
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Wedgemount Falls can be seen along the trail to Wedgemount Lake.  As the falls flow directly from Wedgemount Lake, they are located about three quarters ...
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Explore BC Hiking Destinations!

Whistler Hiking Trails

Hiking in Whistler is spectacular and wonderfully varied. Looking at a map of Whistler you see an extraordinary spider web of hiking trails that are unbelievably numerous. Easy trails, moderate trails and challenging hiking trails are all available. Another marvellous ...
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Squamish Hiking Trails

Squamish is located in the midst of a staggering array of amazing hiking trails. Garibaldi Provincial Park sprawls alongside Squamish and up and beyond Whistler. Tantalus Provincial Park lays across the valley to the west and the wonderfully remote Callaghan Valley ...
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Vancouver Hiking Trails

Vancouver is surrounded by seemingly endless hiking trails and mountains to explore.  Massive parks line up one after another.  Mount Seymour Provincial Park, Lynn Canyon Park, Grouse Mountain, Cypress Park and the enormous Garibaldi Park all contribute to Vancouver ...
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Clayoquot Hiking Trails

Clayoquot Sound has a staggering array of hiking trails within it.  Between Tofino and Ucluelet, Pacific Rim Park has several wilderness and beach trails, each one radically different from the last.  The islands in the area are often Provincial parks on their own with ...
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Victoria Hiking Trails

Victoria has a seemingly endless number of amazing hiking trails.  Most take you to wild and beautiful Pacific Ocean views and others take you to tranquil lakes in beautiful BC Coastal Rainforest wilderness.  Regional Parks and Provincial Parks are everywhere you turn in ...
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The West Coast Trail

The West Coast Trail was created after decades of brutal and costly shipwrecks occurred along the West Coast of Vancouver Island.  One shipwreck in particular was so horrific, tragic and unbelievable that it forced the creation of a trail along the coast, which ...
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