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 home to a cafeteria style restaurant, a fine dining restaurant, gift shops, washrooms, and quite a lot else. The Rendezvous Lodge is centre of activity on Blackcomb Mountain and the Roundhouse Lodge is the same on Whistler Mountain.
Little effort, amazing alpine scenery- Easily escape the crowds by hiking longer trails
- Rendezvous Lodge is great for dining & drinking
- Accessing alpine terrain beyond trails is easy
- Unmarked route to Russet Lake lays beyond marked trails
- Bivouacking beyond marked trails is amazing
- Extraordinary views of Whistler Mountain & more
- Distant Overlord Glacier is stunning
- Very organized trails & route markers/maps
Access is restricted by snow until June
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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Whether you are doing a long hike or just one of the short ones, stopping here before and after for a meal and/or a beer is almost essential. Blackcomb Mountain has come alive with beautiful hiking trails in recent years. With the 2008 addition of the Peak2Peak Gondola which connects Blackcomb Mountain to Whistler Mountain, the demand for mountain trails is higher than ever. A dozen years ago, you would just have had some rough hiking trails to follow, and not many hikers to follow them. Now you have mapboards, trail signs, viewpoint seating areas and six popular, named trails to hike. The majority of the Blackcomb Mountain trails are easy and relaxing, however the Decker Loop trail at the far end of Blackcomb is very challenging and spectacularly scenic. For the most part, you will find yourself winding through a nice alpine forest scattered with enormous fields of erratics leading to one great viewpoint after another.
Overlord Trail View of Overlord Glacier
Guides to the Best of Whistler
Best Dog Friendly Hiking Trails
Whistler is very dog friendly and the number of wonderful hiking trails that your dog will love is huge. The massively varied hiking trails range from easy, short, close to Whistler Village to challenging, long and deep in the endless wilderness around Whistler. You can find dog friendly trails in and around Whistler Village that take you through deep, dark and magical forests. Or you can drive beyond Whistler Village and take your dog to spectacular alpine lakes. Some requiring little or no hiking, while others are found after hiking challenging and long trails. Many of these places are comparatively quiet and often you and your dog will have the the wilderness to yourselves. In and around Whistler Village you have Lost Lake with its spider web of trails... Continued here.
Best Free Whistler Camping
Whistler is surrounded by an immense wilderness dotted with spectacular, hidden lakes and amazing places to set up a tent. Decades of logging activity has left a network of forest service roads that has opened easy access to these places. Some of these you can drive to and some you may need a 4x4 to comfortably get to. Some places to camp for free you can drive to, some require a short hike and others are fairly long hikes to reach. Beautiful Callaghan Valley is home to several incredible and free places to camp. Callaghan Lake has a great free drive-to campsite just steps from this spectacular alpine lake. If you have a canoe, you can paddle to the end of Callaghan Lake and hike the short, but steep trail up to Cirque Lake. This gorgeous lake is deep in the alpine wilderness... Continued here.
No Car? No Problem! Whistler Trails
Whistler as a resort has a wonderful car-free core. The Village Stroll runs through the heart of Whistler Village and is entirely car free. If you are visiting Whistler or living here and you don't have a car, it's no problem. On foot or on a bike you can travel the extensive network of non-motorized trails. The Valley Trail snakes through Whistler Village and extends in several directions, all of which lead to beautiful parts of Whistler. The Sea to Sky Trail and the Lost Lake trails continue this massive, car-free network of trails running almost everywhere in Whistler. When it comes to many of the best hiking trails, getting to the trailheads on foot, by bike or public transit can be tricky at best or complicated and impractical at worst. Many trailheads are far from Whistler Village and... Continued here.
