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Whistler Train Wreck

Sproatt East

Wedgemount Lake

Rainbow Lake

Joffre Lakes

Rainbow Falls

Black Tusk

Northair Mine

Rent Snowshoes Here!

Whistler hiking gear rental at WeRentGear.com.  Free delivery in Whistler and to Rubble Creek for Garibaldi Provincial Park.  WeRentGear Whistler: Best gear, best prices, best service.

Best Trails This Week!

Snowshoeing: Flank Trail, Brandywine Falls, Rainbow Falls, Sproatt East, Cheakamus River, Joffre Lakes and Parkhurst Ghost Town. Hiking (snowshoes not needed): Blueberry Park, and Train Wreck.

Ancient Cedars Hike RatingAncient Cedars is a nice, easy/moderate 2.6 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 redcedar hidden high up in the mountains. Often overlooked by hikers, certainly there are other groves of massive cedars found in other Whistler area hikes.

  • Easy trail to thousand year old cedars
  • Remote feeling escape from civilisation
  • A quiet hiking trail that is dog friendly!
  • Serene backcountry, drive-in camping for free
  • Lots of hidden & amazing tent sites
  • Newt Lake is wild, hidden & serene
  • Abandoned cabin at Showh Lakes
  • Lots of mosquitoes in June to August
  • ATV's tours in the area are noisy
  • The access logging road is brutally potholed

If you hike the short 3 kilometre trail to Cheakamus Lake and you will marvel at the size, frequency and wonderful aroma of these massive and numerous giant cedars. The Wedgemount Lake trail also has some majestic cedars along the hike. You can even walk through an impressive grove of huge cedars on the Valley Trail at the north end of the Whistler Golf Club. None of them compare, however, to the giants at Ancient Cedars.  They are extraordinarily huge and some are estimated to be a thousand years old.  Most of these giants stretch toward the sky, but some lay along the forest floor giving you an even closer grasp of their size. If you bring kids along, they will disappear into the endless, natural playground.  Ancient Cedars is great to visit in the spring and fall months as you rarely see people and are less likely to encounter mosquitoes. The problem is the trailhead is up a long way into the mountains and snow at this elevation persists until April and sometimes May. Snow, along with the steep access road make driving to the trailhead impossible for most cars until it disappears. Summer is great for seeing Ancient Cedars and Showh Lakes in particular.  If you have a 4x4, you can drive right to the shores of Showh Lakes and crack a beer with little chance of humanity disturbing you. If you don't have a 4x4, you can make it to a short walk to the lakes and if you have some sort of inflatable boat or canoe, you will find yourself in paradise. Floating in a mirror under a blue sky, surrounded by deep and wild forest.

Finding Ancient Cedars

The trailhead to Ancient Cedars is just a short drive north of Whistler. Just past Green Lake on Highway 99, you turn left on Cougar Mountain Road and drive 4.5 kilometres up a bumpy logging road. As logging roads go its pretty bad with a lot of deep potholes.  If you are driving a car you should be OK as long as you take it slow. The Ancient Cedars trail is well marked and well worn and only gradually uphill for the 2.6 kilometre hike.  At the Ancient Cedars forest there is a short circle trail that takes you throughout the giants then leads you back to the main trail for the return journey.  An unmarked trailhead to Newt Lake starts at the end of the Ancient Cedars trail.  The Newt Lake trail is wild, overgrown and fairly steep, but surprisingly enjoyable.  Lots of wild forest scenery and constantly changing topography.  At the end of the wild Newt Lake trail is the beautifully wild Newt Lake.  Relatively unknown, this lake is rarely visited and you will often have it all to yourself.  Fantastic!

Ancient Cedars Map Large v10

Ancient Cedars Hike in Whistler

Ancient Cedars huge redcedars

Ancient Cedars and Showh Lakes

Though Ancient Cedars is the main focus for visitors in the area, there are branching trails to two other beautiful areas, Newt Lake and Showh Lakes.  Showh Lakes are just a few hundred metres from Ancient Cedars and trails and logging roads connect them.  Partway along the trail to Ancient Cedars you will see a branching trail to Showh Lakes.  There is another connecting trail extending from the Ancient Cedars grove as well, but it is hard to spot and quite overgrown.  If you have a 4x4 you can drive the old logging road up to the lakes and branching roads extend in a few directions.  The road is pretty bad, especially after the crossroads next to Showh Lakes, so its a good idea to park there and continue on foot to the lake or the various interesting areas overlooking the lakes.

Showh Lakes Sunrise

At the north end of the larger of the two Showh Lakes you will find the remains of an old house and a derelict yurt platform.  The area is quite beautiful and serene and the house is teetering over and hilarious to see.  You can even climb the increasingly spiral stairs to the collapsing deck and into the old cabin.

Showh Lakes Teetering House

Showh Lakes House Inside

Back across the larger of the two Showh Lakes a very nice hiking trail runs through the forest and along the south shore of the lake.  The trail then enters the forest and connects to the Ancient Cedars trail.

Ancient Cedars Showh Lakes

Showh Lakes Map v4

Ancient Cedars Newt Lake Map

The Ancient Cedars trail is a fairly relaxing, though constantly ascending trail up to the beautifully hidden forest.  At just 2.6 kilometres, the hike is well under an hour from the trailhead to the loop trail through the ancient grove.  At the far end of the loop an unmarked trail continues to a beautiful and very remote feeling lake.

