Our Whistler, British Columbia hiking tour assembles in Vancouver on the morning of Day 1 and immediately departs for Whistler, justifiably famous for hosting the 2010 Winter Olympics, but also renowned as one of the premier hiking destinations in North America.
Upon arriving in the Whistler area we will spend the afternoon hiking the Cheakamus Lake Trail (4 miles) through massive, ancient cedars and Douglas firs with a picnic on the shore of this distinctively blue, glacier-fed lake.
On Day 2 we are headed further north to the Joffre Lakes Trail (7.5 miles) where our hike leads us past the progressively more scenic Joffre Lakes that are strung together in the mountains like turquoise colored pearls on a necklace. Lunch will be next to the highest lake looking across this tranquil and remote setting at the surrounding glaciers and the basins they have carved in the mountains above us.
Day 3 takes us back to Whistler Village where we will spend the remaining three nights of our tour. We will hike the Whistler 360 Trail (8.5 miles), which as you might suspect, takes us up an old road, through a dense forest to a lookout point with a 360-degree view that is as surprising and scenic as any in the surrounding area. As we eat our sandwiches, we will be gazing down on the village, across the valley at the glaciers and up at the snow covered peaks above us.
The Garibaldi Lake Trail (12 miles) on Day 4 leads us on a well-maintained trail that emerges from an old-growth forest onto the shore of an alpine lake again surrounded by glaciated peaks. You will be sitting in the middle of a postcard-worthy setting as we devour our picnic lunch in this singularly beautiful spot.
A special treat awaits us on Day 5. We will take the gondola to the top of Whistler Mountain and spend the day hiking the High Note Trail (6.5 miles) with its all-encompassing, above tree line views of the village below, the mountains nearby and the Coastal Range with its jagged peaks marching off into the distance.
On Day 6 the Riverside-Farside Loop Trail (5 miles) leads us along the Cheakamus River with its steep rapids, granite canyons and tumbling waterfalls before we shuttle back to Vancouver reflecting on the stunning scenery we have been immersed in and surrounded by all week.