Kid Friendly Whistler Hiking Trails
There are plenty of excellent, kid and family friendly hiking trails and destinations in and around Whistler. Kid and family friendly generally means an easy and somewhat short trail that a toddler can happily manage. Some of these trails are flat enough to be stroller friendly, such as Brandywine Falls, Whistler Mountain and Blackcomb Mountain. Others such as Logger’s Lake, Cheakamus River and Madeley Lake have short enough trails to reach them that you can manage with little kids that don't want to hike too far. Some of these hikes and walks are popular and close to Whistler Village, like Whistler Mountain, Blackcomb Mountain, Lost Lake Park, Rainbow Park and Meadow Park. Others are a beautiful, but far drive into the mountains and tricky to find... Continued here.
Blackcomb Mountain Hiking Trails
Short and Long Trails on Blackcomb
You can hike for as little as 15 minutes or more than 3 hours, depending on the trail or trails you choose to follow. Blackcomb Lake and Blackcomb Peak that looms far above it are the most popular destinations for hikers and getting there and back can be done in a couple hours. The trails begin at the Rendezvous Lodge at the heart of Blackcomb Mountain. You have two ways to get here and both require paying for access to Whistler Mountain and Blackcomb Mountain. An adult day pass is about $150 and a pass good for the whole summer is just $180. These give you access to all the chair lifts and gondolas that access hiking trails as well as the Peak2Peak Gondola.
Blackcomb Gondola
There are two ways to go up or down the mountains and a good idea is to use one way up and another way down to add to the variety. A good way to start up the mountain is to begin by taking the Blackcomb Gondola from the Upper Village and the Whistler Gondola back down at the end of the day. The Upper Village is where you find some of the more luxurious hotels in Whistler. The Fairmont and the Four Seasons are located in the Upper Village. If you are staying in Whistler Village, the Upper Village is just a short and very scenic, 10 minute walk away. Also in the Upper Village in the summer months you will find several kid friendly activities such as trampolines, mini go-carts, a human maze, mini golf, horse riding, and quite a lot more.
The new Blackcomb Gondola built in 2018 replaces the two separate chairlifts that previously carried you up the mountain. The new gondola will have the similar, marvellous views as the chairs had, but now you will be shielded from the elements. Looking back on the Upper Village, you look down on the Fairmont(hotel) and moments later can see beyond the Upper Village to Lost Lake, Alta Lake and Green Lake. To your right you get stunning views of Whistler Mountain through breaks in the alpine forest. Halfway up the mountain you will start to feel the cold alpine air on the as you will have gained over 1000 metres or almost 4000 feet since you left the Upper Village. Shorts and a t-shirt, that felt comfortable just a few minutes ago, are now inadequate in all but sunny days up here. Bring a jacket or sweater just in case or buy one at the well stocked store in the Rendezvous Lodge on Blackcomb.
Rendezvous Lodge on Blackcomb Mountain
The gondola drops you off high up the mountain at the Rendezvous Lodge. This is the main centre of activity for Blackcomb Mountain year-round. The Peak2Peak Gondola also stops here. The Rendezvous Lodge is a destination on its own. A small pub, huge restaurant/cafeteria, gift shop and a up scale restaurant here ensure that you have lots to choose from. Christine's is a very nice restaurant perched on the edge of the building and with spectacular views from every table. If you don't stop in this beautiful restaurant for a meal or just a drink, you are missing one of the most amazing and usually overlooked restaurants in Whistler. Though the restaurant looks and feels very upscale, the prices are not... and the views are sensational.
Eating at Rendezvous Lodge
The huge cafeteria style restaurant is very good as well and both the inside and outside seating areas have excellent views as well. With the location of the Rendezvous Lodge, you would have trouble finding a seat without a fantastic view. There are washrooms in the building as well and it should be pointed out that these are the only washrooms you will find. Owing to the relatively short distance of the hiking trails on Blackcomb, there are no outhouses along the trails. For part of the summer, usually until late July, you will see large buses arriving and departing near the terminus of the gondola. These free buses take you to the 7th Heaven chairlift which in turn takes you up to the Horstman Glacier and Horstman Hut. Here you will find summer skiing/riding and a surprisingly nice place to eat. This is not an area for hiking and the main draw, aside from skiing/riding is sightseeing.
