Spring Hiking Has Arrived!
Spring is here and summer is not far off! The road to Parkhurst Ghost Town is accessible now! Whistler Train Wreck is free of snow too. Check out Hike in Whistler May 2022 for inspiration!
Northair Mine is a surreal little world of colourful murals on abandoned cement foundations, surrounded by an astoundingly tranquil little lake in a secluded forest. Just a short logging road off of the Callaghan Valley Road takes you to this unusual little abandoned mine. You would have driven by the turnoff if you have been to Whistler Olympic Park or Alexander Falls, both of which are just a couple kilometres away.
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
Northair Mine gets its name from the Vancouver based mining company the Northair Group. The mine was in production from 1976 and extracted 5 tons of gold before being abandoned in 1982. Today it is a bizarre little world in the mountains that has become an incredible place to escape the world and camp out under the stars. Northair Mine is tricky to find and even when you near it, the turnoff is not obvious. The access road takes you high into the mountains and is only free of snow in May most years. In 2016, for example, the snow melted enough for vehicle access during the first week in May. Driving to Northair Mine is along a bumpy, potholed, old logging road drivable by most vehicles, though at least one deep washout may give even SUV's some difficulty. Once Northair Mine comes into view it is quite a sight. The area that surrounds the old ruins is unexpectedly huge. About 2 kilometres long, edged by a cliff on one side and a beautiful lake on the other.
A nice, smooth gravel road runs through the area, along the edge of the lake toward Whistler Olympic Park. Canadian Wilderness Adventures has been constructing ATV paths and features around the ruins, which hopefully won't overcome the serenity of the area with sounds of humanity. They have a reputation for being very considerate and conscientious, so if anyone can blend into the area in a positive way, Canadian can. It is interesting to see the graffiti and mural art evolving at Northair Mine on the broad and numerous cement walls.
Another gravel road runs through the massive cement foundations of what must have been quite a large building. Beautiful graffiti art covers some of the cement pilings and scattered remnants indicate that this skeleton of a building has been home to its share of gatherings since being abandoned. Whistler's cherished Flank Trail passes right by Northair Mine near its terminus at Whistler Olympic Park. Although, the Flank Trail effectively ends far south of the Northair Mine, it piggybacks on the logging road that extends up and past the mine. With the massive construction that preceded the 2010 Olympics, the Callaghan Valley had a luxuriously wide, paved road built high up into the mountains here.
This road has become a destination in its own with its wide sweeping arcs revealing wonderful views, one after the other. Though Black Tusk can be seen from many vantage points, seeing it from the drive up the Callaghan Valley has got to be one of the best ways to view it from your car. From 25 kilometres away it looks shockingly close and its wonderful, pure black colour looks striking, framed by snowy mountains. The Callaghan Valley has, and continues to experience dramatic transformations as varying interest groups vie for sections of this expansive wilderness. From the endless logging roads leading to decades old clear-cuts, to political wranglings over proposed ski resorts, to the creation of Whistler Olympic Park, this area is both wildly beautiful, and surprisingly developed. The area seems now to have settled into a modern balance of limitless recreation possibilities and a seemingly infinite spider web of logging roads. The Callaghan Valley is the wild and untamed cousin to the tidy and developed Garibaldi Park that exists across the valley and stretching down past Squamish. Where motorized vehicles are not permitted in Garibaldi Park, ATV's and snowmobiles frequent the trails around the Northair Mine. The easily visible, though unmarked trail that begins just across from the turn in to Northair Mine, is mainly used for these, and once in a while by hikers. Due to the increased attention to the area however, the Flank Trail, and branching trails like this one are gaining the attention of local hikers.
Mount Sproatt is the massive mountain that dominates the skyline across the Valley from Whistler Mountain. If you continue driving past Northair Mine, the increasingly deteriorating logging road leads to one of Whistler's newest hiking/biking trails. Still a work in progress by the folks at WORCA, the new trail network is designed and built by downhill bikers, however increasingly enjoyed by hikers. The trail network stretches over this spectacular, wild and mostly untouched wilderness. Dozens of lakes and tarns dot the hostile erratic and krummholz strewn valley.
