Summit Black Tusk in Garabaldi Provincial Park
Whistler, British Columbia
Details
Distance
19 miles
Elevation Gain
5708.7 ft
Route Type
Out-and-Back
Description
Added by Rachel Bertsch
This is one of the Coastal Mountain Range's most recognizable peaks. Tusk in Garibaldi Provincial Park, is only about an hour north of Vancouver or an hour south of Whistler, and the massive basalt plug is hike-in during the summer only or ski/snowshoe-in during the winter. A ~30km roundtrip hike if you leave from the parking area, but shorter by ~10km if you camp at Garibaldi.
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 alpine and has some serious altitude gains. The very last section of Black Tusk requires a minimal amount of climbing.
You can camp at either Taylor Meadows or Garabaldi Lake, do Garabaldi Lake as it is 100 times better. Garabaldi Lake is a picturesque, blue alpine lake. The surrounding wilderness and peaks have trails that could entertain you for days. When preparing to do the Black Tusk peak, grab your helmet as the basalt rock falls from above as you climb up the final chute.
As of 2016, online camping reservations are required for Garibaldi Lake, Cheakamus Lake, Elfin Lakes + Taylor Meadows, instead of the pay at the parking lot way it used to work. Online reservations can be found here.
Once you're all done, head into Squamish and get your granola on by having some healthy organic options at Zepher Café.
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Reviews
I did the full Black Tusk and Garibaldi as a day hike. Definitely a challenge, but super rewarding and doable for someone feeling fit. You can make it a sort of loop by taking the trail up past Garibaldi and then through Kennedy Meadows on the way down. If you're comfortable with class III scrambling, definitely head up the climbers trail from the saddle and find the steep gully that leads to the very top -- but be aware of other climbers and some very loose rock.
5.0
Beautiful small backpacking trip went for 3 nights, camp grounds well kept and scenery was spectacular. Not a beginners hike and would suggest to pack for all weather no matter what the forecast calls for 😊 can’t wait to go back
5.0
Love this view. Can be done in a day but you need to get an early start. Trail has gotten a lot busier over the last few years and the short scramble to the base of the tusk basically has a path through it these days. Still one of my favourites!
5.0
I did a day hike up into Garibaldi and immediately after had a great desire to come back and do this trip. Thanks for the tips!
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