In the(usually) deep March snow of Whistler you have an amazing array of snowshoeing options. If you have not been to the Whistler Train Wreck, you have to, it's a must see. An incredible 50 year old train wreck, turned art exhibit, turned bike park. It is an amazing surreal world hidden just a couple hundred metres from the busy Sea to Sky Highway, running along the spectacular Cheakamus River.
Whistler & Garibaldi Hiking
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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March April May 
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September October November December
March is one of the nicest months for snowshoeing in Whistler. The days get considerably longer and warmer, yet snow falls almost daily. In March 2012, for example, over four metres of snow fell! With some sunny days mixed into these heavy snowfall days, makes March something amazing. The Garibaldi Lake area is fantastic in March. The lake is frozen over and the hike across the lake leads to an amazing hut at the far end which is available to use by anyone, though there is a small fee requested by the good people that help maintain it. This 16 kilometre roundtrip snowshoe trail takes you deep into the wilderness beyond Whistler. In March, the trail is usually a metre or two deep with snow and once you reach the alpine, the views open up to reveal Black Tusk. You can vary the route to or from Taylor Meadows to include Garibaldi Lake, which will be frozen. The area is popular with skiers and split-boarders all winter so the trail will be packed down and easy to follow. Just the sheer distance you need to snowshoe makes Taylor Meadows very difficult. In minus -5c weather in deep snow, 16 kilometres feels like 30k. As long as you are prepared for bitterly cold weather and have the right gear, you will love Taylor Meadows in March. Getting close to Black Tusk, blanketed in snow is amazing to see and well worth the exertion.
Taylor Meadows - Best Snowshoeing March
Taylor Meadows, in Garibaldi Provincial Park is an amazing place to snowshoe in the winter near Whistler. Beautiful snowy meadows surrounded by mountains everywhere you look. Black Tusk towering in the distance so close and blanketed in wonderful, beautiful snow. Garibaldi Lake is accessible as well on this snowshoeing hike. The Taylor Meadows trail forks partway up, left goes to Taylor Meadows, right to Garibaldi Lake. The trail joins again at the far side of both campsites. Garibaldi Lake, so massive and dramatically beautiful in the winter, a huge frozen valley. New in 2021 they started plowing the access road up to the Rubble Creek parking lots and trailhead. They stopped plowing in 2022, however this winter and spring they have started again. Though plowed, the two kilomtres road is hard packed ice and snow and very slippery. Taylor Meadows is then just 7.5 kilometres from the Rubble Creek trailhead. Garibaldi Lake similarly beautiful and just a bit further at 9 kilometres from the trailhead. Camping at either Taylor Meadows or Garibaldi Lake are great options if you can stand the cold and are well prepared. If you plan to do this trip in one day be sure to leave very early and be well prepared for winter hiking. In the winter the days are very short so always have lights with you. Although the trail will likely be tracked out by previous hikers and skiers, having a gps is an excellent backup in case you lose the trail.
More Whistler Snowshoeing in March - Taylor Meadows
More Fantastic Whistler Snowshoeing in March
Other amazing places to snowshoe in Whistler are the Blueberry Trail overlooking Alta Lake, the Rainbow Park trail on the shores of Alta Lake, with amazing views across to Whistler Mountain, Blackcomb Mountain and Wedge Mountain. Rainbow Falls is an easy and beautiful trail up to the crashing Rainbow Falls that you can reach out and touch. Rainbow Park is located just across from the trailhead to Rainbow Falls, Rainbow Lake and the Flank Trail. The year-round parking for Rainbow Park is just a couple hundred metres past the "Rainbow Trail" parking area at the edge of Alta Lake Road. Rainbow Park is a must see place in Whistler any month of the year. In the winter months Alta Lake is frozen solid, usually a hockey game is being played somewhere on the lake and the views are beautiful. Whistler Mountain and Blackcomb Mountain are best seen from here. Just far enough to take them both in at once, yet still close enough to easily make out the ski runs in the daytime and the bright lights from the snow groomers at night. Just a 10 minute drive from Whistler Village and a 1 minute walk from your car to the lake and beautiful sights. Across from Rainbow Park is another great Whistler park. Blueberry Park and the Blueberry Trail lay hidden in the forest of Blueberry Hill. The park has three nice wharves on Alta Lake that you may be able to make out from Rainbow Park. Also, the Rainbow Trail cuts up and across Blueberry Hill, linking the neighbourhoods of Blueberry and Whistler Cay. There are a couple very nice viewpoints along the trail, high above Alta Lake. At times the trail is challenging and steep, it is quite short and can be done in under a hour by even the most leisurely hikers. In March the trail is a bit treacherous with snow, ice and huge tree roots across the trail, so be careful. The trail that runs along the waterfront to the piers is easy, short and very scenic.