The new trail spans the mountain from the Northair Mine side and down Mount Sproatt, intersecting with the Flank Trail about halfway between the Rainbow Trail and Function Junction. The only reasonable explanation for the lack of hiking trail development in the area is simply the abundance of amazing trails in and around Whistler and in Garibaldi Park overshadowing the Callaghan Valley. Certainly the beauty of the area is not in question and wonderful places like Northair Mine make for a unique and extraordinary starting point.
Driving Directions to Northair Mine
Northair Mine is located way up in the beautiful Callaghan Valley. From Whistler Village, drive south on the Sea to Sky Highway for 13.8 kilometres and turn right onto Callaghan Valley Road. Drive up into the Callaghan Valley for 7.6 kilometres and just after you cross the bridge over Callaghan Creek turn right onto the Callaghan Creek forest service road. The gravel road is pretty good for the first couple kilometres until you make a sharp left turn and the road deteriorates quickly. Still manageable by most vehicles, however there are a couple very deep waterbars that might surprise you.
One of the trailheads to Mount Sproatt is found further up the road past Northair Mine. The road quickly becomes narrow, steep and with several deep waterbars. Most 4x4's will only make it a kilometre or two up before having to park and start hiking.
Two Interesting Historical Books!
If you have been to Sloquet Hot Springs, you likely had no idea that you were in the midst of a century old mystery of a lost gold mine. Several books have been written about it and the History Channel even made a six episode show called Curse of the Frozen Gold. The show was quite entertaining with the characters exploring the mountains around Sloquet. The hot springs even appeared in one episode as they searched nearby for the mysterious hidden vein of gold. The excellent book, Slumach's Gold: In Search of A Legend lays out the history and theories in enticing detail. The next time you find yourself lounging in Sloquet Hot Springs, you will inevitably glance around and wondering if you are sitting near the hidden gold mine. A Passion for Mountains by Kathryn Bridge is a fascinating look at Don and Phyllis Munday's prolific exploration of the mountains in BC. Based out of Vancouver, they were dominant figures of the climbing community in the early 1900's. In 1923 they visited their friend Neal Carter in Alta Lake(Whistler) and explored the mountains around the valley.. many for the first time!
The Garibaldi Volcanic Belt is a line of mostly dormant stratovolcanoes and subglacial volcanoes largely centred around Whistler and extending through much ...
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Arête: a thin ridge of rock formed by two glaciers parallel to each other. Sometimes formed from two cirques meeting. From the French for edge or ridge. Around ...
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Cairns, inukshuks or inuksuks are a pile or arrangement of rocks used to indicate a route, landmark or a summit. The word cairn originates from the ...
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Along Whistler’s Valley Trail near Rainbow Park you come across some impressively unusual trees. Unlike most other Whistler trees with straight trunks and ...
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Nunatuk: a rock projection protruding through permanent ice or snow. Their distinct appearance in an otherwise barren landscape often makes them ...
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The Roundhouse Lodge is the centre of activity on much of Whistler Mountain. It is where the Whistler Gondola drops off and next to where the Peak 2 Peak ...
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Northair Mine is a surreal little world of colourful murals on abandoned cement foundations, surrounded by an astoundingly tranquil little lake in a ...
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Glacier Window: the cave-like opening at the mouth of a glacier where meltwater runs out. Glacier windows are often extraordinarily beautiful. A blue glow ...
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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. The average low and high temperatures in Whistler range from 9c to 21c(48f/70f). The summer tourist ...
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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 ...
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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 ...
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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
Sloquet Hot Springs is a wonderfully wild set of shallow, man-made pools fed by a small, all natural, and very hot, waterfall. The pools stretch from the waterfall to the large and crashing Sloquet River. The ...
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Wedgemount Lake itself is a magnificent destination for a day hike or spectacular overnight beneath the dazzling mountain peaks and stars above Garibaldi Provincial Park. Many sleep under the stars on one of ...
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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 ...
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Brandywine Falls is one of the must see sights on the drive to or from Whistler, and arguably the nicest of Whistler’s numerous beautiful waterfalls. Located about halfway between Squamish and Whistler, the ...
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