The hike to Garibaldi Lake! This was a difficult one for me, maybe one of the tougher ones I've…read moreaccomplished and I'm saying that because I'm not the most patient of hikers. I'm more of a speed hiker that likes to get in and get out! But to access Garibaldi Lake, (the obvious main event to the park), you must take the Rubble Creek Trail. It's an 18 kilometer out and back hike (or as us Americans would say - "roundtrip")...that is a length of 11.5 miles long. And with that 11.5 miles, the path is all uphill! Everything about it is uphill until you eventually arrive at...Garibaldi Lake! So...for the folks out there who maybe don't hike often, I'd just suggest preparing for the long haul. The hike will be strenuous, but pace yourself, take breaks when necessary and before long...the reward will be worth the grind! And then, you'll be coming back for more! Another thing, I'm always motivated to capture undisturbed pictures in nature. And it's this inspiration that I use to discover what's out there. I want to reflect back on the experience and know I afforded myself ample time during the day to accomplish the sights and sceneries that make for memorable stories. Lol, it's this type of internal mentality that pushes me to strive for greater heights, so to speak, hehehe. Okay so this Rubble Creek Trail to Garibaldi Lake! You must make a reservation 2 days in advance prior to visiting. Just go to bcparks.ca and sign up for a pass. I also used this website for accessing Joffre Lakes Provincial Park situated in Mount Currie, BC. And btw, this Garibaldi Lake is located just north of Whistler, BC. One side note...the parks, lakes and hikes here in Lower British Columbia are simply fantastic! There's a laundry list of things to do. And especially when you speak to locals and they recommend hidden, under the radar places that the public eye doesn't know much about. I thought the Canadian Rockies in Alberta were stunning, but British Columbia nature is really, really scenic! Before arriving at Garibaldi Lake, I suggest taking a short side trek to Barrier Viewpoint for some quick panoramic looks. Also, along the trail you'll pass over a short bridge looking up at a waterfall. It's worthy of a photo. Finally arriving at Garibaldi Lake, at first it may not be so picturesque (even when the sun is out!) but give it a chance. Walk around and explore and you'll find colorful instances where you'll connect with those green and turquoise blue waters. Especially when you're looking back towards the entrance area of the lake, the return hike back down had some of my most fulfilling pictures of the day. It's weird, it's like the angle of the sun can play tricks on you. Be patient and hopefully magical moments will evolve! I tried to walk around the perimeter of Garibaldi Lake, but that wasn't possible. So...I had to relax a little and take my foot off the gas pedal, lol. In fact, some of my best views were simply looking out at the snowcapped mountain peaks. There's a glacier set in the distance as well. A lot of visitors brought their bathing suits with them. And although the lake is glacially fed and freezing, people were still swimming! I even joined in on the fun and took my clothes down to my underwear and hopped in the waters, lol. Granted, it was only briefly, but still, I wanted to leave no stone unturned while here! I'd also point out that since the lake is not navigable 360 degrees around, it sort of took the pressure off me to find the best picture angles. Instead, I really tried to embrace the setting and live in the moment! There's camping allowed here, but again you must make reservations for it. Btw, it's free to book your entry pass to the lake. Parking is free too. One last thing, remember...when you head back towards the entrance of Garibaldi Lake, you'll be pleasantly surprised with the lake colors illuminating from the tree line pathway. I left the lake around 3pm and suddenly, light greens and blues were evident! There are vault toilets at the lake. Interestingly, they ask you to bring your own toilet paper. Never seen that before. Overall, Garibaldi Lake was a wonderful way to enjoy a summer day in the great outdoors. I can't believe I hiked 18 kilometers. And the path through the forest makes for a quiet atmosphere in the woods. I would still rank Joffre Lakes as my favorite BC landmark, but this Garibaldi Lake has its value and major popularity among hikers. Thank you for taking time to read this.

All I have to say is be prepared.. As this is about an 18km hike, I recommend leaving early in the…read moremorning and staying over night in Whistler so you don't feel rushed. This time around when we went, due to the pandemic, we had to book a time slot the day of as they were limiting the amount of hikers. Driving there isn't the problem nor is the parking, it's the length of time but the reward at the end is worth it. I recommend bringing a small bag for liquids, snacks, bug spray, hat and towel as you could swim there but keep in mind you can't throw away your garbage at the site due to bears even though there's a camp site there. The hike isn't super steep and you won't have to climb anything (at least I didn't), you just have to be ready to walk a lot. The path is well marked so you can't get lost. I would say the average round trip if you aren't including staying at the destination to eat and take photos is roughly 4-5 hours round trip at a steady pace. Hike's are always calming and it helps clear your mind from stress and clutter. This is probably one of the best local hikes I've done so far and I would definitely recommend it to anything looking for a challenge and beautiful view. And if you want to be more adventurous, you can also extend your trip to panoramic ridge and black tusk!

