Hiking in Garibaldi Provincial Park; The Ultimate Guide
Snow-capped mountains, dazzling alpine lakes, volcanic landscapes, diverse wildlife, gorgeous colourful flowers, limitless hiking trails and magnificent vast views; read our guide for everything you need to know about three of the best hikes in Garibaldi Provincial Park and camping at Garibaldi Lake Campsite.
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Renowned for its natural beauty, Garibaldi Provincial Park is one of the most spectacular places in British Columbia!
Snow-capped jagged peaks, striking lakes, colourful alpine flowers, incredible views, diverse wildlife and endless hiking and outdoor adventure opportunities.
In this guide to hiking in Garibaldi Provincial Park, you’ll learn a bit about the park itself, 3 of the best hikes; Garibaldi Lake, Black Tusk and Panorama Ridge and everything else you need to know including permits, the location of the trailhead, the best time for the hikes in Garibaldi Provincial Park and more.
Although it’s possible to hike each of the above in a day, we’d recommend camping for at least a night on the shores of the stunning Garibaldi Lake so we’ll share information on the Garibaldi Lake Campsite as well.
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Contents
About Garibaldi Provincial Park
Garibaldi Provincial Park is in the heart of the Coast Mountains around 64 kilometres north of Vancouver offering some of the best hikes around Whistler.
It spans from Squamish to beyond Whistler for 1,950 square kilometres and is named after the intimidating stratovolcano Mount Garibaldi standing at 2,678 metres.
Garibaldi Provincial Park is a year-round outdoor adventure playground. In the summer, you have endless hiking opportunities and in the winter, hikers make way for ski mountaineers, snowshoers, and backcountry skiers.
There are two entry points to Garibaldi Provincial Park; Rubble Creek and Diamond Head parking lots. The car parks aren’t massive and they fill up quickly so arrive as early as possible. You don’t want to add on more walking just to get to the trailhead!!
The main areas for hikes in Garibaldi Provincial Park are:
- Diamond Head: in the southwestern area of the park and includes Mount Garibaldi, Opal Cone, Mamquam Lake, Atwell Peak and Garibaldi Neve.
- Elfin Lakes: a 22-kilometre round-trip trail to a well-maintained hut and two beautiful alpine lakes. You can complete this hike in a day or stay overnight in the hut or campsite.
- Garibaldi Lake: the area surrounding Garibaldi Lake is the heart of Garibaldi Provincial Park and the most popular area to visit. Black Tusk, Panorama Ridge, Helm Glacier, Sphinx Glacier, Castle Towers and Garibaldi Lake are located here. This is where our guide is based.
As well as hiking, there are a range of other activities offering truly unique visits to Garibaldi Provincial Park including helicopter tours, glacier landings and via ferrata climbing experiences. These can all be booked with Get Your Guide at the links below.
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Garibaldi Lake
We spent two days hiking in Garibaldi Provincial Park. We hiked to Garibaldi Lake and Black Tusk on day 1, camped at Garibaldi Lake Campsite and hiked to Panorama Ridge on day 2.
Read on for everything you need to know including routes, what to expect, top tips and more.
Your first stop is Garibaldi Lake Campsite to set up camp and have lunch. It’s 9km from Rubble Creek Car Park so it’s one of the best day hikes in Whistler as well as an incredible camping spot.
The first 6km is pretty tedious. Constant switchbacks through dense forest so there’s not much to see but it’s shaded from the sun at least!
After 6km you’ll reach a junction. If you’re hiking to Black Tusk or Panorama Ridge in a day, or camping at Taylor Meadows, turn left. Garibaldi Lake, however, is to the right. From here, the trail becomes a lot more scenic!
The next 3km becomes more rugged and natural; with some clambering over trees, roots and branches.
Shortly after the junction, you’ll come to The Barrier; a lava dam that contains the Garibaldi Lake system.
The barrier is a sheer cliff formed during a huge landslide in 1885. It’s thought that if this barrier were to collapse, the wave of water that would crash down would reach Vancouver Island!
You’ll then pass Lesser Garibaldi Lake, giving you a teaser of what’s to come!
Shortly on, you’ll hit some switchbacks (not as tedious as the last lot), followed by a steep dirt slope with a wooden bridge at the bottom.
Cross the bridge and follow the path. Going around, the lake becomes more visible until the trees open up rewarding you with the breathtaking azure shores of Garibaldi Lake.
Aaandd…What a sight!!
Nestled between snow-capped mountains with a dramatic backdrop of Sphinx Glacier is one of the most magnificent landscapes in British Columbia!
Find a camping spot, pitch your tent and have lunch. After regaining your energy, it’s time to begin your hike to Black Tusk. (We’ll share more on the campsite later.)
Our Top Tip: Garibaldi Lake Campsite gets booked up weeks in advance so book early!
Hiking to Black Tusk
Cross back over the bridge and up the dirt path. At the junction, go right. After the switchbacks, you’ll reach the open meadow with intimidating views of Black Tusk looming up ahead.
In the summer, the colourful alpine wildflowers are in full bloom and they’re so beautiful!
Continue until you reach a junction. Turn right. You’ll cross several streams so if you need water, this is a great place to fill up. Shortly, you’ll reach Black Tusk junction; turn left. The meadow has been quite nice and flat; now the challenge begins!
The uphill climb starts. The first section is well-worn and although steep not too difficult. You’ll hit a signpost at the Black Tusk Viewpoint stating “end of maintained trail”. You can call it a day here or continue up to the base of Black Tusk.
If you continue, this is where the fun really begins! The remainder of the trail is a steep slope of loose and exposed rock. This scree is down to the erosion of the Black Tusk Volcano over tens of thousands of years.
