Alpha Lake Park - Whistler Parks & Beaches
Alpha Lake Park has a much more local feel to it than other Whistler parks such as the popular Rainbow Park, Lakeside Park and Lost Lake Park. The abundance of trees and the irregular shoreline make the relatively small size of Alpha Lake seem quite a bit bigger than it is. Trails run around both sides of Alpha Lake. The wide and paved Valley Trail runs along the shore on the near side and a gravel trail runs along the far side. This gravel trail, squeezed between the train tracks and the lake takes you to Pine Point Park, a nice rocky outcrop in the top-middle of the lake. Trails zig-zag through the forest here leading to several great vantage points over the lake. If you continue walking through the forest trails in Pine Point Park you will eventually be squeezed between the lake and the train tracks for a few dozen metres before reaching the end of the lake. Here you will find another hidden oasis at Alpha Lake that goes almost entirely unnoticed. A remnant of the logging industry that used to thrive in the area, an old road abruptly stops at a jetty on the lake-shore. This weirdly remote feeling spot is a great place to relax in the sun.
Adjacent to the main beach at Alpha Lake Park, separated by a small forest is the wonderful dog park known as "Arfa Park". Rarely will you pass through Arfa Park and not see a dog sprinting after a ball in this wide open, grassy field between the tennis courts and the lake. Several park benches face the lake and make for a fantastic place in Whistler to watch the sun set. Whistler's wonderful Valley Trail runs through Alpha Lake Park. The Valley Trail is the wide, two lane, walking/biking/running trail that extends throughout Whistler. The section of Valley Trail that runs though the park here is also part of the much larger Sea to Sky Trail. This 180 kilometre walking/biking/running trail from Squamish to D'Arcy is still being constructed. The 32 kilometre section of the Sea to Sky Trail in Whistler was, for the most part, completed in 2013.
Alpha Lake Park - Parking & Amenities
Map from Whistler Village
"Start" indicated on the map is located in Whistler Village at the pedestrian and car underpass off of Whistler Way. If you walk between Buffalo Bills and the Conference Centre you will come to Whistler Way and see this underpass under the Sea to Sky Highway. This is where the Valley Trail in Whistler exits the Village heading south. Walking/biking/running under the underpass you will come to the Whistler Golf Course parking lot and clubhouse with the Valley Trail branching both left and right. Here you will find a nice mapboard showing the Valley Trail and the Sea to Sky Trail(both trails follow the same route in this section of Whistler). Continue along the Valley Trail all the way to Alpha Lake Park. Other Whistler Parks Near Alpha Lake Park
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