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  • AtoZ
      • Ablation Zone
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Wedgemount Lake

Wedgemount Lake

Adit Lakes

Cirque Lake

Joffre Lakes

Newt Lake

Whistler Train Wreck

Black Tusk

Callaghan Lake

Black Tusk

Brandywine Meadows

Logger's Lake

Northair Mine

Spectacular Whistler!

Whistler hiking is wonderful! Check out our Best Whistler Hiking by Month guides! WeRentGear.com rents tents, sleeping bags, sleeping pads, camp stoves, packs, complete kits and more!

Best Trails This Week!

Best This Week: Whistler Train Wreck and Parkhurst Ghost Town are easy, fun and dog friendly. Check out our May and June Whistler and Garibaldi Park guides here!

Madeley Lake RatingMadeley Lake is a gorgeous mountain lake located high up in the Callaghan Valley just a short drive past Alexander Falls.  From Whistler Village it takes about 50 minutes to drive the 27.4 kilometres to get to the parking area for both Madeley Lake and Hanging Lake.  A new gate installed in 2022 blocks Madeley Lake FSR which continues two kilometres to the far end of Madeley Lake near the campsite. 

  • Amazing, remote feeling corner of Whistler
  • Driving there is very scenic and beautiful
  • Madeley has a cute beach
  • Tidy & cute campsite with picnic tables & fire rings
  • Beach is south facing & always sunny
  • Free campsites at both lakes
  • Madeley Creek flows through the campsite
  • Stunning mountain views all around
  • Swimming is amazing, though freezing!
  • Whistler Hiking Trail ConWhistler Olympic Park blocks the road

Visiting Madeley Lake now involves a boring walk up the old logging road to get there.  It also makes bringing a canoe, kayak or paddleboard to the lake out of the question for most.  This parking area is also where you find the trailhead for the Madeley-Hanging Lake trail.  The Madeley-Hanging Lake trail is a moderately challenging trail that ascends through the forest for 6.2 kilometres to the free campsite at Hanging Lake.  The trail connects to the Rainbow Trail, reaching Rainbow Lake in just one kilometre.  At the south end of the lake, the Rainbow Trail takes you 8 kilometres down the valley to emerge at the Rainbow Trail trailhead on Alta Lake Road.  These two trails meet at Rainbow Lake and the trails combined are known as the Rainbow Madeley trail, which is 16.1 kilometres long, trailhead to trailhead.  Rainbow Lake is the source of much of Whistler’s water supply and therefore camping, swimming and dogs are not allowed.  Hanging Lake is just outside the watershed area and none of the restrictions apply.  Camping is free at the Hanging Lake campsite which is unmaintained.  The campsite at Madeley Lake is also free and well outside the watershed area so there are no restrictions.  Beautiful Madeley Lake is the main attraction and the trail to Hanging Lake is not very popular, especially compared to the increasingly busy Rainbow Trail which is conveniently located in Whistler off Alta Lake Road, not far from Rainbow Park.  The Hanging Lake campsite is popular in the summer, though nearly everyone hikes there via the Rainbow Trail instead of the Madeley-Hanging Lake trail.  Hanging Lake is nice, though Rainbow Lake and Madeley Lake are beautiful by comparison.  Out of the three lakes, Madeley is the best by far in terms of scenery, serenity and size. 

Madeley Lake and Hanging Lake Map

Madeley is the largest of the three lakes and situated in a south facing valley aimed directly at the sun.  The small pebble beach at the far end at the campsite is amazing and always sunny.  The beach slopes steeply into the lake and perfect for jumping in if you can stand the always freezing cold the glacier fed water.  The campsite is spread throughout the forest behind this beach extending along the shore as well as along Madeley Creek which is filled with boulders and crisscrossed with deadfall trees.  A few metal fire pits can be found in various clearings around the campsite as well as a couple of picnic tables and one very old outhouse in the forest.  The campsite extends along the far end of Madeley Lake through a gorgeous and deep old forest.  A trail skirts around the top of the lake and continues around the far side of the lake.  The battered old trail is sometimes hard to follow, but it continues along the lake and connects to the Madeley-Hanging Lake trail just a few hundred metres from the trailhead parking area for both lakes.  Most hikers avoid this section around the back side of Madeley Lake and start their hike to Hanging Lake from the trailhead at the parking area. 

