Garibaldi Lake Rating Garibaldi Lake is the centre and base for much of the hiking in Garibaldi Provincial Park. The Garibaldi Lake campsite is located on the amazing, turquoise shores of this massive and mostly still wild mountain lake. There are no trails around the edge of the lake except the small section leading to the campsites, so your view is an impossibly coloured lake edged by swaths of forest and a magnificent glacier towering in the distance!

Huge alpine lake in a pristine forest
Extraordinary, turquoise coloured water
Campsites are well laid out next to the shore
Great for swimming, but very cold
Huge glacier is visible across the lake
Black Tusk & Panorama Ridge are near
Fishing is pretty good
Hike past the Barrier on the way to the lake
Some find the first 6 kilometres exhausting
Campsites are crowded together & often full

Whistler & Garibaldi Hiking

Alexander Falls Ancient Cedars Black Tusk Blackcomb Mountain Brandywine Falls Brandywine Meadows Brew Lake Callaghan Lake Cheakamus Lake Cheakamus River Cirque Lake Flank Trail Garibaldi Lake Garibaldi Park Helm Creek Jane Lakes Joffre Lakes Keyhole Hot Springs Logger’s Lake Madeley Lake Meager Hot Springs Nairn Falls Newt Lake Panorama Ridge Parkhurst Ghost Town Rainbow Falls Rainbow Lake Ring Lake Russet Lake Sea to Sky Trail Skookumchuck Hot Springs Sloquet Hot Springs Sproatt East Sproatt West Taylor Meadows Train Wreck Wedgemount Lake Whistler Mountain

The vibrant colour is astounding and lights up the entire valley surrounded by endless mountains and the magnificent Sphinx Glacier in the distance. Swimming at the campsite is almost essential after a long hike and beautifully surreal. Plunging into the crystal clear water in such a gorgeous place is unforgettable. The water is painfully cold and the glacier fed water is just a few degrees above 0c even during the hot days of summer! The Garibaldi Lake campsite, though beautiful enough as a primary destination, is often just a base camp for further hiking. The summit of Black Tusk is just 6 kilometres from the Garibaldi Lake campsite and takes well under two hours to hike to. Panorama Ridge is a bit further at 7.5 kilometres from the campsite and takes about 3 hours to hike to. Taylor Meadows is a beautiful, often flower filled valley and home to the other main campsite in the area. Another campsite at Helm Creek is located well beyond Black Tusk and Panorama Ridge, on the way to Cheakamus Lake. If you can manage transport, you can start at the Rubble Creek trailhead and finish at Cheakamus Lake trailhead. This allows for a linear route instead of a there and back route. Garibaldi Lake, Taylor Meadows, Black Tusk, Panorama Ridge, Helm Creek and Cheakamus Lake are all beautiful destinations on their own, but combined in a 2 or 3 day hiking expedition are extraordinary. Reservations are now required for camping at Garibaldi Lake and Taylor Meadows, and must be paid before entering the park. Usually the the trail to Taylor Meadows and Garibaldi Lake reasonably easy to hike through the quickly melting and tracked out snow in late May. Hiking to Black Tusk or Panorama Ridge before mid June is very challenging and potentially dangerous due to lingering snow obscuring the trails. The camping area at Garibaldi Park is well laid out and stretches deep into the forest with dozens of closely packed tent clearings in the forest. The trail to Garibaldi Lake from the Rubble Creek trailhead, just off of the Sea to Sky Highway takes about three hours. You gain a fair amount of elevation, 900 metres in just 9 kilometres, trailhead to lake.

The Barrier on the Trail to Garibaldi Lake

Beautiful Garibaldi Lake

Garibaldi Lake and Distant Sphinx Glacier

Close Up of Sphinx Glacier

Garibaldi Lake Campsite from Panorama Ridge

Mountains Around Garibaldi Lake

Garibaldi Lake Mountains from Panorama Ridge

Garibaldi Lake Continued...

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