Fall Hiking in Whistler!
Fall is here and hiking in Whistler is spectacular! Check out our Best Whistler Hiking by Month for inspiration!
Logger’s Lake is an amazing little lake hidden up in the deep forest above the more well known Cheakamus River. The lake, almost unbelievably exists in a long extinct volcano. However, as soon as you see the lake up close, you quickly come to believe it. The lake sits in an almost cartoonish looking, volcano-shaped bowl, with one side of the bowl a crumbling array of truck sized boulders leading down to the lake.
Incredible place to escape from the world- Surreal look at the inside of an ancient volcano
- Great for swimming & warmer than other lakes
- Located in Whistler's Interpretive Forest
- Park just 5 minutes from the lake
- More trails beyond the lake
- Cheakamus River trails nearby
Camping is not permitted- Located in a forest recently logged
- Fires not allowed in the Interpretive Forest
The crater that Logger’s Lake sits in was a volcano that pushed through the glacial ice in this valley about 10000 years ago. As the lava cooled it formed the wonderful basalt ridge that is crumbling into valley. As Logger’s Lake sits deep in this ancient volcano's vent, it is sheltered from the wind and soaks up the suns rays into the dark boulders all around. As a result makes it the warmest lake in Whistler, though most other lakes around are glacier fed(via rivers and creeks), so the comparison is not entirely fair. The surrounding cliffs and forest also add to the tranquility of the lake. Located a bit off the radar for most and requiring a short logging road drive and then a very steep, but short hike to get to also contributes to its serenity. This serenity is broken at least once a year, however, when a new tradition formed in 2012. A yearly "Flash Mob Floatie Party" began, where hundreds congregate at Logger's Lake, most with rubber boats for an outdoor party, DJ an all. But aside from that one hilarious day, Logger's Lake is a secret-feeling oasis. Another, though unexpected draw to Logger’s Lake, is its good fishing. Occasionally the lake is stocked with rainbow trout and because of the steep shoreline, casting from almost anywhere along the shore is easy and effective.
There is also an ancient and disintegrating log that is a pier of sorts that leads to a tiny wooden platform out in the lake. A good spot to cast from as well, though you will be standing in a centimetre of water as the platform partially sinks under your weight. Logger’s Lake has a surprisingly large network of hiking trails around it. As the area was logged quite extensively in past decades, you often hike along trails near the lake that are in fact overgrown logging roads.
The ridge directly behind you, if you are facing Logger's Lake and the log pier is an excellent place to hike. Appropriately named the Crater Rim Trail, this trail takes you quickly up to a tremendous vantage point over the lake. Further along and up the ridge you reach the outer edge of the volcano vent and can look outward across the valley in the direction of Cheakamus Lake. The trail then bends to the right and ascends back towards Loggers Lake. Bearing left at the next junction takes you further along the Crater Rim Trail, while bearing right takes you back down to Logger’s Lake.
Logger's Lake Trail Map
The Cheakamus River trails consist of two trails that link via the suspension bridge at one end and the vehicle bridge in Cheakamus Crossing. These two trails, Riverside & Farside, lay at the heart of The Whistler Interpretive Forest which encompasses the surrounding areas of beyond Cheakamus River. These areas consist of the Riverside Trail, Farside Trail, Discovery Loop, Ridge Trail, Riparian Interpretive Trail, Crater Rim Trail, Craterview Loop, Plantation Loop, Biogeoclimatic Loop and Crater Lookout. The Riverside Trail(left side of Cheakamus River if looking from Cheakamus Crossing toward Cheakamus Lake) is an easy to moderate, 2 kilometre multi-use trail with a a few steep switchbacks and a couple very scenic viewpoints over the river. At the suspension bridge it connects to the Farside Trail, an easy, multi-purpose trail that brings you back to where you started in Cheakamus Crossing. More Logger's Lake info...
Keyhole Hot Springs (aka Pebble Creek Hot Springs) is located 100 kilometres from Whistler(Village Gate Blvd). Though most of the 100 kilometres is on logging roads, it is ...
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Wedgemount Lake itself is a magnificent destination for a day hike or spectacular overnight beneath the dazzling mountain peaks and stars. Many sleep under the stars on one of the ...
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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 ...
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Garibaldi Lake is the centre and base for much of the hiking in Garibaldi Provincial Park. The Garibaldi Lake campsite is located on the amazing, turquoise shores of this massive ...
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Two Fantastic Books About British Columbia!
Here are two excellent books on hiking and geology of British Columbia. Matt Gunn's Scrambles in Southwest British Columbia includes the various routes to the summit of Wedge Mountain as well as summit routes to the neighbouring peaks, Weart, Cook, Parkhurst and Rethel. Mount Weart is the second highest mountain in Garibaldi Park and is located just north of Wedge Mountain, separated by the Wedge-Weart Col. Published in 2005, Scrambles in Southwest British Columbia is still the best guide in print or online. Geology of British Columbia: A Journey Through Time by Sydney Cannings, JoAnne Nelson and Richard Cannings is a beautiful history of BC's geology and the 200 million year history of creatures living in this extraordinary corner of the world. The authors take us on a journey through time, describing the collisions of island chains called terrains, the sliding of plates, the erupting of volcanoes, and the movement of glaciers that created British Columbia as we know it today. They also describe the rich legacy of fossils left behind as a result of all this geological activity.
Whistler spruce is a hybrid of the Sitka spruce and the interior Engelmann spruce. Sitka spruce trees thrive in the rainforests of the Pacific Northwest ...
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Glacier Window: the cave-like opening at the mouth of a glacier where meltwater runs out. Glacier windows are often extraordinarily beautiful. A blue glow ...
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Russet Lake sits in a wide, glacier carved valley at the base of The Fissile. In the direction opposite The Fissile, up on a plateau less than a ...
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The Roundhouse Lodge is the centre of activity on much of Whistler Mountain. It is where the Whistler Gondola drops off and next to where the Peak 2 Peak ...
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Western redcedar is a very large tree commonly found in the Pacific Northwest. Frequently growing up to 70 metres and with a trunk diameter of 7 metres, ...
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Whistler can be expensive. Everything worth doing seems to cost a lot of money. But if you step back from the noise and crowds you may spot some secret ...
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Along Whistler’s Valley Trail near Rainbow Park you come across some impressively unusual trees. Unlike most other Whistler trees with straight trunks and ...
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If you make it to the summit of Wedge Mountain you will notice off in the distance a beautifully symmetrical mountain that stands out among the rest. ...
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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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Madeley Lake is a beautiful, remote mountain lake hidden high up in the Callaghan Valley. From Whistler Village expect to take 40 minutes to drive there. You can drive directly to the lake, however the ...
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The alpine hiking trails on Whistler Mountain are the ultimate in luxurious, quick-access alpine hiking. Little effort gets you amazing views of turquoise lakes, snowy mountains, valleys of flowers and ...
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Blackcomb Mountain holds an impressive and ever growing array of hiking trails. From the moment you arrive at the Rendezvous Lodge, you see hiking trails ascend into the distance. The Rendezvous Lodge is ...
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