The hike to Garibaldi Lake! This was a difficult one for me, maybe one of the tougher ones I've…read moreaccomplished and I'm saying that because I'm not the most patient of hikers. I'm more of a speed hiker that likes to get in and get out! But to access Garibaldi Lake, (the obvious main event to the park), you must take the Rubble Creek Trail. It's an 18 kilometer out and back hike (or as us Americans would say - "roundtrip")...that is a length of 11.5 miles long. And with that 11.5 miles, the path is all uphill! Everything about it is uphill until you eventually arrive at...Garibaldi Lake! So...for the folks out there who maybe don't hike often, I'd just suggest preparing for the long haul. The hike will be strenuous, but pace yourself, take breaks when necessary and before long...the reward will be worth the grind! And then, you'll be coming back for more! Another thing, I'm always motivated to capture undisturbed pictures in nature. And it's this inspiration that I use to discover what's out there. I want to reflect back on the experience and know I afforded myself ample time during the day to accomplish the sights and sceneries that make for memorable stories. Lol, it's this type of internal mentality that pushes me to strive for greater heights, so to speak, hehehe. Okay so this Rubble Creek Trail to Garibaldi Lake! You must make a reservation 2 days in advance prior to visiting. Just go to bcparks.ca and sign up for a pass. I also used this website for accessing Joffre Lakes Provincial Park situated in Mount Currie, BC. And btw, this Garibaldi Lake is located just north of Whistler, BC. One side note...the parks, lakes and hikes here in Lower British Columbia are simply fantastic! There's a laundry list of things to do. And especially when you speak to locals and they recommend hidden, under the radar places that the public eye doesn't know much about. I thought the Canadian Rockies in Alberta were stunning, but British Columbia nature is really, really scenic! Before arriving at Garibaldi Lake, I suggest taking a short side trek to Barrier Viewpoint for some quick panoramic looks. Also, along the trail you'll pass over a short bridge looking up at a waterfall. It's worthy of a photo. Finally arriving at Garibaldi Lake, at first it may not be so picturesque (even when the sun is out!) but give it a chance. Walk around and explore and you'll find colorful instances where you'll connect with those green and turquoise blue waters. Especially when you're looking back towards the entrance area of the lake, the return hike back down had some of my most fulfilling pictures of the day. It's weird, it's like the angle of the sun can play tricks on you. Be patient and hopefully magical moments will evolve! I tried to walk around the perimeter of Garibaldi Lake, but that wasn't possible. So...I had to relax a little and take my foot off the gas pedal, lol. In fact, some of my best views were simply looking out at the snowcapped mountain peaks. There's a glacier set in the distance as well. A lot of visitors brought their bathing suits with them. And although the lake is glacially fed and freezing, people were still swimming! I even joined in on the fun and took my clothes down to my underwear and hopped in the waters, lol. Granted, it was only briefly, but still, I wanted to leave no stone unturned while here! I'd also point out that since the lake is not navigable 360 degrees around, it sort of took the pressure off me to find the best picture angles. Instead, I really tried to embrace the setting and live in the moment! There's camping allowed here, but again you must make reservations for it. Btw, it's free to book your entry pass to the lake. Parking is free too. One last thing, remember...when you head back towards the entrance of Garibaldi Lake, you'll be pleasantly surprised with the lake colors illuminating from the tree line pathway. I left the lake around 3pm and suddenly, light greens and blues were evident! There are vault toilets at the lake. Interestingly, they ask you to bring your own toilet paper. Never seen that before. Overall, Garibaldi Lake was a wonderful way to enjoy a summer day in the great outdoors. I can't believe I hiked 18 kilometers. And the path through the forest makes for a quiet atmosphere in the woods. I would still rank Joffre Lakes as my favorite BC landmark, but this Garibaldi Lake has its value and major popularity among hikers. Thank you for taking time to read this.

All I have to say is be prepared.. As this is about an 18km hike, I recommend leaving early in the…read moremorning and staying over night in Whistler so you don't feel rushed. This time around when we went, due to the pandemic, we had to book a time slot the day of as they were limiting the amount of hikers. Driving there isn't the problem nor is the parking, it's the length of time but the reward at the end is worth it. I recommend bringing a small bag for liquids, snacks, bug spray, hat and towel as you could swim there but keep in mind you can't throw away your garbage at the site due to bears even though there's a camp site there. The hike isn't super steep and you won't have to climb anything (at least I didn't), you just have to be ready to walk a lot. The path is well marked so you can't get lost. I would say the average round trip if you aren't including staying at the destination to eat and take photos is roughly 4-5 hours round trip at a steady pace. Hike's are always calming and it helps clear your mind from stress and clutter. This is probably one of the best local hikes I've done so far and I would definitely recommend it to anything looking for a challenge and beautiful view. And if you want to be more adventurous, you can also extend your trip to panoramic ridge and black tusk!