More Whistler Snowshoeing in March - Blueberry Park
Amazing Hot Springs Near Whistler in March
The various hot springs near Whistler are also great destinations in March. Skookumchuck Hot Springs is open year-round and the two hour drive to reach it is really part of the fun. It is a beautiful drive through Pemberton, Mount Currie and along the beautiful and massive Lillooet Lake and Lillooet River. Sloquet Hot Springs is an hours drive past Skookumchuck and extraordinarily beautiful and desolate. Though gaining popularity, the remoteness almost guarantees no one there but you on a typical spring day. You can normally drive right to the Sloquet Hot Springs, but lingering snow on the unmaintained logging road may be too deep so always be prepared to hike up to 8 kilometres if needed from your car to the campsite. Though bumpy and with lots of potholes, the road to Skookumchuck and Sloquet are still drive-able with all types of cars.
Skookumchuck Hot Springs Continued Here...
Best Whistler Waterfalls in March
March is a great month to see some of the fantastic waterfalls in and around Whistler. Brandywine Falls, Nairn Falls, Rainbow Falls and Alexander Falls are all within a short drive and with easy hikes to them, accessible year-round. Shannon Falls is also a must see, year-round sight in Squamish if you have the time on your drive by. Nairn Falls, located just 20 minutes north of Whistler Village is a nice, relaxing hiking/snowshoeing trail to a nicely constructed viewing area in the midst of Nairn Falls. The popular trail is actually hike-able year-round, so you most likely will not need your snowshoes unless there has been lots of snow just before you go. The nice trail runs along Green River for 1.2k. The trail is well marked and doesn't gain any significant elevation, making it a very easy, kid friendly trail. The viewing area is located within a bend in the falls/river and the churning waters rushes around where you stand, far below. The water crashes through deep cuts in the rock and rushes into deep, green pools. There is a wonderful sign depicting how the area was formed over thousands of years. A short side trail from the main viewing area takes you over to an abrupt edge, where you can look down on the Green River below. Railings have been constructed as a precaution to prevent people falling off the cliffs. Nairn Falls is one of several beautiful waterfalls in the Whistler area that can be seen year-round. Other waterfalls in the area include, Rainbow Falls near Whistler Village, Alexander Falls and Brandywine Falls, both about 30-40 minutes south of Whistler.
Alexander Falls in March
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 Whistler Olympic Park where several of the 2010 Olympic events were held. There is a nice viewing platform on the edge of the cliff across from the falls which crash fantastically into the valley below. The parking area and viewing platform at Alexander Falls is one big area just 40 metres from the main road, just before Whistler Olympic Park. The adventurous can find the obscure trail that leads to both the top of the falls as well as, with great difficulty, to the base of the falls. Alexander Falls is certainly one of the nicest spots for a picnic in Whistler. The picnic areas are numerous, the surrounding forest is gorgeous and wild and Alexander Falls crashes loud and beautiful in the background. Several picnic tables are located in forested clearings that were once used as campsites, so if you have a big group, you will have lots of room to spread out and enjoy the surroundings. The free parking lot at Alexander Falls is enormous. Keep in mind that it is a day-use only parking area and camping or campfires are prohibited. If you are looking for a place to park overnight in the area the possibilities are endless. Callaghan Valley is very wild, devoid of people and the spider-web of logging roads that cover the valley run for hundreds of kilometres.
Alexander Falls in March Continued Here...
