Garibaldi Lake Hiking Trail, Whistler, BC

Paul from Seoul, Korea writes:

Beautiful day(27th, July), beautiful lake! What a emerald color!
I was so happy to be there.
I think downhill walking was more boring than upgoing.
And totally 8-hours needed including lunch and rest at the Lake.

Posted: July 27, 2010 10:51:43 PM PST

Brian from Vancouver writes:

Just got back from two nights' backpacking at Garibaldi. About half the sites at Taylor Meadows have snow, the rest are clear and open. At Garibaldi Lake about half the sites have snow. Many people camped on the snow. There are shovels to clear the sites. Take your own toilet paper; the parks staff need to replenish the outhouses (or composting ecosystems as they prefer we call them).

Posted: July 25, 2010 08:47:09 PM PST

Alex from Vancouver writes:

Still some snow around the lake, but the trail is pretty much clear... definitely turquoise now though! The waterfalls along the trail are really flowing too. Such a great hike, a little (big?) paradise up there.

Posted: July 19, 2010 04:09:56 PM PST

George from Vancouver writes:

Anyone been up to Garibaldi Lake since July 10? Wondering how the conditions are now.

Posted: July 19, 2010 03:54:03 PM PST

Leo Gilbert from Vancouver writes:

We did this hike on July 10, 2010. Almost all the snow on the trail has melted. There was still quite a bit of snow around the lake and the lake didn't have its 'turquoisy' color. It should be perfect in a couple of weeks.

Posted: July 11, 2010 08:25:40 PM PST

Sharon from Vancouver writes:

My friend and I hiked the trail to the lake on Canada Day (July 1). There is still a 2' snowpack on the trail. It's slippery and very slow going for the last 3 km. The ice isn't off Garabaldi Lake yet but the lake has opened along the edges. I'd wait a few more weeks if you want to see the lake in its turquoise glory.

Posted: July 2, 2010 03:46:05 PM PST

Jessa from Vancouver writes:

My friends and I tried to do this hike up to Garibaldi Lake last June 5. There was still lots of slippery snow. We had to turn around at 6km (Garibaldi Lake is at 9km). It got very dangerous as we were sinking in the snow up to our knees. There was still people hiking though. I'm sure it could be done, just have to go slow. Next month I will try this hike again. Either than that the trail was easy marked.

Posted: June 18, 2010 03:13:42 PM PST

Maggy from France, Paris writes:

Hello there,

Does anyone know if we can hike until Garibaldi Lake (planned for May 23)?
I'm afraid there would be too much snow?

We will do the Cheakamus Lake on Saturday May 22 and I’m looking for another hike for Sunday May 23.

Any other great hike to advise? I was thinking about Joffres Lake?

Thanks so much for your help!
Maggy

Posted: May 10, 2010 03:13:20 PM PST

Mel from Australia writes:

Did the Garibaldi Lake hike on 27 Sept, perhaps the last sunny day left in 2009! We started at 10AM and were done by 4PM. We are not the fittest of people and it took us 2hr45m hrs to hike up the pretty well carved out trail with a slight incline, stopping occasionally to take photos and snack. Stayed for 90 mins basking under the sun (though it was still quite cold) and gazing at the spectacular lake. Took us 1hr45m at a pretty constant non stop pace to hike back down to Rubble Creek carpark.

Posted: September 30, 2009 11:41:14 PM PST

Mandy from Squamish writes:

HIked to Garibaldi Lake yesterday, Sept 20th. The trail is well maintained and marked. Pretty easy hike, slow ascent going to the lake and then of course down all the way back. Good sturdy shoes are a plus and it's 18kms round trip, took us 5 hours including sitting at the lake for about 45min enjoying the view, a drink and some food! Great way to spend the afternoon. There are about 50 campsites at the top if you prefer staying the night...

Posted: September 21, 2009 07:25:51 AM PST

Tom Byrne from Vancouver writes:

Hiked up on the 28th June, A great day as the sun was darting in and out of the light cloud cover so it didn,t get too hot. Trail was clear all the way up. I started at approx 1:00pm and most people were on their way down at that stage. View at the lake was fantastic. BTW don't forget your bug spray, lots of little blighters on the way up and I have many welts to prove it.

Posted: June 29, 2009 07:51:14 AM PST

Mike from Burnaby writes:

Hiked up to the lake on the weekend and to the Tusk and the trail is totally clear. The lake was really busy as all the camping spots were full for the sunny weekend. The flowers in Taylor's Meadow are blooming and their scent is refreshing.

This is certainly one of the most beautiful hikes around but the grueling 9km hike from the lake back to the parking lot is tough on the legs. We are feeling it today.

Posted: August 18, 2008 12:04:01 PM PST

Mark Edmondson from Whistler writes:

Still a lot of snow on the trail as of May 25th. The last couple of km were pretty difficult from the bridge over the creek at lesser lake, the snow pack was melting underneath and very unsafe.

Posted: June 15, 2008 10:15:34 AM PST