Hiking to Wedgemount Lake
Details
Distance
8.7 miles
Elevation Gain
1160 ft
Route Type
Out-and-Back
Added by Emily Haggar
Hike to amazing views of this turquoise lake. The hike is approximately 14km roundtrip with an elevation gain of 1160 meters. Hike to waterfalls, ice caves, and mini icebergs. Duration: Full day.
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 the top of the trail, a feast for the eyes of epic proportions awaits you there. Wedgemount Lake is such a deep turquoise it's hard to believe it's actually real. The lake is surrounded by rugged peaks, and you can hike over to the toe of the glacier, where you'll find an ice cave, waterfalls, and mini icebergs.
The highlight of this trip is the scenery. It's a steep challenging hike, but well worth the reward. Just follow HWY 99 north past Whistler to the Wedgemount Lake sign (Provincial Parks) on your right, head up the dirt road 3km to the parking area, and follow the trail.
There is a fantastic camping area at the lake. This is also ski touring destination (expert), and playground for climbers and mountaineers.
Enjoy!
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Reviews
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Superb challenging hike in the Whistler area
Very though but rewarding hike - it took us 2.5 hrs without stops and with relatively light backpacks, however consider between 3 and 4 hrs if you`re planning to camp on the top in front of the glacier and the unbelievably light blue lake, waking up to the marmots calls and the magical mountain views. It then took us 1hr return to reach the glacier - take your time to enjoy the close-up views of its majestic ice walls and crevices.
5.0
Awesome hike! but tough
This is NOT a hike for the faint of heart, it's a steep and at times gruelling 1200m (not feet as mentioned in the summary) gain from the parking lot with no flat sections. Bring a lot of water on hot days or a way to replenish at streams along the way. Scenery at the top is majestic but BE PREPARED!
5.0
Incredible!!!
Ive hiked a lot in Canada and this hike is easily one of my favourite hikes. The fact you can camp up the top (which we did) and check out a sweet glacier is so damn cool! Don’t be fooled though, it is super steep and a lot of elevation gain over 7kms. This hike kicked my butt but it was so worth it!
5.0
Rewarding but tough
This was a great hike and the view at the top is so nice. This is definitely a difficult hike though, there are really no switchbacks, its mostly just an uphill battle the entire time and the last stretch is scrambling over loose rocks. I highly recommend if you are in the area, but be prepared for a 3-4 hour hike up to the lake.
5.0
Epic
Natural dam containing gorgeous coloured glacial water. Serious up and some magical pockets of glory along the way. Just the right distance for a day hike. About 5 or 6C in the daytime on October 9th 2017.
5.0
Great Dayhike!
I was visiting Vancouver for work and had just one day to go hiking; I'm very glad I did this hike. Very rewarding, a good lung and leg burner for those of us from the East Coast, and logistically easy. to manage in a day.
5.0
Incredible, But Steep!
July 6, 2014 - Fantastic, but a tough hike! Took us a good 4 hours of steady trekking to get up. Very steep hike, not for beginners. Totally worth the hike though! We tented up there, but it was awesome to be able to leave our bags in the hut over night. I'm glad we did when I saw animal tracks by the glacier the next morning... not sure what type of cat it was. We had perfect weather on July 6-7, 2014. According to the journal in the hut, the weekend before got hit with snow overnight, but the general camping area was clear of snow... though quite wet. Also, from reading the journal, sounds like the best chance at snow free visits are July and August. Great view up there, watching the sunset as the clouds rolled in and out. And the colour of the lake is fabulous! Coming down was quicker of course, but definitely steep.
5.0
Great Base Camp
Great workout up a steep hike with gorgeous views at the end. Wedgemount Lake makes a great basecamp for mountaineering objectives too.
5.0
Take it easy at the beginning, it's a serious steep trail to get all the way to the lake.
5.0
Love it here!! One of the most beautiful glacier fed lakes in SW BC
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