Brandywine Falls in March
Brandywine Falls Provincial Park is a beautiful park centred around the wonderful falls that plunge 70 metres down a vertical wall of glacier fractured rock. The peculiar, angular cubes of rock that the cliffs surrounding the falls is the result of lava rapidly cooling against a glacier. The rapid cooling causes solid rock to fracture in bizarrely angular ways known as columnar jointing. From the viewing platform across from the falls you can make out four distinct layers of columnar jointing separated by glacial till. These layers, formed by separate lava flows impacting the glacier that once filled this valley. Another viewing area faces the south, looking down the valley and over Daisy Lake. Brandywine Falls Provincial Park is located along the Sea to Sky Highway, 15 minutes south of Whistler and BC Parks has locked the parking lot during winter for years. In 2021, despite the ever-increasing popularity of the park, has now put up tow away zone signs along the large turnaround area outside the gate. With no decent parking alternatives nearby this has prevented thousands of people from enjoying this beautiful park and one of the best, and free attractions along the Sea to Sky Highway. Some wintertime visitors to Brandywine Falls know to park at the Bungee Bridge down the very potholed Cal-Cheak forest service road.
Brandywine Falls & Bungee Bridge in March Continued...
Nairn Falls in March
Nairn Falls is a wonderful, crashing and chaotic waterfall that surrounds you from the deluxe viewing platform that allows you to safely watch it from above. The beautiful, green water rushes through the deep and angular channels of rock. Nairn Falls Provincial Park is centred around a very large campground and the short, 1.2 kilometre trail to the falls. You won't find the abrupt drop into a deep chasm like to see with Brandywine Falls. Nairn Falls has a very different shape to it, but is every bit as interesting and scenic. More so, in fact, due to the interesting geological information you find at the main viewpoint over the falls. Nairn Falls crash through various narrow and wide areas, and though the cumulative drop is 60 metres, what you see is a series of 10 to 20 metre falls through a deep, zig-zagging canyon. There are very nicely constructed railings, fences and viewing areas as well as a walkway that guides you to the best views.
Nairn Falls in March Continued Here...
Rainbow Falls in March
Rainbow Falls is located just a short hike from the start of the Rainbow Trail to Rainbow Lake. The trailhead is along Alta Lake Road on the far side of Alta Lake, just down and across from Rainbow Park. Rainbow Falls are not awe inspiring, however the trail to them is fun and the creek above and below the falls is very scenic. The Flank Trail crosses the Rainbow Trail and 21 Mile Creek just up from Rainbow Falls. A small trail on the far side of the bridge takes you down to the creek bed and the top of the falls. Depending on the time of year, the creek bed may be full of crashing water or half empty and inviting to crawl around the huge, water-smoothed boulders. Rainbow Falls can be tricky to find from the Rainbow trailhead as the trail branches a few times along the way. There is a small Rainbow Falls sign, however it is easily missed.
Shannon Falls in March
Shannon Falls towers above Howe Sound at 335 metres as the third tallest falls in BC. The wonderful, though very short trail winds through a beautiful old growth forest to get to the base of the falls. From your car to the viewpoint takes only about four minutes. You can continue along the trail and join with the Stawamus Chief trail which goes to the three marvellous summits of The Chief. Shannon Falls Provincial Park has a concession stand as well as an information centre next to the parking area. This parking area is day use only, so if you are hoping to camp overnight in the area, you have to park at the Stawamus Chief parking lot, just a 1 minute drive north of the Shannon Falls lot. If you are planning to hike the Stawamus Chief, the Shannon Falls parking lot is arguably a better place to start from. You can take a look at Shannon Falls and then take the connecting trail to join onto the trail to The Chief. Continued here...
Shannon Falls in March Continued...
Train Wreck Falls in March
Whistler Train Wreck is a hidden little world of brightly graffiti painted, wrecked train cars along a gorgeous stretch of Cheakamus River. One particularly stunning section of the river, unseen by nearly all visitors to Train Wreck, is the marvellously broad and crashing Train Wreck Falls. In the past, the falls were easily spotted on the trail to Train Wreck, but with the recent installation of the bridge to Train Wreck, the access trail was redirected. The new trail to Whistler Train Wreck comes from the opposite direction as the old trail. Designed to avoid the train tracks and inevitable conflicts with CN Rail, the new trail and bridge allows access to Train Wreck without crossing the train tracks. The new trail, however, keeps Train Wreck Falls out of sight. The Trash Trail runs along the other side of Cheakamus River and runs along the edge of the top of the falls and quite a nice view of them. The Train Wreck side of the river has multiple viewpoints of Train Wreck Falls that are considerably more beautiful.
Whistler Train Wreck Falls in March Continued...
