When planning our trip to Whistler, one of the things I just had to do was make it up to the Umbrella Bar on top of Whistler Mountain. It sits 1850 meters up to the sky and is reached either by taking the Whistler Village Gondola up or if you come across the Peak to Peak gondola from Blackcomb Mountain. We barely made the cutoffs as far as gondola rides go, but we made it. The name of the place is pretty explanatory once you see it. It is one giant umbrella on top of the mountain. We came in the winter for naturally they had the glass walls up and keep it heated. In warmer weather, those walls come down and you get an open air experience. The views are unmatched here. You have 360 views of beautiful British Columbia. Understandably, the small space gets packed like the day we went. There is no rhyme or reason to the line or ordering system. Slip in where you can at the bar and be a little aggressive to get your order in. I was cold and sipping on my favorite cocktail Old Fashioned seemed like the move to warm me up. Lowkey, I was expecting a pretty mediocre drink, but it was actually very delicious and everyone in my group seemed to like their drinks as well. We sat outside as inside did not seem comfortable with people packed in like sardines. You also have the option to go in the Roundhouse Lodge for the facilities, gift shop or even grab a bite to eat.
I can most definitely cross off having a delicious cocktail on top of a mountain overlooking beautiful scenery off my bucket list. I would highly suggest getting up here if you are in Whistler. read more