This was indeed some of the best views I have ever seen. This area is a breath of fresh air. It is…read moreso spectacular and the gondola was fun to attend. Please be warn if you have a fear of heights. My friend and I upload with another set of friends and experienced the ride up. During the right, the gondola came to a complete stop for less than a minute. But it was windy and the gondola swung back and forth. It was a bit scary, but quickly the track continued a the gondola continued to ascent to the submit. At the top, there is the suspension bridge. Which is really nice. It gives a nice view of the submit lodge. There are small hikes around the place and the views from those hikes are magnificent. Once you're done with your hikes, you can venture inside the submit lodge. Inside is a good selection of food options.

Sea to Sky Gondola is one of those activities where you feel like it should be more novel than…read moreanything else. You hear the ride up and down is only 10 minutes and you start to wonder if the money spent is worth it. But then as you ascend up the mountain and look all around you in this beautifully clear and clean gondola, the lake below is pristine. The mountains around you barely hide the clouds as they lazily drift by. The trees envelop you with all their greenery. All of this is happening in these mere 10 minutes. However, once you arrive up top and get off the gondola a large selection of different adventures await you. You could warm yourself up at the visitor centre just right of the gondolas where you can get some hot food and look out through its huge glass windows out into the wilderness. You could also walk outside said visitor centre and onto the suspension bridge. It looks daunting at first, but it isn't too long and you get some wonderful photos from it. There are also several different hikes located all throughout the area with varying degrees of difficulty. The one just on the other side of the suspension bridge is an easy loop hike you can do under ten minutes with astounding moments of forest bathing. You can also go and ski or tube when there is snow. When you go with a tour package, usually you only have about an hour and a half of time up here, but if you're on your own this could easily be a 3-4 hour excursion. Those the price might be steep for some to utilize the gondolas, if you decide to make a day trip out of this visit it'll be worth the money to get the views, air, and experience that is Sea to Sky Gondola.

I love hiking and have done a lot of hiking over the past couple of years (I started a hiking group…read moretwo years ago), improving my stamina and fitness level. I have been able to do increasingly harder hikes, although my level is solidly intermediate -- I can't do hikes that are 20km, 10 hours, extreme elevation, really rough terrain, etc. The Stawamus Chief, known as "The Chief", is a popular hike that is on many people's bucket list. I was never particularly interested in The Chief, as the description seemed too difficult and being in Squamish, it was not possible to get there as a non-driver. However, this summer, some friends who I met through my hiking group wanted to try The Chief. We went on a Wednesday, in order to avoid the weekend crowd. Seven of us went, and none of us being morning people, we arrived around 11:30am, which is considered late for hardcore hikers. Fortunately, we were able to find a parking spot, although there were very few available at that time. The Chief consists of three peaks, and we only did the first one, which was more than enough. We went quite slowly, taking breaks as needed, and excluding about an hour at the top, taking in the view and having lunch, it took us about 4.5 hours to complete (2.5 hours to the top, 2 hours back down). While I was obviously able to complete The Chief, I didn't particularly enjoy the hike (although I really liked the company and hanging out with my friends), and I have no desire to do it again -- I've done it once, I don't have anything to prove, and there are so many other hikes to do. The trail for the first peak, while relatively short (under 4km there and back) is quite steep, and there are a lot of stairs. The problem is that I am short, and the steps were quite high, so I was extra slow as it took me longer to step up or down each stair, and by the end of the hike, I was exhausted (as were my friends). I had heard that there were chains and a ladder on the rock face that you needed to scramble up in order to get to the top, and this is why I had no desire to try The Chief. While challenging, the chains and ladder weren't so bad, and easier than I had expected. But the scramble up the rock face after the chains and ladder was horrible. I hated the scramble up the rock face, and I was actually pretty terrified -- I almost fell backwards to my death, as with Tunnel Bluffs. Thankfully my friends helped me. In my opinion, there should have been some chains to hold on to. Anyway, I made it up without dying, but I am never doing that again. At the top we could see the second peak, and to me, it looked like a pure scramble up rock face, the part I hated about our hike. I'm definitely never going to attempt the other peaks. We spend about an hour at the top, having lunch and hanging out. There was a cute chipmunk who ate the trail mix that I "accidentally" dropped, and we saw a Peregrine falcon and a raven flying around for over five minutes -- it looked like the falcon was chasing the raven. Overall a great day with my friends, but I did not enjoy The Chief and have no desire to ever do it again. [Yelp collections: Hiking]