Rainbow Lake - Best Snowshoeing March
The Rainbow Trail is a convenient and popular trail near Whistler Village that takes you to Rainbow Lake as well as the Rainbow Sproatt Flank Trail, Rainbow Falls, Hanging Lake, Madeley Lake, Beverley Lake, Rainbow Mountain... and even Whistler Olympic Park if you are determined. It is a consistently uphill and very beautiful trail with several water (bridge) crossings and waterfalls on the way to the picture-perfect lake. Rainbow Lake is a tough and beautiful 8 kilometre snowshoeing trail high up in the mountains across the valley from Whistler Mountain and Blackcomb Mountain. The trail is generally well marked and easy to follow, however some sections are tricky to follow as the heavy snow bends the bushes down obscuring the trail. The trail is a constant, fairly steep ascent and you may notice ski tracks along the route. A somewhat popular skiing attraction in Whistler is to get heli-dropped on Rainbow Mountain and skiing back to Whistler. Rainbow Falls is a nice detour near the beginning of the Rainbow Lake trail. When you come to the small water purification building you will see a distinct fork in the trail and a sign directing you to Rainbow Lake turn left. If you go right however, in just a few hundred metres you will come to the beautiful Rainbow Falls as well as a nice picturesque bridge over the river. You of course have to backtrack to get back to the Rainbow Lake trail. Though Rainbow Lake is only 8k from the trailhead, on snowshoes it will likely take nearly four hours to get there. You can snowshoe around up there for quite a while so you have to be careful with the time as in the winter months the sun goes down well before 5pm. Rainbow Lake - Best Snowshoeing in Whistler
Parkhurst Ghost Town - Best Snowshoeing March
Whistler has an absurd number of wonderful and free hiking trails and Parkhurst Ghost Town certainly ranks as one of the most unusual, exotic and interesting. Parkhurst was a little logging town perched on the edge of Green Lake way before Whistler was Whistler. Up on the ridge where Parkhurst sits, the views are sensational. Green Lake far below, a solid unnatural looking mass of green. Blackcomb Mountain and Whistler Mountain out in the distance to the left and Rainbow Mountain across and beyond Green Lake. If you have a good look around Parkhurst today, you can find remnants of its past almost everywhere you look. From the old disintegrating truck from the 50's to the absurdly and improbably located car being consumed by the forest. What makes Parkhurst Ghost Town such a great hiking trail and destination is where it is located and the trail to get to it. The Parkhurst trail, one of several ways to get to Parkhurst Ghost Town, runs along the scenic Green River and next to the still active train tracks that run through Whistler. There always seems to be something to see. From the beautiful meadow along the train tracks, to the suddenly deep forest where you have to play a game of finding the next, pink tree marker or risk wandering off the trail. The trail markers are numerous, and though getting lost is inevitable, you can only stray a few metres before, the river or steep terrain push you back onto the marked trail. Once up on the ridge above Green Lake where Parkhurst is located, the forest takes on a spooky feel. Trees are all far apart and with branches only high up give the forest a unnaturally lifeless look.
Joffre Lakes - Best Snowshoeing March
Joffre Lakes Provincial Park is a hiking paradise in the summer and a skiing and snowshoeing paradise in the winter. About 1 hour and 20 minutes north of Whistler gets you to the Joffre Lakes trailhead. Located up on the Duffy Lake Road north of Pemberton, Joffre Lakes is well known for its incredibly surreal, turquoise water. In the winter of course, all three of the Joffre Lakes are frozen over but the trail is popular with skiers and snowshoers between the months of November and April. The Joffre Lakes trail is fairly well marked and almost always tracked out in the winter it is still possible to lose the trail after dark or or during heavy snowfall. Joffre Lakes Provincial Park is centred around the three Joffre Lakes. All of them are beautiful on their own and each more beautiful than the last. Frozen over in the winter, you won't be able to marvel at the amazing turquoise colours the lakes, caused by light reflecting off of the particles of glacial silt suspended in the water. In the winter, with the lakes frozen and the trees weighed down with snow, Joffre Lakes takes on a serene beauty, with the low sun cutting through the trees and the forest brightly reflecting. The third of the Joffre Lakes ends in a U-shaped valley where you will find the far side of the lake towering with glaciers relentlessly crushing down on the lake. The sun fills the valley and the silence is wonderful.