Even in August, there’ll be snow which is quite nice to cool off!
You’ll feel like you’re taking three steps up, and two back. Stick with it and we promise you’ll be grateful! When you need to break, turn around and admire the views of Garibaldi Lake far below you.
Once you reach the base of Black Tusk, you’ll be so thankful you didn’t give up; just look at that view!! Can you spot Whistler in the distance??
After the many times we’d stood at the top of Whistler Mountain and looked over at this massive rock, we couldn’t believe we were actually here!
Garibaldi Lake Campsite
Making your way down is a lot more fun than the way up! After running/sliding down the scree, empty your shoes and head down to Garibaldi Lake Campsite. You’ll no doubt be excited for a dip!
We’d recommend jumping in the lake as soon as you get to the campsite before the sun goes down. Garibaldi Lake is glacial so it’s absolutely freezing but refreshing when you’re sweaty and covered in scree and it’s your only way of washing.
Find a quiet spot and watch the sun disappear behind the mountains. The fiery glow lighting up Sphinx Glacier is nothing short of magical. You’ll feel incredibly small and a world away from anywhere.
Our Top Tip: there are cooking shelters in the campsite you must use to cook dinner and make sure you keep your food in the bear-proof containers in the shelters. You’ll need to bring toilet paper for the outhouses.
Remember to take everything you brought with you back out again. There are no bins.
The next morning, get up early for the Panorama Ridge Hike.
Our Top Tip: Panorama Ridge Hike is one of the best hikes around Whistler and an incredibly popular day hike so leave early to arrive before the day hikers.
Panorama Ridge Hike
Hiking Panorama Ridge starts up the steep dirt slope and through the beautiful open wildflower meadows, you took to Black Tusk.
When you reach Black Tusk Junction, keep straight. Continue through the meadow for a while, over trickling streams, past more fields of colourful wildflowers and to your right are Black Tusk and Mimulus Lakes.
Enjoy this bit of the hike; it’s flat! Your legs are getting a well-deserved break before the final ascent.
Eventually, you’ll reach Panorama Ridge Junction where to your left you’ll see Helm Lake. Continue to the right past Black Tusk Lake and head down a slope before beginning the ascent through alpine vegetation.
The final ascent involves scrambling over rocks. It’s pretty steep and gruelling but the view from the top is SO worth it!
After what seems like a decade, you’ll reach Panorama Ridge and be rewarded with the most breathtaking panoramic view you could wish for! You can easily see how it earned its name.
Turn 360 degrees to take in the entirety of your surroundings. Behind you are Black Tusk and Helm Lake, next to you is Sphinx Glacier and below is the striking turquoise Garibaldi Lake.
After you’ve taken plenty of photos and admired the views, carefully descend the way you came to Garibaldi Lake Campsite.
Grab your camping gear from the campsite, enjoy one last view of Garibaldi Lake and head back to the car.
The toughest section of the hike was the last 6km through the switchbacks – they were relentless!
To Know Before Hiking in Garibaldi Provincial Park
How long are the hikes if I do them in a day?
Each of these hikes is doable in a day, the round-trip lengths are below:
- Garibaldi Lake: 18 kilometres
- Black Tusk: 29 kilometres
- Panorama Ridge: 30 kilometres
I (Helen) hiked Panorama Ridge before this trip and the round trip took 9 hours.
Elevation Gain of the hikes
- Garibaldi Lake: 820 metres
- Black Tusk: 1,740 metres
- Panorama Ridge: 1,520 metres
Getting to Garibaldi Provincial Park
The trailhead is located at Rubble Creek Car Park, just off the Sea to Sky Highway.
From Whistler to Garibaldi Provincial Park, drive south for 25 kilometres until you see a sign on your left for Garibaldi Provincial Park down Daisy Lake Road. Follow this road for 3 kilometres.
There’s no public transport to get to Rubble Creek Car Park. If you don’t drive, you can either take a taxi the whole way or take the number 20 bus to Bayly Park and then a taxi the last 20 kilometres.
From Vancouver, drive north on the Sea to Sky Highway through Squamish. After Squamish, continue for 33 kilometres and Daisy Lake Road will be on your right.
Again from Vancouver there’s no public transport. You can take the Skylynx Shuttle to Squamish and a taxi for 36 kilometres.
Alternatively, you can book a day hike to Garibaldi Lake and Panorama Ridge with pick-up locations in Vancouver and Squamish.
Best time for hiking in Garibaldi Provincial Park
You can hike in Garibaldi Provincial Park year-round, however, during the winter you’ll need proper equipment.
For summer hiking, you can hike to Garibaldi Lake usually from early June and to Panorama Ridge and Black Tusk from late July/early August when the snow has reduced.
Permits and Booking Campsites in Garibaldi Provincial Park
You need to make reservations for all overnight stays year-round and, especially in the summer, campsites get booked up weeks in advance.
If you’re doing a day hike between June and October, you need a free day-use pass. This is included in your backcountry reservation if staying overnight.
Campsite reservations and day-use passes can be booked online here.
Can I take my dog?
Unfortunately, dogs aren’t permitted in Garibaldi Provincial Park.
What should I take?
- Suncream
- Plenty of food and water – there are some streams to fill up on the trail but not the whole way
- Hiking shoes or boots (no trainers!!)
- Hiking poles – very helpful for those incessant switchbacks back to the car park
- A headlamp for walking around the campsite at night or if you get back to your car later than planned
- Plenty of layers – even if you’re not camping, summits can get pretty chilly with the wind chill
- First aid kit
- Camping equipment
We hope this post has helped plan your hikes in Garibaldi Provincial Park. As always, leave a comment or get in contact if you have any questions and make sure you check out some of our Canada guides below.