I had never been to Stawamus Chief before but I was super excited for it. I had heard that it was a…read morerather difficult hike (which it is) but it's totally doable! We had someone with us who had never done a hike before and she made it to the top so it's doable. Having said that, we only did peak 1 because it was raining that day and we didn't want to risk anything. Peak 1 have lots of rocks and the elevation gain is pretty big. It took us 4.5 hours in total for the hike but if you are someone who is a hiker, it's possible to do it in 3 hrs. I will say that if you decide to do this hike on a rainy day, be prepared to have proper shoes because it does get slippery! Regardless I would say having proper shoes for this hike is important. The top of the hike is mostly climbing with ropes and on flat elevated rocks so it's good to have shoes with good grip. The view from up there is definitely worth it though!

Coffee was ok, barista was very kind and helpful. Lots of wanderers come to the coffee shop to do…read moretheir work and using the coffee shops WiFi.

Excellent Climbing | Parking is an Issue Sometimes free…read more **Do not park in the residential area. I hear you can get towed away, so park at the designated parking lot.** This is a semi-residential area, but locals and visitors mob up on this spot to hike and climb. Mostly trad/sport, but I am pretty sure I saw a boulder or two. Dogs are allowed. Mountain Lions are spotted on occasion, but we didn't see any. Burgers and Fries wall is super popular because the rock dries the fastest. It was raining when we went, so we didn't get to climb a whole lot. However, these are our favorite climbs when we got the chance: -Easter Island (5.8) -Bilbo Baggins (5.8) Easy trail to follow. Hike will take you about an hour. Total distance is 2.6km and it's a loop (partial).

Had a guided mountain bike ride for my teenage boys and myself. Guide was great, their Norco…read morebikes worked great and we saw several outstanding trails. Our guide took us on trails with some climbing, Single track, 20+ bridges , lots of jumps, wooden skill stuff and overall a great ride in a beautiful area. Had a great time, a bit sore this morning...... Boys wanted another ride!! Would recommend it!!

Okay everybody this is British Columbia,Squamish BC to be exact. There is a famous slogan, "Do as…read morethey do in Rome". So when in BC get up and and let your inner ruggidness out and enjoy the fury of the wild. That said I am so glad I did not spend time in Vancouver all day. Since I am an AAA member and they do have an account with Viator, I looked at various activities I could possibly do in BC like fishing, rafting etc. However, I remember that waves can be very strong in September in this area around this time, and if you want to go fishing I have to call and pay for a British Columbia fishing permit. So I decided to do a kayaking trip and I had such a blast. Now I could have gone to Whistler, but choose Squamish as my destination because it was closer to Vancouver (65km north of Vancouver). Upon my arrival I met two professional and highly adept representatives of "Sea To Sky Adventure". The first woman I met was Elise ( Sorry if I got the name wrong). Elise was a very kind and capable driver. Second woman was my instructor and tour guide Amy. Elise drove us across town to Howe Sound. Once we got to Howe Sound I learned I was the only person in this tour so I had a lot of time. This was when Amy took over. Amy thoroughly instructed me on maneuvering the kayak on to Howe Sound and let me tell you it was gonna be the beginning of a memorable trip. As we proceeded into the water, we kayaked all around the bay. Amy did a great job in making sure that I am safe. She not only instructed me on getting around in the Kayak, but also guided be around Squamish. She showed me "The Chief" a significant granular structure, Shannon Falls, the import ships, the gondola that goes up the mountain and the estuary. We also saw a Harbor Seal popping its head above the water as well I just had such a blast the weather was calm. It was early in the morning and the place was placate and serene. As I learned from Amy morning times are the best time for kayaking because waves are much more subtle and therefore easier on the arms. That whole morning was like an escape from the real world of pressure, Type A personalities, and malicious cadiness of our 9-5 lives. Thank you Sea To Sky and most of all thank you Amy for being an outstanding Kayak instructor and tour guide and Elise for being a great driver as well.

