Whistler Parks and Lakes IconWhistler has beautiful and wonderfully hidden parks nearly everywhere you look.  Almost all are located on the shores of beautiful mountain lakes or rivers, and all seem to have great mountain views.  From Rainbow Park's terrific panorama of Wedge MountainBlackcomb Mountain and Whistler Mountain to Blueberry Park's panorama of Mount Sproatt and Rainbow Mountain.

Whistler & Garibaldi Hiking

Easy Hiking Trail WhistlerAlexander Falls  Moderate Hiking Trail Whistler Dog FriendlyAncient Cedars  Moderate Hiking Trail WhistlerBlack Tusk  Pay Use Hiking Trail WhistlerBlackcomb Mountain  Easy Hiking Trail WhistlerBrandywine Falls  Moderate/Hard Hiking Trail Whistler Dog FriendlyBrandywine Meadows  Moderate/Hard Hiking Trail Whistler Dog FriendlyBrew Lake  Easy Hiking Trail WhistlerCallaghan Lake  Moderate Hiking Trail WhistlerCheakamus Lake  Whistler Hiking Trail EasyCheakamus River  Whistler Hiking Trail HardCirque Lake  Whistler Hiking Trail EasyFlank Trail  Moderate Hiking Trail WhistlerGaribaldi Lake  Moderate Hiking Trail WhistlerGaribaldi Park  Moderate Hiking Trail WhistlerHelm Creek  Moderate Hiking Trail Whistler Dog FriendlyJane Lakes  Joffre Lakes Hike in Whistler in SeptemberJoffre Lakes  Moderate Hiking Trail Whistler Dog FriendlyKeyhole Hot Springs  Hiking Trail Hard Dog FriendlyLogger’s Lake  Whistler Hiking Trail EasyMadeley Lake  Moderate/Hard Hiking Trail Whistler Dog FriendlyMeager Hot Springs Easy Hiking Trail WhistlerNairn Falls  Whistler Hiking Trail HardNewt Lake  Moderate Hiking Trail WhistlerPanorama Ridge  Whistler Hiking Trail EasyParkhurst Ghost Town  Hiking Trail Hard Dog FriendlyRainbow Falls  Moderate Hiking Trail WhistlerRainbow Lake  Moderate/Hard Hiking Trail Whistler Dog FriendlyRing Lake  Moderate Hiking Trail WhistlerRusset Lake  Whistler Hiking Trail EasySea to Sky Trail  Easy Hiking Trail WhistlerSkookumchuck Hot Springs  Easy Hiking Trail WhistlerSloquet Hot Springs  Sproatt East  Moderate Hiking Trail WhistlerSproatt West  Moderate Hiking Trail WhistlerTaylor Meadows  Whistler Hiking Trail EasyTrain Wreck  Hiking Trail Hard - Whistler TrailsWedgemount Lake  Pay Use Hiking Trail WhistlerWhistler Mountain

Whistler Parks & Lakes

Whistler Parks and LakesAlpha Lake Park  Whistler Parks and LakesAlta Lake Park  Whistler Parks and LakesBlueberry Park  Whistler Parks and LakesGreen Lake Park  Whistler Parks and LakesLakeside Park  Whistler Parks and LakesLost Lake Park  Whistler Parks and LakesMeadow Park  Whistler Parks and LakesNita Lake Park  Whistler Parks and LakesRainbow Park  Whistler Parks and LakesWayside Park

Alta Lake has several parks along its shore.  Rainbow Park and Blueberry Park are located on the north end of the lake, while Alta Lake ParkWayside Park and Lakeside Park cover both sides of the south end of the lake.  Wayside Park and Lakeside Park are quite popular all summer with their nice beaches, piers and close proximity to Whistler Village, while Alta Lake Park is comparatively secluded in its location on the far side of Alta Lake.  What it lacks in a beach it makes up for with its huge pier.  The largest pier on Alta Lake, and serenely quiet more often than not.  Just south of Alta Lake are the much smaller lakes Alpha Lake and Nita Lake with parks as well.  Nita Lake Park hugs the shore along the Valley Trail that connects all the parks of Whistler.  Alpha Lake Park is a very nice, hidden feeling park with a great big grassy field, small sand beach, piers and a great kids playground.  A nice trail runs through the forest on one side leading to quiet little trails along the forested shore of the lake.  Lost Lake Park, one of Whistler's most popular parks is hidden in the forest at the edge of Whistler Village.  A staggering array of hiking, biking, running trails surround the lake and despite its convenient location, somehow remains beautifully quiet most days.  Green Lake Park and Meadow Park are found north of Whistler Village.  Green Lake Park is a cute little park located directly across from Parkhurst Ghost Town and is an ideal place to launch a canoe to explore the lake.  Meadow Park is a huge park with baseball diamonds, tennis courts, kids play park, ice rink, swimming pool and quite a lot more.