Madeley Lake Map v8a

Madeley Lake Trail Stats:

Driving There: 50 minutes from Whistler Village(27.4 kilometres/17 miles)  Hiking Distance to Madeley Lake: 500 metres to lake or 2 kilometres to campsite.  Hiking Time: 20 minutes to lake or 45 minutes to campsite.  Elevation Gain: Minimal  Fees: None  Campsites: Yes  Camping Allowed: Yes  Difficulty: Easy walk along Madeley FSR.  Kid Friendly: Yes.  Stroller Friendly: Yes.  Dog Friendly: Yes

Madeley-Hanging Lake Trail Stats:

Driving There: 50 minutes from Whistler Village(27.4 kilometres/17 miles)  Hiking Distance to Hanging Lake: 6.2 kilometres/3.8 miles to campsite.  Hiking Time: 2-3 hours to Hanging Lake.  Elevation Gain: 437 metres/1434 feet.  Fees: None  Campsites: Yes  Camping Allowed: Yes  Difficulty: Moderate, though can be challenging due to overgrown trail, deadfall, creek crossing, muddy and steep trail.  Kid Friendly: Not very fun for kids.  Stroller Friendly: No.  Dog Friendly: Yes

Callaghan Valley Map

Callaghan Valley Map v11a

Callaghan Valley Map Wider Area

Callaghan Valley Map Large v18

More Whistler & Garibaldi Park Hiking Maps!

Russet Lake Maps

Russet Lake is a surreal little paradise that lays at the base of The Fissile. The Fissile is the strikingly bronze mountain visible from Whistler Village.  From the Village ...
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Panorama Ridge Maps

Panorama Ridge is easily one of the most amazing hikes in Garibaldi Provincial Park.  The 15 kilometre hike from the trailhead at Rubble Creek to Panorama Ridge takes you ...
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Alexander Falls Maps

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 ...
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Blackcomb Mountain Maps

Blackcomb Mountain holds an impressive and ever growing array of hiking trails. From the moment you arrive at the Rendezvous Lodge, you see hiking trails ascend into the ...
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More Whistler Hiking Trail Maps

Amazing West Coast Trail Guide

Whistler & Garibaldi Park Glossary A to Z

Bushwhack is a term often used in Canada and the United States to refer to hiking off-trail where no trail exists.  Literally means 'bush' and 'whack'.  To ...
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Deadfall means a tangled mass of fallen trees and branches.  There are several name variations for fallen trees that are commonly used in Whistler.  ...
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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 ...
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The Rubble Creek trailhead is the main access point for many of the best hikes and sights in Garibaldi Provincial Park.  Rubble Creek is located midway ...
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Emerald Forest is a cute little forest that is well hidden between Whistler Cay and Alpine.  From Whistler Village, if you go down to the end of Lorimer ...
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Overlord Mountain is the highest peak in the Fitzsimmons Range.  Overlord is surrounded by several mountains that collectively are named the Overlord ...
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Western redcedar is a very large tree commonly found in the Pacific Northwest. Frequently growing up to 70 metres and with a trunk diameter of 7 metres, ...
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Corrie Lake is the surreal looking lake that can be seen across the valley from Whistler Mountain.  While hiking the High Note trail along Whistler ...
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More Hike in Whistler Glossary

Free Camping Gear Delivery to Garibaldi Park

The Best Whistler & Garibaldi Park Hiking Trails!

Whistler has an absurd number of wonderful and free hiking trails and Parkhurst Ghost Town certainly ranks as the most unusual and interesting. Parkhurst was a little logging town perched on the edge of Green ...
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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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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, ...
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Madeley Lake is a gorgeous mountain lake located high up in the Callaghan Valley just a short drive past Alexander Falls.  From Whistler Village it takes about 50 minutes to drive the 27.4 kilometres to get ...
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More Whistler Hiking Trails & Maps

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