Location! Location! Location!…read more The location & proximity to the beach is exceptional. We walked the beach every evening stunning As it is new it will take awhile for the landscape to mature at this park. Having said that the pull though are spacious and easy to access towing. Signage could be more visible from highway as many miss the turn & end up in the Best Western parking lot. Not great when driving a 40' Motorhome towing a vehicle

Only come here if there is NO other options…read more The good: The campground spot was nice, we were in site 1 next to a river that helped drown out the traffic noise The Bad: It was super Pricey and once we got there the showers were coin operated! I already paid a LOT of money to camp here and now the showers cost money too?? The ugly: I had just enough coinage to take a shower got all set up (because you only have 4 minutes) and the machine ate one of my coins! so I was standing there trying to get this machine to work for 20 minutes finally got redressed and had to go find the guy who runs the place, who took his sweet ass time coming over to help me and then never even apologized, asked me if I tried another machine. Some absolutely terrible customer service!

had to update with photos!!! again to reiterate, this place changed my life I'm a new person for…read morethe better cheers

Came here to do some "winter" camping after we tried going to our usual Squamish Riverside Rec site…read moreand our sedans bottomed out :D There were a few cars in the lot when we arrived from day-use hikers but due to the cold weather and impending cold snap we were the only group (crazy enough) to stay overnight in our tents. The road up has lots of potholes as mentioned, but the worst dip right before the hill appears to have been filled and it was no issue for our cars to make it up. Beautiful lake, outhouses were clean and not too smelly, likely due to lack of use in the winter. Tons of fallen trees and branches from the windstorm a few months ago that needed to be cleared from paths, but still very manageable. We used the bear caches but saw no signs of wildlife. It was extremely windy and chilly mid morning and with more trees swaying and branches snapping we decided to leave shortly afterwards. The dock nearest the parking lot is partially sunken and someone has placed a wooden plank down so you can still access. Two wheelbarrows at the parking lot Family Day weekend, not sure if there are usually more than that. It's such a beautiful site, it's a shame that it gets taken over by rowdy party groups in the summer (based on the other reviews). I would definitely come back to visit!

I love hiking and have done a lot of hiking over the past couple of years (I started a hiking group…read moretwo years ago), improving my stamina and fitness level. I have been able to do increasingly harder hikes, although my level is solidly intermediate -- I can't do hikes that are 20km, 10 hours, extreme elevation, really rough terrain, etc. The Stawamus Chief, known as "The Chief", is a popular hike that is on many people's bucket list. I was never particularly interested in The Chief, as the description seemed too difficult and being in Squamish, it was not possible to get there as a non-driver. However, this summer, some friends who I met through my hiking group wanted to try The Chief. We went on a Wednesday, in order to avoid the weekend crowd. Seven of us went, and none of us being morning people, we arrived around 11:30am, which is considered late for hardcore hikers. Fortunately, we were able to find a parking spot, although there were very few available at that time. The Chief consists of three peaks, and we only did the first one, which was more than enough. We went quite slowly, taking breaks as needed, and excluding about an hour at the top, taking in the view and having lunch, it took us about 4.5 hours to complete (2.5 hours to the top, 2 hours back down). While I was obviously able to complete The Chief, I didn't particularly enjoy the hike (although I really liked the company and hanging out with my friends), and I have no desire to do it again -- I've done it once, I don't have anything to prove, and there are so many other hikes to do. The trail for the first peak, while relatively short (under 4km there and back) is quite steep, and there are a lot of stairs. The problem is that I am short, and the steps were quite high, so I was extra slow as it took me longer to step up or down each stair, and by the end of the hike, I was exhausted (as were my friends). I had heard that there were chains and a ladder on the rock face that you needed to scramble up in order to get to the top, and this is why I had no desire to try The Chief. While challenging, the chains and ladder weren't so bad, and easier than I had expected. But the scramble up the rock face after the chains and ladder was horrible. I hated the scramble up the rock face, and I was actually pretty terrified -- I almost fell backwards to my death, as with Tunnel Bluffs. Thankfully my friends helped me. In my opinion, there should have been some chains to hold on to. Anyway, I made it up without dying, but I am never doing that again. At the top we could see the second peak, and to me, it looked like a pure scramble up rock face, the part I hated about our hike. I'm definitely never going to attempt the other peaks. We spend about an hour at the top, having lunch and hanging out. There was a cute chipmunk who ate the trail mix that I "accidentally" dropped, and we saw a Peregrine falcon and a raven flying around for over five minutes -- it looked like the falcon was chasing the raven. Overall a great day with my friends, but I did not enjoy The Chief and have no desire to ever do it again. [Yelp collections: Hiking]

I had never been to Stawamus Chief before but I was super excited for it. I had heard that it was a…read morerather difficult hike (which it is) but it's totally doable! We had someone with us who had never done a hike before and she made it to the top so it's doable. Having said that, we only did peak 1 because it was raining that day and we didn't want to risk anything. Peak 1 have lots of rocks and the elevation gain is pretty big. It took us 4.5 hours in total for the hike but if you are someone who is a hiker, it's possible to do it in 3 hrs. I will say that if you decide to do this hike on a rainy day, be prepared to have proper shoes because it does get slippery! Regardless I would say having proper shoes for this hike is important. The top of the hike is mostly climbing with ropes and on flat elevated rocks so it's good to have shoes with good grip. The view from up there is definitely worth it though!

