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!
July 8th, 2020: One of Whistler's most impressive drive-to mountain lakes, Madeley Lake is accessible once again. It appears a large public outcry forced, or at least embarrassed Whistler Olympic Park into opening the gate that was installed in the springtime barring public access. They have also removed the sign on the gate warning that entering the area is considered trespassing. Whistler Sport Legacies managed to gain control over this road in recent years by arguing the necessity to groom it in the winter.
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
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February
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July
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December
Alexander Falls
Brandywine Falls
Cirque Falls
Holloway Falls
Keyhole Falls
Nairn Falls
Rainbow Falls
Shannon Falls
Train Wreck Falls
Wedgemount Falls
**14 July 2020: Apparently the gate is now locked again** Evidently a forest service road cannot be legally groomed for skiing, so granting Whistler Sport Legacies the lease on Madeley Lake Road must have seemed like a harmless decision. To then parlay that decision into blocking the road in the summer to the public seems very dishonest. Considerable hiking trail maintenance work in the last few years has gone on around Madeley Lake, which links it to Hanging Lake and Rainbow Lake. Obviously the trail work would not have been done if the trail was to be blocked by Whistler Olympic Park. The most shocking thing about Whistler Sport Legacies installing the gate is that no one seems to have known about it. From the Resort Municipality of Whistler to the Federation of Mountain Clubs of British Columbia, and apparently everyone in between. We have received hundreds of shocked emails in just the past few weeks inquiring into what is going on. It appears there are two reasons that Whistler Olympic Park (Whistler Sport Legacies) has installed the gate. The main reason is to give Whistler Photo Safaris exclusive access to the area in order to enable them to charge $149 to see the bears in the wider area. The second reason is to get rid of the wonderful and free campsite at the far end of Madeley Lake in preparation for the proposed pay-use campsites at Whistler Olympic Park. If you want to contact Whistler Olympic Park at 604-964-0059 to ask them why they put up a gate blocking access to Madeley Lake, the answer is "because we can". If you call Whistler Photo Safaris at 1-855-558-2327 to inquire about the gate, the answer you get is, "we don't know about it".
In the last few weeks the gate looked like this...
Madeley Lake is a wonderfully remote feeling place and the campsite is not maintained. There are a few picnic tables, an outhouse, several fire rings and several clearings for tents. Madeley Lake sits in a forgotten corner of Whistler's Callaghan Valley. Camping here is free and compared to every other campsite in and around Whistler, it is arguably the nicest. Tranquil, great rocky beach with a crashing river flowing by. Well laid out tent sites in a deep forest, sun facing and you can drink straight from the river which comes from a glacier at nearby Telemagique Lake.
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