Newt Lake Trailhead 2021 2

The Newt Lake trail from the end of the Ancient Cedars trail to Newt Lake is just 2.4 kilometres long, though much more challenging than the Ancient Cedars trail.  It winds through the weather battered and mangled rainforest up towards Cougar Mountain.  It is a constantly ascending and often very steep trail, though due to its short length most hikers should make it to the lake in just over an hour.  Starting from the Ancient Cedars trailhead/parking it is about a 2 hour hike one way.  Though it is steep and sometimes hard to follow, it is not so much difficult as it is exhausting.  The trail is extremely well marked, which is very helpful as the route zigzags constantly and the forest is scattered with deadfall. 

Newt Lake Deadfall

This chaotic landscape makes the trail interesting and surprisingly enjoyable as your eyes dart from one interesting thing to another.  From deadfall craning menacingly over your head, to trees grasping enormous boulders with their roots, you find yourself often having to backtrack because you miss a tree marker and wandered off the trail to get a look at something wonderfully strange.

Newt Lake Lithophyte

After hiking the erratic trail though chaotic forest you come to Newt Lake, a perfectly serene mountain lake well hidden along the west flank of Cougar Mountain.  The wild forest trail fades away as you reach the shore of the lake.  On the right, you can cross a swampy area and climb up to a beautiful rock outcrop overlooking the lake.  The left side of the lake is far more interesting and scenic, though you do have to scramble over a massive boulder field.

Amazing Newt Lake

You have to be a little brave to crawl over the fridge sized morass of boulders that have crumbled from the steep cliffs above.  For the most part you can navigate a reasonably safe route, but occasionally you wonder if the next boulder you jump to will shift and cause the truck sized one next to it to tip over and flatten you.

Newt Lake Rocky Route

If you do manage the sketchy, couple hundred metres of leapfrogging you will come to a beautiful rock outcrop in the middle of the lake.  Surrounded by trees this little oasis is just far enough away from the boulder field to make you feel safe from the crumbling cliff.  The rock outcrop steeply ends at the lake and staring down into the clear, blue water it is far to deep to see the bottom and a wonderful place to jump in.

Newt Lake Rock Outcrop

Beyond the rock outcrop the boulder field becomes even more menacing, with the boulders larger and piled higher and more precariously.  They certainly add to the hostile beauty of Newt Lake as you wonder how thundering the sound must have been when these monsters came crashing down.

Newt Lake's Wonderful Boulders

Newt Lake Map v5

History of Ancient Cedars

Back in the late 1980's workers building a bike trail on the lower part of Cougar Mountain discovered a small grove of stunningly enormous western redcedars.  Several noted at the time were over 10 feet in diameter.  Core samples were taken and indicated that the trees were likely close to 1000 years old. The Coast Douglas-firs in the grove were similarly ancient and estimated to be no less than 650 years old.  Suddenly it became evident that word of these monsters would reach the logging companies and the magnificent ancient grove would be turned into lumber.  More...

Ancient Cedars History Article

Ancient Cedars, Showh and Newt Lake Directions Map v2

More Ancient Cedars Info Here

Newt Lake is cute little hidden lake high up on the far side of Cougar Mountain near Ancient Cedars.  Its location is a wonderful mix of unexpected characteristics that combine to make it a gorgeous place to ...
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The Sea to Sky Trail is a 180 kilometre multi-use trail that runs from Squamish to D'Arcy. The trail is still under construction in many parts, however, the amazing route through Whistler is finally in ...
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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 ...
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Alexander Falls is a very impressive 43 metre/141 foot waterfall just 30 to 40 minutes south of Whistler in the Callaghan Valley. Open year-round and located just before Whistler Olympic Park where several ...
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More Whistler Hiking Trails & Maps

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

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Inosculation is the technical name for two or more trees that have fused together into a single bizarre looking tree. They are colloquially known as ...
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Hidden in the tangle of forest along Green Lake where the old Parkhurst Sawmill once operated, is the bizarre and beautiful Parkhurst Plow Tree.  A very ...
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Twentyone Mile Creek begins its long and steep journey from Rainbow Lake, high up and between Mount Sproatt and Rainbow Mountain.  Cutting between the two ...
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Mills Winram was a very active mountaineer from Vancouver with some very notable ascents in the 1920's and 1930's.  He, along with Fred Parkes and Stan ...
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Tarn: a small alpine lake.  The word tarn originates from the Norse word tjorn which translates to English as pond.  In the United Kingdom, tarn is widely ...
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Parkhurst Ridge is an incredible place for a lot of reasons.  Of course, the view is spectacular with Green Lake's absurdly vivid green coloured water.  ...
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Cirque: a glacier-carved bowl or amphitheater in the mountains.  To form, the glacier must be a combination of size, a certain slope and more unexpectedly, a ...
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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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More Hike in Whistler Glossary

Holloway Falls is the beautiful waterfalls you see partway along the Joffre Lakes Provincial Park trail.  Located between Middle Joffre Lake and Upper ...
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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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Brandywine Falls is one of the must see sights on the way to or from Whistler. The falls drop from a 70 metre(230 feet), unnaturally abrupt looking cliff ...
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Whistler Train Wreck is a hidden little world of brightly graffiti painted, wrecked train cars along a gorgeous stretch of Cheakamus River.  One ...
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More Whistler Waterfalls

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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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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Best Whistler Hiking Trails by Month

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