The Peak2Peak Gondola is quite an amazing ride between the mountains. It holds the world record for the longest free span between rope-way towers at over 3 kilometres(1.88 miles). Overall the Peak2Peak Gondola is 4.4 kilometres(2.73 miles) long and takes 11 minutes to cross the enormous valley separating Whistler and Blackcomb mountains. If you have not been on the Peak2Peak Gondola before, do it, it is fantastic. Your lift pass to access the mountains hiking trails includes the Peak2Peak Gondola as well. Both the Rendezvous Lodge and Roundhouse Lodge are similarly equipped with restaurants, gift shops and washrooms. The Roundhouse Lodge on Whistler is in turn connected to the Whistler Gondola which takes you directly to or from Whistler Village. This 22 minute gondola ride is very scenic and you always have a good chance of seeing a black bear. You will find that on weekends during the summer, that the Whistler Gondola is open later than the Blackcomb lifts. This is to accommodate the Mountain Top BBQ Series that runs all summer on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. You have to pay extra for the BBQ dinner, however, riding the gondola up or down later is no extra charge. This opens up the hiking trails late into the evening on Whistler Mountain and enables you to hike on Blackcomb for much of the day, then on Whistler later in the day. The sunsets on Whistler are of course amazing and a good way to end a day of hiking.
If you started hiking early, have lots of day left, and the weather is nice, you should take the Peak2Peak Gondola back across to Blackcomb and ride the gondola down. Going down the mountain is even more fun than riding them up as you get a whole new view and the somewhat odd experience of riding a gondola down the mountain, instead of up. The hiking trails on Blackcomb Mountain begin at the Rendezvous Lodge and are immediately beautiful. Dozens of sightseers will be snapping photos right from the start of the trail. Mapboards along the trails give you an indication of the mountains and lakes you can see in the valley below and beyond. The Blackcomb hiking trails run in a linear route and the different trails are basically sections of one large trail. In short, you hike in one direction, but have the option of making the trail longer or shorter as you go.
Blackcomb Mountain Hiking Trails
The Alpine Walk trail is your first section of this larger trail. It consists of a 1.6k(1mile) loop trail that takes you from the Rendezvous Lodge to the alpine to view of the Fitzsimmons Valley that separates Spearhead Range(Blackcomb Mountain side) and the Fitzsimmons Range(Whistler Mountain side). Garibaldi Provincial Park wraps around these two mountain ranges and begins just past the end of the Overlord trail on the Blackcomb Mountain side and at the end of the Musical Bumps trail on the Whistler Mountain side. The Alpine Walk trail in an easy trail that winds through huge fields of boulders and mangled alpine trees to a beautiful viewpoint area among the enormous erratics overlooking the valley below. In the distance you will see Whistler Mountain and clearly visible ski runs and snowy mountains beyond. Lots of trail signs direct you to either circle back to the Rendezvous Lodge or continue further along to the beautiful Overlord trail which reveals tremendous views of Overlord Mountain and Overlord Glacier and pretty much all of the magnificent Fitzsimmons Range.
The Overlord Trail
The Overlord trail continues along the edge of Blackcomb Mountain and the scenic alpine forest that surrounds it. Overlord then runs another 1.6k(1 mile) to the far end of Blackcomb before entering Garibaldi Provincial Park. An unmarked route continues into Garibaldi Provincial Park, however this route is only recommended for advanced hikers as there are no trail signs and getting lost is very easy here. A better/easier route into Garibaldi Provincial Park is found on the Whistler side, where signs and mapboards direct you all the way. This is the very old and very loved, Singing Pass trail that begins next to the bus stop at the base of Whistler Mountain(close to Dubh Linn Gate Irish Pub). Along the Overlord trail you will come to two loop trails. The first one is the Lakeside Loop trail. This moderately challenging trail takes you to Blackcomb Lake, a beautiful little alpine lake at the base of Blackcomb peak. This crystal clear lake sits at the base of a hostile looking valley of boulders on one side and green meadows on the other. You often see a couple people braving the cold water for a swim and there is a huge erratic out in the lake perfect for laying in the sun.