Best Whistler Parks Map

Rainbow Park - Best Whistler Parks

Whistler Parks and Lakes IconRainbow Park is one of Whistler's most popular swimming beaches and for good reason.  **Closed due to construction until June 2024.  The beach is south facing so every morning the sun rises from behind Wedge Mountain and the whole park seems to glow.  From the dazzling reflecting from the snow off of Wedge MountainBlackcomb Mountain and Whistler Mountain, to the amazing blue glow from Alta Lake.  All this framed in the dazzling green of the forest all around.  Though there are many great places to watch the sun rise in Whistler, Rainbow Park is one of the best.  Rainbow Park gets its name from Rainbow Lodge, a popular stop along the train line from 1914 to 1974.  It was a popular fishing and relaxing destination and easily accessible from Vancouver via the train route that still runs through the park.  Run by Myrtle and Alex Philip, the original lodge burned down in 1977.  Some of the remaining log houses have been restored into the outdoor museum of sorts you see there today.  Interpretive panels with photos and descriptions of life in the area almost a century ago.  These houses go mostly unnoticed as the main interpretive area is just off of the main beach across the Bridge of Sighs.  Named by Alex Philip, the current bridge is a reconstruction of the original.  There is a photo and description of the original that you can compare with the reconstruction. You will notice as you read the various panels how everything in Whistler now seems to be named after the people that once lived in and around the Rainbow Lodge community.  Rainbow Park has a beautiful and very long pier that stretches far out on Alta Lake.  Beyond the pier there are two swimming(island) platforms.  Volleyball nets, a concession stand and washrooms sit further back from the beach.  There is a large area of beach set aside as a dog park and several picnic tables.  The popularity of Rainbow Park is largely due to the incredible setting.  Blackcomb Mountain and Whistler Mountain look incredible.  Wedge Mountain, the highest mountain in Garibaldi Provincial Park to the left of Blackcomb Mountain looks both enormous and definitely wedge shaped.  Every direction you look you are captivated by the surroundings.  Out on the pier you look left and right along the huge valley that contains Alta Lake and at the far end you trace Whistler Mountain from the water to the sky.  You can see where the Peak Chair, or at least the alpine rock and snow where it sits on top of high up above the treeline. Rainbow Park sits on the far side of Alta Lake.  From Whistler Village it is just over 3 kilometres and the entire route to walk there is scenic.  Continued here...

A Quiet Fall Day at Rainbow Park

Best Whistler Parks - Rainbow Park

Rainbow Park Map v4a

Lost Lake Park - Best Whistler Parks

Whistler Parks and Lakes IconLost Lake is a tranquil and secluded lake that hides in the forest extending from Whistler Village.  Just a 20 minute, leisurely walk or 5 minute bike ride along the well signed Valley Trail will lead you to this beautiful little lake.  The wide and paved Valley Trail turns into a wide and gravel trail as you enter Lost Lake Park and.  Trails circle the lake and extend in all directions.  The main trail around the lake is a popular running route from Whistler Village as roundtrip from the Village, around Lost Lake and back to the Village is just 6 kilometres.  There are plenty of nice viewpoints along the main trail as well as quite a few short trails that lead to several access points to the lake, some with great places to sit and relax in the sun and take in the view.  Lost Lake has a very popular beach at one end and in the height of summer can get busy as it is the most convenient beach from Whistler Village.  There are several swimming platforms out in the lake as well as a wonderful and huge pier along the right hand side of the lake.  An amazing place to catch the sunsets over Whistler Mountain.  In the winter months when there is snow in Whistler, Lost Lake becomes a cross country and snowshoeing area and there is a charge to access the main trails around the lake.  Usually from mid December to early April.  If there is snow on the ground in Whistler Village, you will likely find the park gated for admission only snowshoeing and cross-country skiing.  Continued here...

The Wonderful Lost Lake Pier

Best Whistler Parks - Lost Lake Pier

Lost Lake Park v5a

Green Lake Park - Best Whistler Parks

Whistler Parks and Lakes IconGreen Lake is stunning, vivid turquoise coloured lake just north of Whistler Village.  The Sea to Sky Highway runs along the edge of the lake for most of its length, giving you excellent view of its stunning colour surrounded by thick forests rising up to mountains.  Along the highway there is a nice pull-out viewpoint that gives you a fantastic view of Green Lake, Wedge Mountain, Blackcomb Mountain and Whistler Mountain beyond.  There is a small neighbourhood with houses lining the shore of Green Lake near the highway.  Tucked into this neighbourhood is a very small, easy to miss park right on the waterfront.  Green Lake Park is a small section of land along the shore of this beautiful lake.  Squeezed between two houses, the park looks like a vacant lot where a house would have been built.  Instead of a house there is a small building with washrooms and a nice little forest with picnic tables.  The rocky shore is perfect for launching a canoe and there is a public storage area for canoes and kayaks.  Green Lake Park is directly across from Parkhurst Ghost Town, a derelict old logging town long abandoned.  The ghost town is easy to spot with its abandoned log loader perched on the edge of the lake, almost directly across from the park.  This huge, very solid metal machine that looks somewhat like a tractor has been sitting there for several decades.  Looking like a museum piece, this beautiful piece of history marks the entrance to Parkhurst if you are arriving by boat.  A trail cuts through the bushes, crosses the train tracks, then ascends up a short hill into the forest where you will find many collapsed houses, one still standing and dozens of interesting curiosities.  There is a hiking and biking trail to Parkhurst, but paddling across the Green Lake from Green Lake Park is the easiest and nicest way to get there.  Continued here...

