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 scenic bridge crossings and waterfalls on the way to the picture-perfect lake.
Quiet trail compared to other Whistler trails- Trails continue past the lake to other lakes
- Stunning views of Blackcomb & Whistler mountains
- Continuing trail/route to Rainbow Mountain
- The alpine hiking options(eg: Sproatt) are incredible
- The huge erratics at the lake are perfect for suntanning
No camping, fishing or swimming allowed- Trail is sometimes scenic, but often in deep forest
- Tour companies often fly over spoiling the serenity
- Dogs not allowed due to being Whistler's water source
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
January February 
March April May 
June July August 
September October November December
There are a few views of the valley across to Whistler Mountain, Blackcomb Mountain, and Wedge Mountain. Few views, though fantastic. Rainbow Lake itself is in a gorgeous alpine valley with branching trails that extend further beyond the lake in at least three directions. Along with the waterfalls, bridge crossings and valley views, the Rainbow Trail passes through deep forest with some impressively huge trees. Plenty of birds can be heard and seen along the trail and though black bears frequent the area, they are infrequently spotted due to their migration down into the valley. Cougars are also known to roam around this area, though also rarely spotted. As recently as 2014 signs of cougar activity were identified on the Flank Trail near where it branches off from the Rainbow Trail. The Rainbow Trail has a small side trail that takes you to Rainbow Falls. Not far from the trailhead, the small Rainbow Falls sign is easily missed. It is located about five minutes into the Rainbow Trail and your best bet to find it is to keep bearing right along the first couple trail branches. Don't worry about getting lost here though as all the trails reconnect further along the trail when you briefly exit the forest at the water treatment building. Unfortunately, Rainbow Lake is the water supply for Whistler, so you cannot swim, fish or camp near the lake. There is decent camping available nearby at Hanging Lake as well as Beverley Lake in the direction of Rainbow Mountain. **July 2024: the bridge over Beverley Creek between Hanging Lake and Madeley Lake is out and impassable due to high water.**
Hanging Lake Near Rainbow Lake
Hanging Lake is a bit dark and swampy as compared to the spectacular camping at Beverley Lake which is a tough but rewarding hike beyond Rainbow Lake. See the trail maps below for the routes to each of these lakes. Beverley Lake is reached by following the trail toward Rainbow Mountain. About 40 minutes into this trail the trail markers will stop as it ascends up into an extensive boulder field towards Rainbow Mountain. To reach Beverley, bear left of the route to Rainbow Mountain and follow the valley. Beverley Lake is about an hours hike from Rainbow Lake(see maps below). To get even further from the world, hike the partly marked trail to Beverley Lake. The first kilometre is well worn and easy to follow as this is also a somewhat popular trail to reach the summit of Rainbow Mountain. The Rainbow Mountain trail veers right and quickly ascends through massive boulders. If you instead bear left and stay in the valley you will reach this fantastically remote lake. You will be a bit disheartened, however, when you arrive at the lake and see a picnic table. It's very out of place, evidently put there by some helicopter tour company. Other than the weird picnic table there are no signs of humanity, and no restrictions on camping as you have at Rainbow Lake.
Rainbow Lake Trail Map
This trail map shows the Rainbow Trail from Alta Lake Road to Rainbow Lake. To print: Right Click on the map, save image as, save to desktop, then open the image and print on standard size printer paper. Cell coverage is very reliable on the trail to Rainbow Lake. You will likely be able to access the internet and this map if you have a data plan, however saving this image may be a good idea especially if you are venturing out beyond Rainbow Lake toward Beverley Lake where the trail is hard to find and follow.
Camping & Bivouacking Options Near Rainbow Lake
With the restrictions at Rainbow Lake for camping, swimming, etc, Madeley Lake, Hanging Lake and especially Beverley Lake are great options. Madeley Lake is a nice, easy to get to, and free place to camp and the logging road to get to it is usually free of snow June to November. Depending on the early and late season snow of course. The trail from Madeley Lake to Hanging lake is nice, though not too much to see. Hanging Lake is nice, deep forest lake in the middle of nowhere. You feel a hundred miles from civilisation so it is extraordinarily tranquil. You can see the milky way at night very clearly as you are shielded from man-made light from all possible directions.
Facilities at Rainbow Lake
There are no facilities at Rainbow Lake except outhouses tucked away in the forest. There are two spots along the trail with an outhouse at each. The large erratics on the north side of the lake are natural picnic tables, sundecks and seats. Erratic or glacier erratic is a piece of rock that has been carried by glacial ice, often hundreds of kilometres. Characteristic of their massive size and improbable looking placement. Erratics are frequently seen around Whistler and Garibaldi Provincial Park. Either as bizarre curiosities or a place to relax in the sun. On a sunny day, a large sun-facing erratic will often be warm and sometimes even hot, providing a comfortable and surreal place to relax.
Restrictions and Concerns at Rainbow Lake
Unfortunately dogs are not allowed on the Rainbow Trail or around Rainbow Lake due to it being Whistler's main water source. There are plenty of other excellent, dog friendly hiking options around Whistler. The Madeley Lake to Hanging Lake Trail shown on the map above is dog friendly. Also, all the hiking trails in the Callaghan Valley are dog friendly. Ring & Conflict Lake are dog friendly as well as Callaghan Lake and Cirque Lake.
Trailhead & Parking Directions to Rainbow Lake
The trailhead is a short 15 minute drive from Whistler Village. There is a parking area at the edge of Alta Lake Road right at the trailhead. Look for the big "Rainbow Trail" sign. Directions to trailhead: Zero your odometer at Village Gate Boulevard(in Whistler Village), drive north on Highway 99. At 3.9km turn left onto Alpine Way, then at the next stop sign turn left onto Rainbow Drive. Continue straight (Rainbow Drive becomes Alta Lake Rd after about 1 kilometre) until at 7.3km you will see the trailhead on your right and the big "Rainbow Trail" sign. At the start of the trail you will see a big mapboard showing the area.
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