Summer Hiking in and around Whistler plus Itinerary help
Jun 10th, 2014, 11:35 AM
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Summer Hiking in and around Whistler plus Itinerary help
We will be flying into Seattle for spending 6 days in Whistler (and Vancouver) region. Below is our quick itinerary... We are 2 adults and one 8 year old boy... We are most interested in high alpine hiking for glacial lakes, wildflowers and beautiful mountain snowcapped views... My husband is a photographer and we are both avid mountain lovers...
For reference we have been to Banff NP twice - have hiked the PLain of Six glaciers and Lake Agnes, have been to Mt. Assiniboine Provincial Park- have hiked the Nibblet while there, have been Jasper National Park and have done multiple hikes there... My son is also an avid hiker with us and can do most medium difficulty hikes..
Based on our interest above, here is our current plan.. Need help with additional advice on other alpine hikes and spots we might have missed out on... Also, need advice on what to do in one day in Vancouver/ Victoria... Quite clueless there... We are planning to spend 5 nights in Whistler and 1 night in Vancouver
Day 1, Overnight Whistler - Lunch at Seattle Space Needle, Drive Sea to Sky Highway all the way to Whistler
Day 2, Overnight Whistler - Go up to the Blackcomb mountain and hike the Overlord Trail, Decker Loops and Lakeside Trail
Day 3, Overnight Whistler - Go upto Whistler Mountain, Do the Peak to Peak Gondola, come back to Whistler mountain, so the Harmony Lake Trail and High Note Trail
Day 4, Overnight Whistler - This is the valley activity day with ATV ride in the morning and white water rafting in the afternoon
Day 5, Overnight Whistler - Drive to Joffre Lakes and attempt the full hike to Upper Joffre Lake
Day 6, Overnight Vancouver - Leave early from Whistler and drive to spend the day in Victoria/ Vancouver. This day is completely undecided
Day 7 - Drive back to Seattle
Please let us know if there are any glaring things we are missing that match our interests of high alpine scenery, glacial lakes and rewarding hikes...
For reference we have been to Banff NP twice - have hiked the PLain of Six glaciers and Lake Agnes, have been to Mt. Assiniboine Provincial Park- have hiked the Nibblet while there, have been Jasper National Park and have done multiple hikes there... My son is also an avid hiker with us and can do most medium difficulty hikes..
Based on our interest above, here is our current plan.. Need help with additional advice on other alpine hikes and spots we might have missed out on... Also, need advice on what to do in one day in Vancouver/ Victoria... Quite clueless there... We are planning to spend 5 nights in Whistler and 1 night in Vancouver
Day 1, Overnight Whistler - Lunch at Seattle Space Needle, Drive Sea to Sky Highway all the way to Whistler
Day 2, Overnight Whistler - Go up to the Blackcomb mountain and hike the Overlord Trail, Decker Loops and Lakeside Trail
Day 3, Overnight Whistler - Go upto Whistler Mountain, Do the Peak to Peak Gondola, come back to Whistler mountain, so the Harmony Lake Trail and High Note Trail
Day 4, Overnight Whistler - This is the valley activity day with ATV ride in the morning and white water rafting in the afternoon
Day 5, Overnight Whistler - Drive to Joffre Lakes and attempt the full hike to Upper Joffre Lake
Day 6, Overnight Vancouver - Leave early from Whistler and drive to spend the day in Victoria/ Vancouver. This day is completely undecided
Day 7 - Drive back to Seattle
Please let us know if there are any glaring things we are missing that match our interests of high alpine scenery, glacial lakes and rewarding hikes...
Jun 16th, 2014, 12:37 PM
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I would also recommend to hike Garibaldi Lake/Black Tusk. One of the most beautiful hikes in the Whistler area and my absolute favourite. From what you have described of yourselves this should be one of the must do hikes.
Joffre Lakes is also one of my fave hikes, the views just keep getting better the higher you go. Expect about 6-7hrs roundtrip especially if you plan on taking lots of pics and stopping at the top for a lunch/picnic. To reach the entrance to the trails is about an hour drive from Whistler north on 99, through Pemberton to the Duffy Lake Road.
I feel like you're being quite ambitious with these hikes, but well worth it if you manage to complete all these hikes. Expect the trails to be fairly busy at this time of year as well.
