Whistler

Whistler
The incredibly scenic Sea to Sky highway begins in Squamish where constant views of mountains and the ocean are joined by Shannon Falls and an iconic 2000ft rock monolith known as the Chief.
There is a short & steep trail which makes a nice three season hike (1st summit: 3.7 miles 1640ft - alternate 2nd summit 5.6 miles, 2007ft, which can be extended to a third summit for a total of 6.8 miles, 2132ft) The 2nd summit has views of Mt. Garibaldi, the third summit is treed.
The other great early season hike is High Falls Creek (7.5 miles, 2100ft). Located off Squamish Main it features a great views and a 300+ft waterfall tucked into a narrow gorge.
Left to right: Whistler Blackcomb Ski Resort, Black Tusk and Mt. Garibaldi from Brandywine Meadows

	Brandywine Falls is both the name of a campground and a 216ft waterfall. The falls are worth a visit as are Brandywine Meadows located in an unsigned wilderness on the West side of Hwy 99.
	From a 2007 trip report:
	"This is one of those rare places where you can drive right to the edge of the alpine. However since neither of us had a 4WD nor the confidence to handle of steep sharp turns & loose gravel we opted to park at a lower trailhead. "
	"The lower trail is wickedly steep, full of muck, blowdown and general nastiness but we vanquished this in just over a half hour and were soon rewarded with splendid meadows in full summer bloom."
	Left: Brandywine Meadows, 8.4 miles, 1970ft

A favourite local scramble arises 2190ft from Brandywine Meadows to the summit of Brandywine Mountain. left Hidden among the countless mountain ridges is Mt. Cayley, right a little known, but active volcano.
In the town of Whistler itself off Alta Lake Road is a trail to Rainbow Lake below, 10 miles, 2788ft
"It wasn’t quite up to National Park standards but it was pretty good. Hiking was easy to moderate with many bridges and over a mile of boardwalk, only the last mile up to the lake was somewhat strenuous. The lake itself appears rather modest until you travel to the far end"

The Whistler Resort itself has some nice hiking however its reputation is based upon its world class skiing. The resort features over 8000 skiable acres of terrain and nearly a mile of vertical, no other resort in North America is even close. This variety of terrain makes the hill virtually weather proof, if conditions are poor in one area chances are they will be better somewhere else. A dual mountain pass is standard although its practically impossible to explore all the available terrain the in one day, Whistler Mountain alone has 4757 skiable acres. New to the resort is the Peak to Peak gondola which allows you to reach the 3414 skiable acres on the Blackcomb half of the resort without having to ski down to Whistler Village. The classic Blackcomb Glacier is an extremely long run that unfortunately has a tediously flat run out. The resort isn't cheap by any means but is reasonably priced compared to other top flight resorts in the USA. We park at the Creekside gondola as it offers a more comfortable ride and is the first lot you reach when coming from Vancouver.

	Left: Cheakmus Lake from the High Note Trail
	The real attraction for hikers here is not so much the specific scenery but the ease of access to the alpine. The resort has a featured trail, The High Note a 5.8 mile loop with a modest 902ft of gain.
	You can also extend the hike along the Musical Bumps, a 3.5 mile ridge walk that includes a couple summits or hike 1.5 miles past Singing Pass to Garibaldi Park and Russet Lake.
	There is hiking on Blackcomb Peak too. once discouraged its now officially endorsed. An obvious route cuts under the Seventh Heaven lift and follows a ridgeline to the Overlord Glacier Lookout and then loops 5.6 miles back passing a picturesque tarn.
	Below, Blackcomb Lake from the Decker Loop trail

The best overall day hike is in Joffre Lakes Provincial Park which is North of Whistler and past Pemberton on Duffy Lake Road. The trail starts at a marvelous glacial lake and over a moderate 3.5 miles you pass two more spectacular lakes and end at the toe of a glacier. The only drawback is the tread itself which is of typical Coast Mountain quality, plenty of roots muck & ankle biting rocks. 6.8 miles 1214ft - pictured: Upper Joffre Lake

There are a number of other primitive trails off Duffy Lake Road, none are signed so just finding them is often the biggest challenge. Two miles past the Joffre Lakes parking lot is a trail up Cayoosh Creek that leads to a ACC hut at Marriott Meadows 10 miles 1210ft We haven't done all of this hike yet but many years ago we did take the side trail to Rhor Lake right - 5.6 miles 1410ft
One year we took a mountaineering course at the Twin One Glacier upper right which is on the opposite side of Mt. Joffre from the more popular Joffre Lakes. At one time there was a nice short little trail up Cerise Creek that lead to Keith's Hut. upper left . However the road was decommissioned and there now is a new, slightly longer route. Originally 6.5 miles 1500ft
Tenquille Lake 7.5 miles, 1500ft is a well known hike but it requires a 4x4, and Semaphore Lakes has recently become popular 3 miles 1000ft.
Phelix Creek (Mt. Gandolf), Haylmore-Melvin Divide(Twin Lakes) and Downton Creek are all hikes out of the local guidebook that we are considering but road and trail conditions are sketchy at best. Our more advanced Coast Mountain adventures are recounted here