Decker Loop Trail
The second loop trail off of the Overlord trail is the Decker Loop trail. This is the only steep and challenging trail in the area and takes you high up on the ridge along Decker Mountain. This trail will get you the best views of Overlord Glacier in the distance. The layout of the Blackcomb trails give you essentially three routes to choose from that you start and finish at the Rendezvous Lodge. The short and easy, Alpine Walk loop trail. At just 1.6k, this gives you a quick and easy look at some beautiful views from Blackcomb Mountain. This route can be done in well under an hour. The second route takes the Alpine Walk trail to the Overlord trail, then up Lakeside Loop to Blackcomb Lake then back around to the Overlord trail and back to the Rendezvous Lodge. Moderately challenging, this route is about 6 kilometres roundtrip and takes about 2-3 hours to hike. This is a very popular route as it not too short and not too long. The third route is to take the Alpine Walk trail, continue onto the Lakeside Loop trail, then down to the Overlord trail, then up along the Decker Loop trail, then return by the Overlord trail. This is moderately challenging except for the very steep Decker Loop section is about 9.5 kilometres roundtrip and takes about 3-5 hours to hike. This is popular trail for those looking for a longer hike to the best views. Challenging and very scenic.
Camping Near Blackcomb Mountain
Garibaldi Provincial Park continues where Blackcomb Mountain ends. Just beyond the Overlord trail you can find several excellent places to put up a tent. Garibaldi Park is enormous and this is a quiet and mostly forgotten corner of this massive wilderness. Occasionally people camp out overnight at Blackcomb Lake. Though camping withing Blackcomb's boundary is not allowed, there doesn't seem to be a resounding prohibition against it. However, as the area is popular with day hikers, having a tent set up in sight of hikers would be unusual and in bad taste. Keep in mind that camping is If you do plan on spend the night, arriving late, leaving early, and leaving no trace would seem to be considerate. This is quite easy to accomplish as with the narrow gondola opening hours dictate when hikers arrive and depart. So realistically, with the gondola opening hours of 8am to 5pm you won't likely see people until 9am or after 4pm.
Facilities on Blackcomb Mountain
There are plenty of amenities on Blackcomb. The Rendezvous Lodge is packed with eateries and a couple gift stores. In the summer they usually have a BBQ going outside with hamburgers, beer and soft drinks for sale. There are several picnic tables just steps from some amazing views. The Rendezvous Lodge is also home to a bit of a secret. Christine's is a fine dining restaurant hidden at the far end of the lodge and every table has breathtaking views. The prices are not overly high, and there is even a nice area along the bar for a drink. Most don't notice Christine's as it is past the main restaurant area, which draws most in.
Wildlife on Blackcomb Mountain
Blackcomb is situated in the midst of bear country. You will almost certainly see one or more bears from the chairlifts heading up the mountain. If you get there via the Whistler Gondola, you will also probably see bears. They usually roam around the lower elevations where there are a lot of things to eat. On the ride up the mountain in the summertime, you will often see bears. It would be a bit unusual to ride up Blackcomb Mountain and not see bears below you or in the near distance. On the Blackcomb trails you will not often see bears, though you will see plenty of hoary marmots. These adorable little animals lurk in the boulder areas and can be heard from their constant whistling. These cute, invariably pudgy, twenty plus pound ground squirrels that have evolved to live quite happily in the hostile alpine areas of much of the world. In the northwest of North America, marmots have a distinct grey in their hair, a hoary colour, so have been named hoary marmots. They manage to survive quite happily in the alpine, largely by hibernating for 8 months of the year and largely for having a surprisingly varied array of food in such an inhospitable environment. They live off of grasses, berries, lichens, mosses, and roots and flowers. And live quite well it seems, as they always look chubby, which has one great drawback. They are sought after by bears and wolves. They have a wonderful defence system though. They are constantly on watch and whistle loudly at the first sign of danger, alerting the colony. The prevalence of these "whistlers" as they came to be locally called, in the early days of London Mountain resulted in it's name being officially changed to Whistler Mountain in the 60's.
