 | Garibaldi Provincial Park General Tips | Tips 1 - 10 of 18 |  |
Popular General Tips | Other General Tips Tips | All Tips (18) If you plan on visiting Garibaldi Provincial Park you can do several hikes as a day trip. But some of the hikes are fairly long and it might be an idea to stay for the night in a tent and then hike back the day after. Of course you can keep on hiking to other spots of the park for several days.
It is well worth to stay at any of the lakes, especially Garibaldi Lake, Elfin Lakes or Wedgemount Lake. Most of these lakes have campsites with pit toilets and there are other campsites throughout the park. Some of these places have a small cabin where you can stay in for a small fee. The Elfin Lakes cabin is huge...sleeps up to 34 people.
So, experience true wilderness and stay overnight in your tent...you won't regret it!
Waking up in the morning and peaking your head out of the tent to see a beautiful lake is absolutely awesome...you just have to experience it. Leave a Comment
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Cheakamus Lake area is a lovely area where you can hike to Cheakamus Lake. It's a pleasant hike through old growth forest. Cheakamus Lake is a glacier fed lake surrounded by forests and mountains.
The hike to this lake is about 45 minutes to an hour walking one way. There is hardly any elevation gain. From this lake you can go on to longer and more difficult hikes. You can hike to the Black Tusk Meadows from here (15km/9.5 mi) and also to the Garibaldi Lake Parking Lot which is about 25km/15.5mi.
The trailhead can be found off Hwy 99 about 48km (30 mi) north of Squamish and about 2.5km (1.5 mi) south of Whistler at Function Junction. There is a logging road to the trailhead which is on the left-hand side. It is about 8.5km (5.3 mi) from the highway to the parking lot. Leave a Comment
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In Garibaldi Provincial Park there are many camping areas...these are no luxury campgrounds or anything and there are hardly any amenities.
The following walk-in campsites are available:
*Garibaldi Lake has 50 sites (Only open from the end of June until the end of October)
*Taylor Meadows has 40 sites (Only open from the end of June until the end of October)
*Red Heather has 20 sites (open all year round)
*Elfin area has 20 sites (open all year round)
*Helm area has 6 sites (open all year round)
*Cheakamus Lake has 10 sites (open all year round)
* Russet Lake has 7 sites (open all year round)
* Wedgmont Lake has 7 sites (open all year round).
There are Day-use cooking shelters at Red Heather, Garibaldi Lake and Taylor Meadows are NOT to be used for overnight camping. There are designated cabins to stay overnight (if you don't want to camp) at:
*Elfin Lake: This cabin costs $10 CAD a night. The cabin that holds up to 34 people and has propane lights, 2 propane stoves and a propane heater. The cabin has counters and 4 picnic tables. This one is also available in the winter
*Wedgemount Lake and Russet Lake cabin: No fee. These are both small cabins which can sleep up to 6 people, but no amenities. Also available in the witner. Leave a Comment
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This is probably the main attraction area for most hiking. There is much to find and to hike to in this area like Black Tusk, Panorama Ridge, Helm Glacier, the Sphinx, Guard Mountain, Garibaldi Lake, the Table, Sentinel Glacier, Sphinx Glacier and Castle Towers.
There are also beautiful alpine meadows with wild flowers. Even mountaineers will find challenging peaks to climb. And for hikers there is a choice of different trails from easy to difficult.
This area is found off Hwy 99 just after crossing the Rubble Creek bridge. It's about 37km (23 mi) north of Squamish and 19km (12 mi) south of Whistler onto a paved road that leads 2.5km (1.5 mi) to the Garibaldi Lake parking lot. Leave a Comment
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Wedgemount Lake is a stunning glacial lake, the hike is pretty tough, but worth it if you have the time. You'll be climbing a lot uphill and over bolders. You'll get some glimpses of the Wedgemount Creek tumbling down from above and creating a 300m (600ft) high waterfall.
You will find a turn of on Hwy 99 about 13km north of Whistler (8 mi). Cross over the train tracks and when you get to the first fork in the road, stay to the left. The parking lot is 4km (2.5 mi) from Hwy 99. The access road is an active logging road.
The trail is about 7km (4.5 mi) and takes about 4 to 6 hours one way with and elevation gain of about 1200m (3600ft), so be prepared! An overnight stay at the lake is a good idea, there's a camping area and a small cabin. Leave a Comment
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For some reason there is something so beautiful about the sunsets in the winter. The colors also reflect on the snow. If you are in the park for an overnighter in the winter, definitely go outside to witness a beautiful sunset if it's a clear day. It's fantastic. Leave a Comment
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Most trails in the park are well maintained and it's easy to follow the signs. At the start of each hike and access area you can find a map of the area and also information on the trails that are open or closed. Always pay attention to these things as some trails might be closed to public. Leave a Comment
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The Singing Pass is a wonderful area where you have views of the Fitzsimmons and Spearhead Mountain ranges and Cheakamus Glacier. There are lovely fields of wild flowers on the meadows in the summer.
The best way to get to the trailhead is from Whistler Village, located adjacent to the bus loop and passenger drop-off area. You can start your hike from here, or you can take the Whistler Mountain gondola (in summer season) and start your hike from up there. You'll see the "Singing Pass" signs.
The hike is about 11.5km (7 mi) and an elevation change of 1000m (3000ft). The trail follows Fitzsimmons and Melody Creeks before it opens up at Singing Pass. The pass is also accessible from Whistler Mountain by a high, sustained alpine route crossing Piccolo, Flute and Oboe summits. This route is known as the Musical Bumps. Leave a Comment
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This part of Garibaldi Provincial Park is found off Hwy 99 onto Mamquam Road about 4 km north of Squamish. You follow a paved road past the Squamish Golf and Country Club and then you go onto the logging road just past the Mashiter Creek bridge. It's about 16km (10 mi) from the highway to a parking lot .
In this part of the park you will find the following: Mount Garibaldi, Eflin Lakes, Little Diamond Head, Opal Cone (an extinct volcano with a crater), Garibaldi Neve and Mamquam Lake.
There are campground, but they are restricted to Red Heather Campground (5 km from the parking lot), the Elfin Lakes Campground and Mamquam Lake Campground. Leave a Comment
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Wild flowers are in abunce in this park when you are here at the right time. Especially during the summer months there are tons of wild flowers to admire. You'll find mostly Lupines, Indian paintbrush, snow lily and arnica . Leave a Comment
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on June 25, 2004