Elfin Lakes - Best Snowshoeing March
Elfin Lakes in Garibaldi Provincial Park is another beautiful place to snowshoe. Located at the south end of Garibaldi Park, the Elfin Lakes trailhead is found in Squamish. Garibaldi Provincial Park is the massive wilderness park of nearly two thousand square kilometres that stretches from Squamish to Pemberton. If you are driving the Sea to Sky Highway to Whistler, Garibaldi Park will be the vast wilderness of snow-capped mountains on your right. The Elfin Lakes trail is not overly difficult, however it is quite long. A consistently uphill, 11 kilometre(6.8 mile) trail through some spectacular scenery takes you to the marvelous Elfin Lakes hut. This two level, heated hut even has electric lights that run on solar power. A wonderful oasis in the mountains, the Elfin Lakes hut is surrounded by spectacular mountain views in all directions and deep snow well into May!
Cheakamus River - Best Whistler Snowshoeing
Cheakamus River is a beautiful, crashing, turquoise coloured river that flows from Cheakamus Lake, through Whistler Interpretive Forest at Cheakamus Crossing, then down past Brandywine Falls to Daisy Lake. Also a popular kayaking route, the main attraction to Cheakamus River is the wonderful and quite extensive network of hiking and biking trails that run along either side of it. The Riverside trail and the Farside trail run on either side of Cheakamus River and connect at both ends by bridges. Connecting to the Riverside trail is the short trail to Logger's Lake, which in turn is surrounded by more hiking and biking trails. The Lake Loop trail, Crater Rim trail, the Ridge trail, Upper Ridge trail, and the Lower Ridge trail. On the Farside trail along Cheakamus River you can connect to Cheakamus Road(gravel road) and hike 6 kilometres up to the Cheakamus Lake trailhead. On the other side of the neighbourhood of Cheakamus Crossing, which Cheakamus River bends around keeping the Sea to Sky Highway and train tracks on its opposite side, you find still more hiking and biking trails. Trash trail hugs the river all the way to the beautiful bridge to Whistler Train Wreck. Or, continue past the bridge to connect with the Sea to Sky Trail. For the most part, however, if you are talking about the Cheakamus River trails you are likely talking about the Farside and Riverside trails in Whistler's Interpretive Forest. Eight kilometres south of Whistler Village and surrounding the recently constructed neighbourhood of Cheakamus Crossing is Whistler Interpretive Forest. This beautiful forest surrounds the Cheakamus River and has been cut and replanted in several areas in the past decades. Hiking and biking trails have sprung up over the years making the area a wonderful place to explore. Unfortunately, the Interpretive Forest is day-use only, no camping is permitted. The main highlights of the Interpretive Forest are the Cheakamus River trails, and the extraordinary Logger's Lake. Logger's Lake, just a short hike from the Cheakamus River suspension bridge, sits within a 10000 year old, extinct volcano and is a hiking destination on its own.
Cheakamus River - Best Snowshoeing in Whistler
Flank Trail - Best Whistler Snowshoeing
Hiking and biking trails are so abundant in Whistler that many go unnoticed, neglected or taken for granted. The Flank Trail is one of these. Most people in Whistler don't even know about it, but the ones that do, love it. Officially known as the Rainbow-Sproatt Flank Trail, it runs the length of Whistler Valley, opposite Whistler Mountain and Blackcomb Mountain, and connects to dozens of hiking, snowshoeing and biking trails. At roughly the mid point of the Flank Trail you will come to a small, overlapping section of the Rainbow Trail, near Rainbow Falls. From Whistler Olympic Park to the Rainbow Trail, you will have hiked halfway around Mount Sproatt. The Flank Trail seems to terminate at the Rainbow Trail, however a small sign directs you to turn right, follow the Rainbow Trail, for a couple hundred metres, then left after the water treatment building to the beautiful bridge over 21 Mile Creek. A beautiful way to access the Flank Trail on snowshoes or on foot any time of the year is via the Rainbow Trail near Rainbow Park on the far side of Alta Lake. From the road-side parking at the trailhead you are immediately plunged into deep forest, deep snow, and the sound of crashing water nearby. The Rainbow Trail winds through the forest fairly steeply upward. In less than a kilometre you come to Rainbow Falls crashing down through huge pillows of snow. This little waterfall sits in a beautiful little snowy enclave that feels as though it belongs in some movie. Deep snow, crystal clear green water cascading down from a frozen cliff. A little, hidden paradise. One of many in Whistler. Further up the trail takes you to the first signs for the Flank Trail. The Flank Trail overlaps and crosses the Rainbow Trail for half a kilometre.
Whistler & Garibaldi Hiking
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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