Posts Tagged With: Garibaldi Provincial Park

Winter hike to Garibaldi Lake, British Columbia

Garibaldi Lake, located in Garibaldi Provincial Park near Whistler, British Columbia, is a popular summertime hiking destination. A few weeks ago, on a crisp sunny day, I finally got to hike there in winter. Verdict: It’s a gorgeous cold weather outing. The blanket of white adds a simplicity to the landscape making it appear even grander than in summer. And, there’s a peacefulness that comes with the largely monochromatic scene. Strangely, I can thank the pandemic for allowing me to hike to Garibaldi Lake this winter.

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Categories: British Columbia, Canada, Hiking | Tags: , , , | 50 Comments

Winter hike and overnight at Elfin Lakes, Garibaldi Provincial Park

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Elfin Lakes Trail, Garibaldi Provincial Park—C.Helbig

I have raved about this hike in summer and now I’m going to sing its praises in winter. The snowy mountain scenery along the Elfin Lakes trail in Garibaldi Provincial Park, near Squamish, British Columbia, is stunning. Hiking it on a windstill day, under a cerulean sky is pure happiness for me.  It’s still early in 2018, but our hike to Elfin Lakes and overnight at its backcountry shelter may well turn out to be the highlight of my year.  Continue reading

Categories: Activities, British Columbia, Canada, Hiking, Places | Tags: , , , , | 38 Comments

Cheakamus – Garibaldi LakeTraverse: On and Off the Beaten Hiking Path

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View from Panorama Ridge, Garibaldi Provincial Park—C.Helbig

Less than two hours from downtown Vancouver, Garibaldi Provincial Park epitomizes the Super, Natural British Columbia tourism tagline. Its extraordinary alpine scenery and iconic hikes to Garibaldi Lake and Black Tusk make it extremely popular with day hikers and backpackers. Despite the knowledge that we would not be alone, a couple of my hiking pals and I were lured by the beauty and proximity of this park. Our three days of backpacking took us on and off the beaten hiking path—from busy but stunning Panorama Ridge, to the overlooked gems of Mount Price and Clinker Peak.

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Categories: Activities, British Columbia, Canada, Hiking, Places | Tags: , , , , , , , , | 31 Comments

Garibaldi Lake: Ablaze in Fall Colours

Impossibly turquoise water of Garibaldi Lake—C.Helbig

Impossibly turquoise water of Garibaldi Lake—C.Helbig

We thought the crowds might have thinned out by late September. No such luck. We and hundreds of other folks took advantage of our seemingly endless summer and enjoyed a classic hike in Sea to Sky Country: Garibaldi Lake. Despite the full parking lot and highway of hikers making their way up the 9 km trail to the lake, it was a splendid day. I’ve done this hike a few times and the colour of Garibaldi Lake always takes my breath away (it reminds me of the garish turquoise freezies I used to love as a kid). The lake wasn’t the only thing that screamed in technicolour, the meadows above were ablaze in Fall colours. Continue reading

Categories: Activities, British Columbia, Canada, Hiking, Places | Tags: , , , , | 3 Comments

Late Summer Hiking at its Best: Garibaldi Provincial Park’s Opal Cone

Walking the Rim of Opal Cone, Garibaldi Provincial Park—A.Juric

Walking the Rim of Opal Cone, Garibaldi Provincial Park—A.Juric

I’ve done many great hikes, but once in a while there’s one that smacks me up the side of the head, reduces my vocabulary to a mantra of inadequate “wows”, and makes me believe that perhaps there is a God. Opal Cone, in the Diamond Head area of Garibaldi Provincial Park, is one of those hikes.

Walking along the rim of Opal Cone, an extinct volcano, I was overwhelmed by the views in every direction. Thick glaciers cling to towering Garibaldi Mountain and Atwell Peak. Massive Garibaldi Névé icefield stretches down the flank of the mountain, giving way to rivulets of meltwater across the rubbly, glacial moraine. Pyramid Mountain and the Mamquam Massif make a dramatic backdrop for the sandy, boulder-strewn plain with its shockingly turquoise lakes. Continue reading

Categories: Activities, British Columbia, Canada, Hiking | Tags: , , , , | 11 Comments

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