Alice Lake gets super busy during the summer, especially on weekends. However, we got their at 5pm…read moreon a Saturday so it was not as crowded and we were easily able to find a space by the water to lay our picnic mats and chairs. We also found parking immediately! The lake is pretty clear and wasn't too cold!! We were able to get into the water without freezing.. of course this is only during peak summer. We took our boats and paddle board, it was so serene! The lake itself wasn't too crowded to we were able to relax in the water while playing our music for hours. We had enough privacy. Only complaint I have is their bathrooms... I'm not sure if this was only because it was a crowded weekend, but the women's bathroom was pretty dirty. The changing rooms did not have any doors either. I wasn't too upset because it is expected at a campsite but I wish they were cleaned more regularly. They also have camping grounds but it was pretty packed during the weekend.

Alice Lake is a super busy and popular camp ground for locals and tourists. It is also a popular…read morespot for hiking, camping, kyaking, swimming etc. To book a spot on the camp ground, the wait list is about 6 months out. It also has over 100 camp sites. At the gate, there is a gate keeper who keeps tracks of who is coming in and out of the camp ground. I like how the camping table/benches are all treated and finshed. The camp site was kept very clean when we were there. Unfortunately, when we went (June 2023), there was a ban on fire. So no cooking over fire. You could bring your own propane tank and start bbq from there. The camp ground is being patrolled several times through out the day. There is a outhouse. I have noticed many people prefered to rent an RV or bring their RV here camping. There is some spotty internet reception on the camp ground. I realized I was still able to make phone calls in and out which was quite nice. So you are not completely disconnected from the world. Definitely a nice place to go camping.

Shannon Falls was beautiful and the creek had the clearest water. Made me want to have a drink…read more Meandering through a moss covered forest to get to Shannon Falls was just magical for me. I loved every inch of that forest and the lush green moss covering tree trunks and branches. The ferns were so alive and pretty. I could forest bath here all day if I had the time. The sight and sounds of water rushing was so peaceful and tranquil. Could not get enough of this enchanting forest!

This waterfall is about a halfway point from Vancouver to Whistler, and is near the Sea to Sky…read moreGondola. We visited on a Thursday at around 4:30. There were a good amount of people there at that time, but it wasn't packed - we were able to get a parking spot (which is free). The hike to the falls is easy and quick - maybe 10 minutes? All in all, we spent maybe half hour getting there/back, and taking photos. If you live in the area, it seems like a nice park for a picnic since there is a huge open space, and some picnic tables. Nice, quick, scenic stop - the best kind!

You don't have many options for a campground with amenities like this. It's truly a wonderful…read morecampground with friendly staff and clean facilities. If you need any supplies, the host has an office with all kinds of goodies including ice cream! An excellent place to bring the family and enjoy the outdoors. Every campsite looked equally wonderful.

Do not stay at Paradise Valley Campground near Whistler/Squamish. We don't travel with reservations…read moreand having been in Alaska and on the Cassier Hwy. we didn't have internet service. We arrived at this park and were thankful they could get us in to their overflow lot. My husband paid for 3 nights at $63 per night. After paying, asked about generator hours. He was told no generator use allowed. We should have asked for our money back then. But, we have a good solar set up and $1000 worth of batteries. So he said ok. After one night, we knew it wouldn't work because of thick tree coverage. Long story short the manager Francine would not refund 2 nights. We never received anything in writing nor were we told that they didn't do refunds. Very poor policy and never explained Bad customer service!

We didn't see any eagles, but it was a lovely diversion after coffee & pastries at PureBread to…read moretiptoe thru the ice & snow up the berm. We're a bit late based on my cursory research, but worth a try (a gent down the way had a tripod out, maybe he found one) plus we got a touch of the outdoors. We spent a week in Whistler in a family New Years trip (started w 2 nights at the Westin in Vancouver, headed back there now - Red Eye flight home tonight)

I was expecting more when planning to visit this park, but I didn't realize that there wasn't a…read morewhole lot to see during the winter time. We didn't see any eagles, and we had to be careful where we walked, because there were a few signs warning us of not treading further on Indian reservation land. We walked along the road from the parking lot, but we didn't go far. We ended up turning around and walking on the shore along the water. Be careful, as the rocks are unsteady. If you don't want to walk along the water, you can walk on the sandy trails away from the water, but there isn't any view.