Whistler is Paradise!
Whistler is a winter wonderland paradise! Check out our Best Whistler Hiking by Month for inspiration!
Aiguille: a tall, narrow, characteristically distinct spire of rock. From the French word for "needle". Used extensively as part of the names for many peaks in the French Alps. Around Whistler and in Garibaldi Park you will find several distinct aiguilles. Shown here is the prominent aiguille that stands like a tower at the summit of Rethel Mountain above Wedgemount Lake. Standing near the hut at Wedgemount Lake, Rethel is the towering mountain directly across the lake.
Whistler & Garibaldi Hiking
Alexander Falls 
Ancient Cedars 
Black Tusk 
Blackcomb Mountain Brandywine Falls Brandywine Meadows Brew Lake Callaghan Lake Cheakamus Lake 
Cheakamus River 
Cirque Lake Flank Trail Garibaldi Lake Garibaldi Park Helm Creek Jane Lakes Joffre Lakes Keyhole Hot Springs Logger’s Lake Madeley Lake Meager Hot Springs Nairn Falls Newt Lake Panorama Ridge Parkhurst Ghost Town Rainbow Falls Rainbow Lake Ring Lake Russet Lake Sea to Sky Trail Skookumchuck Hot Springs Sloquet Hot Springs 
Sproatt East Sproatt West Taylor Meadows Train Wreck 
Wedgemount Lake Whistler Mountain
January February 
March April May 
June July August 
September October November December
If you are looking at Wedge Mountain from Whistler Village, Rethel Mountain is the second mountain to the left of Wedge. In order they are Wedge Mountain, Parkhurst Mountain and Rethel Mountain. Parkhurst Mountain stretches down the valley to Parkhurst Ghost Town at the shore of Green Lake. Across Wedgemount Lake and still visible from Whistler are Mount Weart, Armchair Glacier and Cook Mountain. If you are new to Whistler and are unfamiliar with Wedge Mountain, it is the strikingly wedge-shaped mountain that dominates the skyline from many places in Whistler. The highest mountain in Garibaldi Provincial Park and easily spotted next to Blackcomb Mountain, which in turn is next to Whistler Mountain. Shown here is Wedge Mountain and Blackcomb Mountain as seen from Rainbow Lake across the valley. The first glimpse of Wedge Mountain, for most, is from the highway as they drive into Whistler. At Function Junction 8 kilometres south of Whistler Village you catch your first beautiful view of this towering mountain. The Sea to Sky Highway lines up with Wedge Mountain a few times as you drive through Whistler and north of Whistler Village you see it almost constantly on your right as you pass Green Lake and continue north toward Pemberton.
Rethel Mountain Aiguille from Wedgemount Lake
From the shore of Wedgemount Lake the aiguille on Rethel Mountain is easily visible and quite distinct. Rethel Mountain and its neighbour to the left, Parkhurst are strikingly beautiful mountains to see and even hear. While camping at the shore of Wedgemount Lake, you will be startled occasionally to hear quite large boulders tumbling down these mountains and into the lake. It happens fairly regularly and you never quite get used to the unnerving sound of falling rocks. It tends to add to the interesting and hostile beauty of this wonderful place.
Wedgemount Lake Maps
Below is a map showing Wedgemount Lake from several vantage points. The upper tent pad view looking across to Wedgemount Glacier, an iceberg in July, the beautiful glacier window, the amazing view from the lower tent pads along Wedgemount Lake. The map also shows the various routes up Wedgemount Glacier to Wedge Mountain. These routes are potentially very dangerous and glacier travel is always unpredictable and hazardous, so make sure you know what you are doing before venturing beyond the glacier window.
Levette Lake View of a Tantalus Range Aiguille
Another good place to see an aiguille is at Levette Lake, south of Whistler, near Squamish. Looking across the lake you get a great view of the Tantalus Range and this marvellous aiguille shown here. Levette Lake is a hidden little lake found just a short drive up Squamish Valley Road. Details, maps and directions can be found at HikeInSquamish.com.
Interested in the Geology of BC?
Here are two excellent books on the Geology of British Columbia. In Search of Ancient British Columbia by Barbara Huck is one of our favourites. It focuses on southern BC and covers each individual region separately. The Lower Mainland chapter explains the geology, paleontology and archaeology of the region stretching from Vancouver, Sea to Sky, Garibaldi Park and north to Mount Meager and Meager Hot Springs. Quite a lot of the book is devoted to how the last ice age shaped the land and inhabitants of southern BC. The chapters on Vancouver Island are particularly good as the geological history was particularly chaotic and the history of glaciation around present day Victoria is very interesting. Geology of British Columbia: A Journey Through Time by Sydney Cannings, JoAnne Nelson and Richard Cannings is a beautiful history of BC's geology and the 200 million year history of creatures living in this extraordinary corner of the world. The authors take us on a journey through time, describing the collisions of island chains called terrains, the sliding of plates, the erupting of volcanoes, and the movement of glaciers that created British Columbia as we know it today. They also describe the rich legacy of fossils left behind as a result of all this geological activity.
December hiking in Whistler is mainly done on snowshoes, though if it hasn't snowed for a few days, trails to Whistler Train Wreck and Rainbow Falls can ...
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There are plenty of beautiful and free snowshoe trails in Whistler and Garibaldi Provincial Park. From the surreal paintings of Whistler Train Wreck to ...
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February is a great month for snowshoeing in Whistler and Garibaldi Park. The days slowly get longer, but the temperatures stay consistently cold. Expect ...
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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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Whistler & Garibaldi Hiking
Alexander Falls Ancient Cedars Black Tusk Blackcomb Mountain Brandywine Falls Brandywine Meadows Brew Lake Callaghan Lake Cheakamus Lake Cheakamus River Cirque Lake Flank Trail Garibaldi Lake Garibaldi Park Helm Creek Jane Lakes Joffre Lakes Keyhole Hot Springs Logger’s Lake Madeley Lake Meager Hot Springs Nairn Falls Newt Lake Panorama Ridge Parkhurst Ghost Town Rainbow Falls Rainbow Lake Ring Lake Russet Lake Sea to Sky Trail Skookumchuck Hot Springs Sloquet Hot Springs Sproatt East Sproatt West Taylor Meadows Train Wreck Wedgemount Lake Whistler Mountain
January February March April May June July August September October November December
Ancient Cedars is a nice, easy/moderate 2.5 kilometre (1.6 mile) hiking trail on the far side of Cougar Mountain, just 13.1 kilometres north of Whistler Village. A small, untouched grove of huge western ...
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Skookumchuck Hot Springs(aka T'sek Hot Springs and St. Agnes Well), located two hours north of Whistler along the edge of the huge Lillooet River. The name Skookumchuck means "strong water" in the language ...
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Madeley Lake is a beautiful, remote mountain lake hidden high up in the Callaghan Valley. From Whistler Village expect to take 40 minutes to drive there. You can drive directly to the lake, however the ...
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Brandywine Meadows is a nice, relatively short hike to a massive flower filled valley high up in Callaghan Valley. Located 40 minutes south of Whistler, this tough and sometimes muddy trail gains a huge 550 ...
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