Access to Blackcomb Mountain Hiking Trails
There is lots of parking at the main parking lots in the middle of Whistler Village, just a short 10 minute walk to either the Blackcomb Gondola or the Whistler Gondola. All Whistler Mountain and Blackcomb Mountain hiking trails are accessible with a WhistlerBlackcomb lift pass. With a lift pass you can take the Blackcomb Gondola to the hiking trailhead at Rendezvous Lodge. At the Rendezvous Lodge look for the huge mapboards and trail signs. The trails and trail junctions are so well laid out that you don't need to bring a map. Each junction has a mapboard and direction signs complete with estimated times to hike. You can also access Blackcomb Mountain via the Peak2Peak Gondola that connects Whistler and Blackcomb mountains. From Whistler Village, take the Whistler Gondola to the Roundhouse Lodge on Whistler Mountain. Next to the Roundhouse Lodge you will see the huge Peak2Peak Gondola building. The Peak2Peak Gondola takes you directly to the Blackcomb hiking trails at the Rendezvous Lodge. If you bike to Whistler Village you will find lots of places to lock up your bike, just steps from the lifts. Public transit is not needed to get to Blackcomb as you get there via Whistler Village. If you are bussing up from Vancouver, the bus will stop in Whistler Village just a short walk to the Whistler Gondola or Blackcomb Gondola.
More Great Hiking Around Blackcomb
Blackcomb is a great place to hike surrounded by quite a lot of other great hiking opportunities. Whistler Mountain is accessible via the same lift pass you purchase for Blackcomb and you can ride the Peak2Peak Gondola back and forth between mountain as much as you want. Whistler Mountain trails range from short to quite long, and you can even hike beyond Whistler Mountain for several kilometres into Garibaldi Provincial Park. Russet Lake is a nice alpine paradise that sits at the base of The Fissile, the unmistakable peak easily visible from Whistler Village. If you look up from Village Gate Boulevard in Whistler Village and see the Peak2Peak Gondola in the distance, you will see a pyramid looking mountain beyond that. White in the winter and rust coloured the rest of the year, that's The Fissile.
The Fissile is part of the Fitzsimmons Range and towers above Russet Lake. The Fissile has Russet Lake on one side and Overlord Mountain and Overlord Glacier on the other side. Russet Lake can be hiked to via the astoundingly beautiful Musical Bumps trail and the High Note Trail which start from the top of Whistler Mountain. To get to the top of Whistler Mountain you ride up the Whistler Gondola and then the frighteningly steep, though exhilarating Peak Express Chair. Alternatively you can hike to Russet Lake for free from Whistler Village via the Singing Pass trail which is the original route to The Fissile, Overlord Mountain and the alpine of Whistler Mountain. There is a great campground at Russet Lake and even a cute mountain hut, free to use, no reservations. The adventurous can hike beyond Russet Lake via an unmarked alpine route to connect to the Blackcomb Mountain trails. Many take the Singing Pass trail instead, which cuts down the valley between Whistler Mountain and Blackcomb Mountain, returning you to Whistler Village. If you are keen there is also an unmarked route that extends down from Russet Lake in a fairly direct heading down to Singing Creek on the shore of Cheakamus Lake.
Whistler Mountain is easily accessible from Blackcomb Mountain via the Peak2Peak Gondola. The trails range from short trails to full day hiking trails. Just steps from the Roundhouse Lodge is one end of the Peak 2 Peak Gondola which takes you across to Blackcomb Mountain and another nice array of beautiful hiking trails. In the summer months, Whistler Mountain is somewhat divided in two. The lower half of the mountain is for biking and the upper half is more for hiking, sightseeing, trail running, eating and drinking. There are three main directions you can hike from the Roundhouse Lodge. Just past the Peak 2 Peak Gondola building you will see the Spearhead Loop trail that is 1.2 kilometres or 0.7 miles long and with not a lot of elevation gain/loss at roughly 20 metres or 66 feet overall. Following it to the left you will descend down an easy trail toward Harmony Lake where you can link to the Harmony Lake Loop trail or veer back to where you started.