Also on a side note no need to add Victoria into your plans, it is a 2.5hr trip both ways from Vancouver.
Happy hiking!
Joffre Lakes is also one of my fave hikes, the views just keep getting better the higher you go. Expect about 6-7hrs roundtrip especially if you plan on taking lots of pics and stopping at the top for a lunch/picnic. To reach the entrance to the trails is about an hour drive from Whistler north on 99, through Pemberton to the Duffy Lake Road.
I feel like you're being quite ambitious with these hikes, but well worth it if you manage to complete all these hikes. Expect the trails to be fairly busy at this time of year as well.
Also on a side note no need to add Victoria into your plans, it is a 2.5hr trip both ways from Vancouver.
Happy hiking!
Jun 17th, 2014, 10:27 AM
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I wouldn't do Victoria as trizzy mentioned. I would take my time on the Sea to Sky highway. Lots of interesting places to stop. To me no trip to Vancouver is complete without a bike ride around Stanley Park, and a trip to Granville Island if you can squeeze it in.
Jun 17th, 2014, 11:42 PM
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Definitely look into Black Tusk and Joffre Lakes. You may even be interested in the Stawamus Chief hike next to Shannon Falls.
If you only have one day in Vancouver, it makes no sense to spend the entire day travelling to/from Victoria. It often takes the same amount of time to get to Victoria from Vancouver as it does Seattle. You need 3 days to see Vancouver, you're already short changing it.
For Vancouver, Stanley Park is definitely the number one must city in the city proper. If you're still craving hikes, the Dog Mountain Trail at nearby Mount Seymour provides phenomenal views of the city below.
If you only have one day in Vancouver, it makes no sense to spend the entire day travelling to/from Victoria. It often takes the same amount of time to get to Victoria from Vancouver as it does Seattle. You need 3 days to see Vancouver, you're already short changing it.
For Vancouver, Stanley Park is definitely the number one must city in the city proper. If you're still craving hikes, the Dog Mountain Trail at nearby Mount Seymour provides phenomenal views of the city below.
Jun 17th, 2014, 11:45 PM
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Edit: the number one must "see" in the city proper. I should also clarify that Dog Mountain Trail would take 4 hours return, so probably not ideal if you only have a day in the city, but if you're looking for a shorter hike to do on your way back to Vancouver, it could be a good option. I often go with a picnic lunch and watch the whiskeyjacks and ravens swoop in, waiting for crumbs to fall.
I should also clarify that Dog Mountain Trail would take 4 hours return, so probably not ideal if you only have a day in the city, but if you're looking for a shorter hike to do on your way back to Vancouver, it could be a good option. I often go with a picnic lunch and watch the whiskeyjacks and ravens swoop in, waiting for crumbs to fall.
Jul 10th, 2014, 05:16 PM
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Thanks a lot everyone! We had a great trip... Were able to get some of hikes done -- Joffre Lakes, Overlord Trail, Pika Express and Mathews Traverse road ... Many of the higher Alpine hikes were still closed which was completely surprising to us for early July... But the winter was quite brutal this year, so guess that makes sense... Joffre Lakes was deifnitely the highlight of all the hikes... Thanks a lot for all the input and feedback... Were also able to get ATV and rafting done... Saved some of the other hikes, mountain biking and Vancouver for next trip!
Jul 11th, 2014, 09:54 AM
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Rafting on the Cheakamus River was quite gentle... We had my son and another family with an 8 year old and 6 year old in the raft and they all enjoyed... We went with TAG Whistler group and they were fabulous.. We were very happy with the guides, full wetsuits they provide and high quality life jackets... Please do not get scared by this but my son did fall into the river 30 seconds into the rafting but that was all just a matter of chance, his foirst time, the raft went over a big rock, tilted on his side, he lost his footing and let go of the rope in fear... but the guides with us were fabulous... Inspite of all the fear and us parents standing up in the raft, the guide in the raft kept us going safely... The guide on the kayak was able to go back and my son swam to him... Then he brought my son back to the raft safely... All was well and they handled it very well... Again, not to scare you... but just letting you know that an incident happened but they handled it very well... My son was in hig spirits... The guides mentioned that that river had not had a fall in for a long time, many years infact... This was just a matter of chance... The other two of kids of the other family enjoyed themselves and were not scared at any given time...
