Whistler, British Columbia

Looking for the best backpacking in Whistler? We've got you covered with the top trails, trips, hiking, backpacking, camping and more around Whistler. The detailed guides, photos, and reviews are all submitted by the Outbound community.

Top Backpacking Spots in and near Whistler

  • Whistler, British Columbia

    Backpack to Russet Lake

    4.0
    Russet Lake is a beautiful alpine lake at the base of Fissile Peak in the backcountry of Garibaldi Provincial Park. This trip is well suited for two nights but can be accomplished in a full day without a pack.Your starting point is Whistler Village Gondola, then up the Peak 2 Peak Gondola to the ...
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  • Whistler, British Columbia

    Hike the Musical Bumps Trail

    15.5 mi
    The Musical Bumps are a series of rolling summits starting from Whistler Mountain that stretch over to Fissile and the Spearhead Range. It should come as no surprise that each one has a musical name: Flute, Oboe and Piccolo.There are two ways to access this area: you can ride the Whistler Village...
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  • Whistler, British Columbia

    Hike the Cheakamus Lake Trail

    3.5
    8.7 mi
    Cheakamus Lake is tucked in behind Whistler Mountain. If you've hike the Musical Bumps trail, or any of the paths off the peak of Whistler, chances are you saw a huge turquoise lake below you. This is Cheakamus Lake.From Whistler Village, drive south on HWY99 to the stop lights at Function Juncti...
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  • Whistler, British Columbia

    Backpack Helm Creek

    11.2 mi / 3000 ft gain
    Start your drive by driving up the Cheakamus Lake forestry road to the parking lot (approximately 7km up the road). From the parking lot, start walking down the trail towards Cheakamus lake.  About 2km down the trail, you will see a sign post indicating that you can continue straight to Cheakamus...
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  • Whistler, British Columbia

    Hike to Helm Lake

    4.0
    12.4 mi / 3000 ft gain
    Helm Lake is a sparkly body of water tucked into one of the most scenic alpine meadows around. The lake sits on a lava field, just under the Black Tusk, with the unique volcanic remains of Cinder Cone and Helm Peak on the opposite side of the meadow.The big draw for this hike is that it's far les...
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  • Whistler, British Columbia

    Hike the Cinder Flats in Garibaldi Park

    5.0
    Enter from the Cheakamus Lake side, which mean a steady climb up the Helm Creek Trail, but you won't battle the crowds coming up the Rubble Creek side. Plan for a full day in the mountains - it's ~25k total with quite a bit of climbing in the beginning. Bring lots of water, as it can get pretty h...
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  • Whistler, British Columbia

    Visit the Ancient Cedars

    The Sea to Sky area is covered in old growth forest, but few people would expect to find trees of this size in Whistler. The Ancient Cedars Trail is a beautiful hike through breezy sunny forest to a little hidden grove of giant trees, tucked into the side of Cougar Mountain.If you're looking for ...
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  • Whistler, British Columbia

    Hiking to Wedgemount Lake

    5.0
    8.7 mi / 1160 ft gain
    Just a little ways past Whistler BC Canada, you'll find a steep mountain trail leading to one of the true gems of Garibaldi Provincial Park and the Sea to Sky area: Wedgemount Lake. This is the stuff dreams are made of.The route ascends 7km through beautiful old growth forest, and as you crest th...
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  • Pemberton, British Columbia

    Mt. Currie Trail

    13 mi / 7867 ft gain
    Mt Currie is the giant mountain that sits above the village of Pemberton BC. It soars 7800 vertical feet from the valley floor to the summit in sheer cliffs. (The mountain itself is 8517ft high.) Before 2014, the only way to reach the summit was to bushwack the entire 7800ft climb (we did this t...
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  • Whistler, British Columbia

    Paddle Callaghan Lake

    5.0
    The South Coast Mountains are full of high elevation alpine lakes. There are a few of considerable size (Garibaldi Lake, Duffey Lake, Lake Lovely Water, etc) and Callaghan Lake is one of them. This huge silvery lake sits up in the beautiful Callaghan Valley, a destination for ski touring, snowsho...
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  • Whistler, British Columbia

    Hike Cirque Lake

    4.0
    5 mi / 984.3 ft gain
    Cirque Lake can only be accessed by boating across Callaghan Lake. Start from the Callaghan parking/camping area and take your boat over to the lake. You must then paddle 2km all the way to the far end of Callaghan Lake. You will see a waterfall at the far end. The trailhead to Cirque Lake begins...
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  • Whistler, British Columbia

    Panorama Ridge

    4.8
    17.17 mi / 5289 ft gain
    Take the Sea to Sky Highway (HWY 99) north from Vancouver up towards Whistler. Turn off the highway about 30 minutes before Whistler Village onto Daisy Lake Road. There are signs along the highway indicating the Garibaldi Lake turn off. The trailhead is located at the end of Daisy Lake Road. Ther...
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  • Whistler, British Columbia

    Hike and Camp at Garibaldi Lake

    4.6
    Garibaldi Lake is a huge basin of beautiful turquoise water measuring almost 10 square kilometers (2460 acres), and located at nearly 5000ft above sea level. The lake is over 800 feet deep, filled with pristine glacial water. You’ll be surrounded by big snowy mountains, which remain bright white ...
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  • Whistler, British Columbia

    Explore Garibaldi Park on Snowshoes

    Exploring Garibaldi Park by snowshoe is an experience you'll never forget. There is nothing like being in a forest wilderness in the stillness of winter. There are lots of places to snowshoe in the Whistler area, but here are two of the most exciting (yes, snowshoeing can be exciting!) Cheakamus ...
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  • Whistler, British Columbia

    Summit Black Tusk in Garabaldi Provincial Park

    5.0
    19 mi / 5708.7 ft gain
    This is a very challenging trail! If you are going to carry in a backpack for an overnight hike, you should have a good level of fitness. For a day hike, the trail is nearly 30km long, so still a good level of fitness is required. The trail isn’t technically challenging, but it is up in the alpin...
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  • Whistler, British Columbia

    Hike to Little Diamond Head

    22 mi / 5900 ft gain
    Given the total distance and cumulative elevation gain of this hike, I would suggest a good level of fitness to reach the summit. The trail does not have any technical challenges and the elevation gain is gradual. The final kick up to the summit involves some loose scree and minor exposure depend...
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