Garibaldi Lake                                                                     Whistler Hiking Trails

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Garibaldi Lake is the centre and base for much of the hiking in Garibaldi Park.  The Garibaldi Lake campsite is located on the amazing, turquoise shores of this massive and mostly undisturbed mountain lake.  There are no trails around the perimeter of the lake with the exception of the small section leading to the campsite, so your view of the lake is a sea of unnaturally coloured water ringed by swaths of forest and a magnificent glacier towering in the distance.  The water is painfully cold, though plenty of brave hikers swim here as well as camp.

The camping area is well laid out and stretches deep into the forest with 50 tent clearings.  You can, except for the busiest of days, put your tent out of earshot and sight of others.  The trail to Garibaldi Lake from the Rubble Creek trailhead, just off of the Sea to Sky Highway takes about two hours.  You gain a fair amount of elevation, 900 metres in just 9k, trailhead to lake.  Partway along the trail to Garibaldi Lake the trail forks.  Right to Garibaldi Lake and left goes to another beautiful campground, Taylor Meadows.  Past Taylor Meadows you can link back to Garibaldi Lake by yet another linking trail.  At every trail for there are nice and clear signs and sometimes maps, showing where and how far everything is.

Beyond Taylor Meadow and Garibaldi Lake is the amazing Black Tusk.  Black Tusk, Taylor Meadows and Garibaldi Lake can be done in one long 30k dayhike, trailhead to trailhead, but expect to take 8-10 hours.  The Garibaldi Lake trailhead is located just 30 minutes south of Whistler.  Keep your eye out for the hard to miss highway sign.

There is no charge for parking at the trailhead or for hiking.  There is a charge for camping however.  $10/per person.  Camping season is May 1 - November 15.  Outside of this time there is considerable snow, however no camping fees.  The best time to hike is July to October as there is still a fair amount of snow on the trail until early July.  The trail is popular however, so even with deep snow the trail will likely be well tracked out by skis and easy to follow.  It is doubtful that any week of the year passes without hiking, skiing or snowshoeing occurring on the Garibaldi Lake trail.

Camping Options in Garibaldi Park Near the Garibaldi Lake Campsite

Garibaldi Lake Campsites: The most busy camping option in the area is at Garibaldi Lake with 50 campsites with full service (water, security, etc) and fees (May 1 - Nov 15).  The campsites are well laid out and disappear into the forest.  All are steps from the amazing Garibaldi Lake with great, though very cold swimming.  There is good fishing here for rainbow trout, which were introduced back in the 1920's.

Taylor Meadows Campsite: gets very busy at times as well with 40 campsites with full service (water, security, etc) and fees (May 1 - Nov 15).  There are some small rivers close by but no swimming.  The draw for Taylor Meadows camping is the wonderful location.  It lays in a beautiful forested meadow full of hills and flowers and views of the towering Black Tusk.  It has a less crowded feel than Garibaldi Lake does, though bear in mind that even when crowded these campsites don't feel crowded - they are just that organized and thick with trees and hills.  Also, if you were to feel crowded, you could easily wander in any of several directions and become immersed in the wonderful forest and beautiful desolation in these vast meadows.

The Helm Creek Campground is smaller than the others at 9 campsites, however it is in a beautiful setting on the quiet side of Black Tusk, though 1.5 hours away from the approaches to Black Tusk.  Helm Creek is another beautiful campground.  Most of the 9 campsites are next to the beautiful Helm Creek.  The main draw of this campsite is that it is on the quieter side of this area and can be approached from Cheakamus Lake.

The trails through Garibaldi Park are in such a vast area that suitable places far into the wilderness away from anyone, to put up a tent are limitless.  People bivy on top of Black Tusk, put up a tent on the far slopes of Panorama Ridge, or tent in any number of other places.  Being located in British Columbia means that you are never far from a creek, river or lake wherever you hike in Garibaldi Park.

Directions to the Garibaldi Lake Trailhead at Rubble Creek:

From Village Gate Boulevard, drive south, toward Vancouver. The well marked turn off to Black Tusk(Garibaldi) trailhead is 25km south of Whistler on your left. From the trailhead to Garibaldi Lake is 9km of consistently upward trails. As with all Garibaldi Park trails, dogs are not welcome. Neither are bikes, but Cheakamus Lake is bike friendly.

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Garibaldi Lake Trailhead (Rubble Creek): (-122.86579102277756, -123.12009930610657)

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