Hike to Garibaldi Lake, Garibaldi Provincial Park, Whistler, British Columbia, Canada
Looking out over Garibaldi Lake towards the Sphinx Glacier
The trail to Garibaldi Lake may have been the most perfectly manicured trail I have ever been on. The trail was so wide and flat in places, it almost felt like a sidewalk, although the steep incline reminded me that we were still indeed hiking.
Mike and I parked at the Rubble Creek Trailhead around 7:30 am on a Thursday morning in June. The highest lot was probably a quarter full when we arrived. We started out on the obvious trail from the trailhead and began our ascent. The trees were simply magnificent on this hike with how grand they were. They provided quite a bit of cover from both the sun and the elements. We passed about 7 other groups on our way up to the lake that morning and saw a handful of backpackers coming down from the lake. We stayed right at the junction with the Taylor Meadows trail to stay on the Garibaldi Lake Trail.
The hike up to Barrier Lake was a pretty consistent, steep grade that knocked out much of the hike’s elevation gain. Once we got to Barrier Lake, I felt like the trail got less steep (but it was by no means flat). We made our way around the lake to Lesser Garibaldi Lake, which also was quite pretty although somewhat difficult to see through the trees. We were quite impressed by the bridges that were constructed on the trail and recognize the significant amount of work they must have required.
Finally, we got our first views of Garibaldi Lake, and it lived up to our expectations. We made our way along the shoreline towards the Garibaldi Lake Campground where we ran into a fair amount of backpackers. It seemed there were several outhouses, shelters, and bear hangs for the backpackers to use. We found a spot on the rocky shoreline to sit and have a snack.
The views truly were breathtaking. Looking straight across the lake to Sphinx Glacier and the peaks above it was mesmerizing. There was still a lot of snow on all of the mountains. Mount Price and Clinker Peak had what looked like some excellent skiing options on them. The lake was one of the bluest I have ever seen. I wished we could have stayed longer.
Unfortunately, we had to head back to the car and headed back out the way we came in. We passed countless groups on the way out. The biggest downside of the hike was how busy it was. We avoided doing the hike on a Saturday or Sunday for that reason, but I was still very surprised by the extent of how busy it was on a Thursday. Overall, I thought this was a great hike with beautiful views, but one I would certainly avoid doing on a weekend.
Total stats: 11.3 miles, 3200 vert. (feet)
