July 24, 2007 | Tips from Travellers >
Whistler, Hiking
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The start of the Garibaldi Lake Trail is located 37 km north of Squamish (19 km south of Whistler) off the Sea to Sky Highway. From the parking lot it's a 9 km hike that has an elevation gain of 810 meters along a well groomed trail that meanders through the forest and across a couple of rivers until you get the one of the best vistas in BC.
Our group of six took 3 hours to hike from the trail head to the lake and 2.5 hours to return. This, plus a few hours at the lake makes for a hike that lasts the entire day so be sure to get an early start and bring lots of water and a enough food to keep your fuelled up.
In view of the length of time required and the high elevation of the park, it's best to hike this trail in the summer when the days are long and the snow is gone.
Finally, don't forget to bring a few bucks for parking. In the summer of '07 it was a reasonable $3 as all proceeds go to trail maintenance.