Hiking in Whistler in October is often unexpectedly stunning. The days are much shorter and colder but the mountains are alive with colour from the fall leaves. On the higher elevations there is often a dusting of snow that makes everything look amazing. Picking a full moon evening to hike in a place like Joffre Lakes, Russet Lake or Wedgemount Lake makes for an incredible night in the mountains.
November in Whistler is when the temperatures plummet and the first heavy snow falls in the alpine and often in Whistler Village. The hiking opportunities become limited to easier and lower elevation hikes such as to Nairn Falls, Brandywine Falls and Rainbow Falls. Waterfalls are a great in Whistler, huge and impressive. Also, most can be accessed year-round. Alexander Falls, located high up in beautiful Callaghan Valley, just metres from a snow plowed road.
December hiking in Whistler is mainly done on snowshoes, though not always. If it hasn't snowed much recently then trails such as Whistler Train Wreck and Rainbow Falls can be done fairly easily without snowshoes. The wonderful, multi-use trail network in Whistler, the Valley Trail is amazing on foot all winter with some sections plowed, some left snow covered and even a few sections groomed for free cross country skiing.
There are plenty of beautiful and free snowshoe trails in Whistler and Garibaldi Provincial Park. From the surreal paintings of Whistler Train Wreck to the magnificent mountain serenity of Wedgemount Lake in Garibaldi Park. Trails range from extremely easy, like the short, flat trails to Brandywine Falls and Rainbow Park. To challenging and long trails to places like Elfin Lakes and Taylor Meadows.
February is a great month for snowshoeing in Whistler and Garibaldi Park. The days slowly get longer, but the temperatures stay consistently cold. Expect several days of -12c and of course much colder in the mountains. February is a great month for trying some overnight snowshoeing trips. There are even several huts that are available to use. Some are free and some have a reasonably low cost.
March is usually a snowy month in Whistler, though in 2024 not a whole lot of snow has fallen. Snowshoes are already not necessary for lots of trails in and around Whistler. If you have not been to Whistler Train Wreck, you have to, it's a must see. It's a decades old train wreck which was turned into an art exhibit in 2011 when local artists painted extraordinary murals over the mangled train cars.
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 the excitement of approaching summer can be seen everywhere. The snow in the village starts the month measured in feet and ends the month, having mostly melted, about halfway up to mid-station on Whistler Mountain. Early in April the usual favourite places to snowshoe are warm and wonderful.
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 quiet in May and nobody goes hiking. This is because most of the trails have quite deep snow. This keeps everyone away, and for good reason. The best Garibaldi Park and Whistler area trails are mostly steep and at high elevations, so hiking or snowshoeing in deep snow is exhausting.
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). The summer tourist season in Whistler doesn’t kick into high gear until the end of June, so most trails remain relatively quiet. The higher elevation hiking trails in Whistler and Garibaldi Park often have lingering snow well into June and sometimes early July.
July is a wonderful time to hike in Whistler and Garibaldi Provincial Park. The weather is beautiful and the snow on high elevation hiking trails is long gone. The average temperatures in Whistler Village range from 11c to 27c(52f to 80f). Located in the Coast Mountains, Whistler gets warm summer days and cool nights. On a hot July day of 25c(77f) often switches to a cool 12c(54f) night.
August hiking in Whistler definitely has the most consistently great, hot weather. You can feel the rare pleasure of walking across a glacier shirtless and still hot. Even in the high elevations and on glaciers the temperatures are often a beautifully hot 20c plus. There are numerous glaciers that are readily accessible via Whistler area hiking trails. Wedgemount Lake has one of these beautiful glaciers just steps from its far shore.
September hiking in Whistler is possibly the best month of all. The snow has melted far up to the mountain tops, yet the temperatures are still quite high. And just like that wonderful phenomenon of May and June, there are no annoying bugs. And with the passing of the first week of September, the summer season officially ends, so the number of hikers dwindles to virtually none by the second week.
