Garibaldi Park Whistler A to Z: Alpine ZoneArmchair Glacier is one of the many easily identifiable mountain features around Whistler.  Along with Wedge Mountain and Black Tusk, Armchair Glacier has a distinct shape that it is named after.  Armchair Glacier can be seen from a considerable distance and from many places in Whistler.  In the winter it is a solid white ridge with three peaks and in the summer the ridge and peaks are bare rock and the glacier can be seen as a solid, horizontal line below. 

Whistler & Garibaldi Hiking

Easy Hiking Trail WhistlerAlexander Falls  Moderate Hiking Trail Whistler Dog FriendlyAncient Cedars  Moderate Hiking Trail WhistlerBlack Tusk  Pay Use Hiking Trail WhistlerBlackcomb Mountain  Easy Hiking Trail WhistlerBrandywine Falls  Moderate/Hard Hiking Trail Whistler Dog FriendlyBrandywine Meadows  Moderate/Hard Hiking Trail Whistler Dog FriendlyBrew Lake  Easy Hiking Trail WhistlerCallaghan Lake  Moderate Hiking Trail WhistlerCheakamus Lake  Whistler Hiking Trail EasyCheakamus River  Whistler Hiking Trail HardCirque Lake  Whistler Hiking Trail EasyFlank Trail  Moderate Hiking Trail WhistlerGaribaldi Lake  Moderate Hiking Trail WhistlerGaribaldi Park  Moderate Hiking Trail WhistlerHelm Creek  Moderate Hiking Trail Whistler Dog FriendlyJane Lakes  Joffre Lakes Hike in Whistler in SeptemberJoffre Lakes  Moderate Hiking Trail Whistler Dog FriendlyKeyhole Hot Springs  Hiking Trail Hard Dog FriendlyLogger’s Lake  Whistler Hiking Trail EasyMadeley Lake  Moderate/Hard Hiking Trail Whistler Dog FriendlyMeager Hot Springs Easy Hiking Trail WhistlerNairn Falls  Whistler Hiking Trail HardNewt Lake  Moderate Hiking Trail WhistlerPanorama Ridge  Whistler Hiking Trail EasyParkhurst Ghost Town  Hiking Trail Hard Dog FriendlyRainbow Falls  Moderate Hiking Trail WhistlerRainbow Lake  Moderate/Hard Hiking Trail Whistler Dog FriendlyRing Lake  Moderate Hiking Trail WhistlerRusset Lake  Whistler Hiking Trail EasySea to Sky Trail  Easy Hiking Trail WhistlerSkookumchuck Hot Springs  Easy Hiking Trail WhistlerSloquet Hot Springs  Sproatt East  Moderate Hiking Trail WhistlerSproatt West  Moderate Hiking Trail WhistlerTaylor Meadows  Whistler Hiking Trail EasyTrain Wreck  Hiking Trail Hard - Whistler TrailsWedgemount Lake  Pay Use Hiking Trail WhistlerWhistler Mountain

  Winter Hiking WhistlerJanuary  Winter Hiking WhistlerFebruary  Spring Hiking WhistlerMarch  Spring Hiking WhistlerApril  Spring Hiking WhistlerMay  Summer Hiking WhistlerJune  Summer Hiking WhistlerJuly  Summer Hiking WhistlerAugust  Fall Hiking WhistlerSeptember  Fall Hiking WhistlerOctober  Fall Hiking WhistlerNovember  Winter Hiking WhistlerDecember

The three-peak mountain ridge above Armchair Glacier is actually called Mount Weart.  Despite its distinct armchair appearance and it being known for decades as Armchair Mountain, or simply Armchair, in 1930 the Garibaldi Park Board officially had the name changed to Mount Weart.  John Walter Weart(1861-1941) was a lawyer, politician and the chairman of the Garibaldi Park Board at the time of the name change.  Though officially called Mount Weart by the Geographical Names Board of Canada, the original name Armchair is still almost universally used.  Mount Weart is generally only used to refer to the prominent and highest of the three peaks, the southernmost peak, or the peak on the right if viewed from Whistler.  This southern peak of Mount Weart marks it as the second highest mountain in Garibaldi Provincial Park at 2835 metres or 9301 feet.  Weart's neighbour, Wedge Mountain is the highest peak in Garibaldi Park at 2895 metres or 9497 feet.  The two summits are just 3.7 kilometres apart and joined by the Wedge-Weart Col.  The Armchair Traverse is a popular, though very challenging, Class 4 route from Mount Cook to Mount Weart and descending down from the Wedge Weart Col via the Wedgemount Glacier.  Highlights of the Armchair Traverse are the incredible views of Wedgemount Lake, the surrounding mountains and the enormous Weart Glacier.  Weart Glacier fills the valley to the north of Mount Weart and is fantastically huge.  From Mount Weart you can see over Rethel Mountain and down to Whistler Valley.  Extraordinary considering how monstrously huge Rethel seems from the shore of Wedgemount Lake.