At Whistler’s peak you can hike the cliffs adjacent to the top of the Peak Express Chair on the Whistler Summit Interpretive Walk. This rugged, though very easy 1.6 kilometre set of trails can be done as a figure 8 loop trail. The large area to the right as you exit the Peak Express Chair with the inuksuk and the Cloudraker Skybridge & Raven's Eye Walk is one side of the figure 8 and the other side ascends up past the Peak Express Chair to some incredible lookouts and interpretive information boards before bending back to meet Mathews’ Traverse, the gravel road that brings you back to where you started. Many follow Mathews’ Traverse down to the Roundhouse on a constantly descending and gorgeous 3.2 kilometre or 2 mile route past several stunning views and through the Whistler ice walls.
Whistler Hiking Sights & History
Whistler Train Wreck Murals
The colourful graffiti and murals that make Whistler Train Wreck the magical place it is today began appearing in 2011, when this hidden place was known by just a few Whistler locals. In the summer of 2011 several Whistler artists came here for "The Train Wreck Paint Jam" and transformed the mangled wreckage into a surreal art exhibit. The artists ranged from aspiring graffiti artists to professional artists like Kups. Remnants of one of his murals from 2011 is found inside the first boxcar you come to after crossing the bridge into Whistler Train Wreck. Several of the original murals were gorgeous. Brilliantly coloured and surreal in such an unusual, tranquil and hidden forest with seven mangled train boxcars scattered. Like some sort of haunting art gallery... Continued here.
Northair Mine Murals
Way up in the Callaghan Valley on the back side of Mount Sproatt is an abandoned gold mine. Old cement foundations and two unexpectedly beautiful lakes mark the location of Northair Mine, abandoned in 1982. It was a fairly productive gold mine that extracted five tons of gold. Largely forgotten for years, in the last decade it has come to life in stunning colour by graffiti artists and professional muralists. In the summer of 2013, the first mural appeared on the blank foundation walls of Northair Mine. A creation of a professional Whistler artist PETKO. Painted on one of the inside, pillar walls, the mural is about 8 feet tall and five feet wide of what looks like a robot snake in front of a cube background. It stood out in striking contrast to the grey walls in the background... Continued here.
Neal Carter Mountaineer
Neal Carter (14 Dec 1902 – 15 Mar 1978) was a mountaineer and early explorer of the Coast Mountains primarily in the 1920’s and 1930’s. Highly skilled as a mountaineer and climber, Carter also excelled at cartography and surveying which he used to map the vast unnamed and unexplored mountains of BC. He named a staggering number of mountains and alpine features, as well as making at least 25 first ascents, many around what we now call the Whistler Valley. Carter began climbing the mountains around Vancouver as a teenager and at the age of seventeen he met someone who would change his life forever. In 1920, while hiking with high school friends Carter had a chance encounter with Tom Fyles, arguably the greatest mountaineer of the era. Continued here.
Tom Fyles Mountaineer
Tom Fyles (27 June 1887 - 27 March 1979) was an astoundingly skilled climber that figured prominently in the mountaineering community in Vancouver for more than two decades. From his introduction to mountaineering in 1912, to his prolific array of elite level climbing ascents that began in earnest just four years later. In 1916 he solo climbed The Table in Garibaldi Park, a mountain widely considered to be too difficult and dangerous to even attempt. Those that knew him well admired his friendliness, enthusiasm, boundless endurance and incredible ability to read a mountain and navigate the best route to the summit. He made many first ascents and inspired countless new climbers, some becoming giants of the era. Continued here.
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