I decided to hike to Sea to Summit Trail in Squamish after my financial advisor who is a runner…read moretold me that she's done it a few times and she recommends it. The entrance to the trail is behind the main entrance to the Sea to Sky Gondola. Since the Sea to Sky Gondola had a three-hour limit for parking, I parked at Shannon Falls Province Park. Also, there are free shuttle services from the Darrell Bay Parking lot on the weekends to the base of the Sea to Sky Gondola for hikers and Gondola riders -- every 15 minutes. I came here on B.C. Day during the long weekend, and it was a very warm and sunny 30 Celsius! The starting area of the Sea to Summit Trail is the same as Stawamus Chief Trail, but you will have to make a right turn after you head up a very steep climb. You will have to be very careful because it is very easy to miss the right turn to officially start the Sea to Summit Trail. Watch for the signs! If you miss the turn, you will end up going to the Stawamus Chief Trail system. The 7.5-km hike was technical and challenging for some areas, and it was much more difficult than the Grouse Grind. There were a few trails, but a lot of the hiking was trekking through dirt, roots and rocks. I had to use the green diamond shaped markers on the trees to tell me where I had to go. I will say that the climbing aspect was more technical than the Squamish 50 which was rated as tough. In addition, you will have to do some rock climbing. Although it was my first time, I highly recommend hiking it on a sunny dry day because wet weather will make the terrain very slippery, especially for the rocky sections. There were some steep sections and chains and ropes were provided. One area, after the Gondola passing, had a large vertical shaped rock which I had to climb and I had to pull myself over it. Luckily, I had grippy shoes, but it took me two tries to climb up the large steep rock and there were no aided ropes or chains. You will also hike past Shannon Falls and Shannon Creek which some hikers use it for refilling their hydration system. My favourite sections were the gondola passing area and I also very much enjoyed the section right after the 1/2 way marker which had a breathtaking view of Howe sound. Near the end of the hike, there were two choices to the summit. Shannon Basin Loop, which was 3.5 km and it, was rated as easy. The second choice was Upper Sea to Summit which was rated as most difficult and it was 2.3km. I took the Upper Sea to Summit trail, and it felt that it wasn't difficult at all. It was probably the easiest part of the hike. There were some steep rocky climbing areas, but ropes were provided and it was a sunny dry day, so it wasn't slippery at all. This was a challenging and enjoyable hike. The scenery was beautiful, and it wasn't crowded like the Stawamus Chief Trail. Just remember to wear grippy footwear, brings lots of water and snacks. Also, remember to bring cash or your credit card because going down on the Gondola will cost you 15 dollars.

Had a fantastic experience during a semi-private lesson with Squamish Watersports…read more Originally we were scheduled for another day, but the weather forecast was not promising for kiteboarding. The office reached out and asked if we were able to schedule a few days later to best allow for a great lesson. A couple days later we had a fantastic kiteboarding lesson with Tom. He was extremely knowledgeable, patient, and walked us through the fundamentals, and we had a blast. He even got the beginner in our group up on the board on the first day! Thanks Tom and Squamish Watersports!

Memorable experience exploring Howe sound and its islands on a boat tour. Our guide Angelo was…read morefantastic and showed us all of the scenic landmarks and spots. You won't be disappointed if you go with this company!

Rented E bikes from their Whistler Village location. Bikes worked great, staff was friendly, easy…read moreexperience and recommend. Allow us to see a few lakes in the creek nearby much more efficiently than walking.

Ever feel like the challenges of life are closing in on you? Sometimes it just feels like it is…read moreonly a matter of time before you succumb to those pressures and demands. It feels not so much a question of if, but when, you'll finally be consumed by them. And then, often by accident, life takes an unexpected turn and you are provided an opportunity to choose to push the eject button (that's been right in front of longer than you realized) and propel yourself into what feels like an alternative universe. A place that allows you to unplug from the breakneck pace of today's society, take a deep breath, and finally linger in the bliss of just being present. No chirping cell phones, no calendar reminders, no bills to receive, no health concerns to ponder, and no need to make plans for the future. An all too brief respite from what emotionally entangles you and seeks to rob you of your peace and your purpose. Without planning it, we fell into such a rabbit hole while floating down the River of Golden Dreams (its actual name). A little rowing (and a lot of just floating) later, we arrived at Green Lake and just allowed the wind to help us drift across glacial waters so green we felt like they can be seen from outer space. We dipped our hands into that water, splashed it around a bit, and pondered just how much time and attention it voluntarily sacrifices to the stresses of today. It whispered its response back to us, "None." So what to do if Green Lake doesn't happen to be in your backyard, and yet an escape is exactly what you need right about now? Good question! We're on this journey right alongside of you, so while we're pursuing our "Green Lake escape", we wish you good fortune in discovering yours! (In keeping with Canadian tradition, we were careful to pack an "Oh Henry!" bar as part of the emergency rations for us and our tour guide Peter.) And that's...Henry's Take. #celebratelife #justbreathe #wetadventures