Armchair Glacier from the Flank Trail

In the image below Mount Cook is on the left, Armchair Mountain aka: Mt Weart is the three peaks in the middle with the peak on the right being the second highest mountain in Garibaldi Park.  The mountain in the foreground to the right is Rethel Mountain.  The faint horizontal line below Armchair is Armchair Glacier.  Hard to make out in February when the mountains are heavily blanketed in snow.

Armchair Glacier from Sproatt

Armchair Glacier Close Up

Mount Weart is probably the most popular of the branching hikes from Wedgemount Lake.  This is because of its extraordinarily beautiful views from its summit.  It is quite difficult and some tricky route finding is involved as you leave Wedgemount Glacier for the Weart ascent.  But you will have trouble finding more beautiful views from another peak in the area.  It is a difficult and long scramble from the Wedgemount Lake hut and a considerable elevation gain of 780 metres from the Hut.  Give yourself at least four hours roundtrip, hut to hut.  From the Wedge hut head down the scree valley trail to the left side of Wedgemount Lake.  Continue up Wedgemount Glacier staying to the left edge of the glacier on the talus and scree as comfortably possible until you see the creek that flows from Mount Weart.  Continue up the left side of this creek, this is where the scrambling becomes difficult, but only for a short while.  The difficult section leads to a basin with a glacier to your right.  Stay to the left edge of this glacier and make your way somewhat directly up the scree slopes until you reach the ridge leading to Weart.  You will take this ridge to your left until you reach the summit.

Armchair Glacier at Sunset

Armchair Glacier in the Summer from Wedgemount Lake

Below is the view of Armchair Glacier from the Parkhurst Wye, though zoomed in quite a bit!

Armchair Glacier from Parkhurst Wye

Wedgemount Lake Trail Map v16

If you make it to the summit of Wedge Mountain you will notice off in the distance a beautifully symmetrical mountain that stands out among the rest.  ...
Read more
Northair Mine is wonderful, hidden world high up in Callaghan Valley.  It was a gold mine run by the Northair Group from 1976 until was abandoned in 1982 ...
Read more
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 ...
Read more
The Garibaldi Volcanic Belt is a line of mostly dormant stratovolcanoes and subglacial volcanoes largely centred around Whistler and extending through much ...
Read more
Wedge Creek cuts through the valley that separates Wedge Mountain and Blackcomb Mountain and empties into Green River near the north end of Green Lake.  ...
Read more
The Coast Mountains run from the Yukon down to Vancouver along the west coast of British Columbia in a band that averages 300 kilometres wide(190 miles).  ...
Read more
Bench: a flat section in steep terrain.  Characteristically narrow, flat or gently sloping with steep or vertical slopes on either side.  A bench can be ...
Read more
Whistler Bungee Bridge, also known as the Cheakamus Bungee Bridge is a very convenient and beautiful attraction on the way to or from Whistler from ...
Read more

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).  ...
Read more
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 ...
Read more
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 ...
Read more
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.  ...
Read more

Free Camping Gear Delivery to Garibaldi Park

Ring Lake is a fantastically serene and wonderfully remote lake similar to Cirque Lake, but considerably farther to hike to reach it. The 10 kilometre(6.2 mile) hike takes you through a rarely hiked forest, ...
Read more
Garibaldi Lake is the centre and base for much of the hiking in Garibaldi Provincial Park. The Garibaldi Lake campsite is located on the amazing, turquoise shores of this massive and mostly still wild ...
Read more
Panorama Ridge is easily one of the most amazing hikes in Garibaldi Provincial Park.  The 15 kilometre(9.3 mile) hike from the trailhead at Rubble Creek to Panorama Ridge takes you through beautiful and deep ...
Read more
Jane Lakes are a very remote feeling set of lakes in the beautiful wilderness near Cheakamus Crossing.  Consisting of three lakes, West Jane Lake, East Jane Lake and Little Jane Lake, they have a great ...
Read more