The Green Lake Boat Launch Pier

Best Whistler Parks - Green Lake Pier

Green Lake Park Map

Alpha Lake Park - Best Whistler Parks

Whistler Parks and Lakes IconAlpha Lake Park is a beautiful little park on the shores of Alpha Lake in Creekside, just 5 kilometres south of Whistler Village.  Located partway along Lake Placid Road just past the Husky gas station and Nita Lake Lodge.  This quiet residential street leads to this park that is home to tennis courts, a basketball court, a huge waterfront dog park, an elaborate kids play park, a floating dock, two piers and biking/walking/running trails everywhere you look.  Alpha Lake Park has a much more local feel to it than other Whistler parks such as the popular Rainbow ParkLakeside Park and Lost Lake Park.  The abundance of trees and the irregular shoreline make the relatively small size of Alpha Lake seem quite a bit bigger than it is.  Trails run around both sides of Alpha Lake.  The wide and paved Valley Trail runs along the shore on the near side and a gravel trail runs along the far side.  This gravel trail, squeezed between the train tracks and the lake takes you to Pine Point Park, a nice rocky outcrop in the top-middle of the lake.  Here the trails zig-zag through the forest to several hidden vantage points over the lake.  These spots are always facing the sun and amazing on a sunny day.  Continued here...

Alpha Lake in Whistler

Alpha Lake Park Map

Alta Lake Park - Best Whistler Parks

Whistler Parks and Lakes IconAlta Lake Park is one of several scenic parks on Alta LakeLakeside Park, Blueberry ParkRainbow Park and Wayside Park are also along the shore of this huge lake that covers much of the valley edged by Whistler Village.  These parks, all on Whistler's beautiful Valley Trail system, ensure that you are never far from one of several spectacular vantage points over Alta Lake.  Alta Lake Park is on the far side of Alta Lake, just 4 kilometres from Whistler Village.  It is just an hours walk or 10 minute bike ride away on the Valley Trail.  The Valley Trail is a huge spider web network of paved walking, biking and running trails that connect Whistler Village to dozens of beautiful parks and sights.  Over 40 kilometres of trails throughout Whistler, with direction signs at every junction make the Valley Trail much more than just a transportation network.  It's an interpretive tour of the area, where you can wander on foot or by bike and use the signs at each junction to choose your route  Located on the opposite shore to Wayside Park, Alta Lake Park is unlike all the other parks around this huge lake.  It is secluded feeling where the others are often crowded and chaotic.  The two Alta Lake Park piers are far more serene and the views of Whistler Mountain and Blackcomb Mountain are excellent.  One of the piers is quite old and sits directly across from the Wayside Park pier.  Continued here...

Fairhurst Pier in Alta Lake Park

Alta Lake Park Map

Blueberry Park - Best Whistler Parks

Whistler Parks and Lakes IconBlueberry Park is a very scenic park on Alta Lake that most Whistler locals don't even know about.  If you have been to Rainbow Park you would have noticed three piers across Alta Lake surrounded by forest.  These public piers sit at the edge of Blueberry Park, with the Blueberry Trail running from one side of the forest to the other.  The park covers most of the hill beyond these piers and stretches between and connects the neighbourhoods of Whistler Cay and Alta Vista.  The beautiful, deep forest trail runs from the shores of Alta Lake in Alta Vista, up and across Blueberry Hill and descends again to reach Whistler Cay.  Along the trail there are several beautiful viewpoints of Alta Lake in the foreground and the enormous Mount Sproatt beyond.  For most of the trail, however, it is steep, rocky, wild and natural looking.  The forest is deep and dark.  Massive tree roots criss-cross the trail and fallen trees and boulders are strewn everywhere.  It has a wonderful remote and natural feeling to the forest that make you forget that you are so close to civilization.  Continued here...

Best Whistler Parks - Blueberry Park Viewpoint

Blueberry Park Map v8

Lakeside Park - Best Whistler Parks

Whistler Parks and Lakes IconLakeside Park on the shore of Alta Lake in Whistler is a beautiful beach park just a short distance from Whistler Village.  Located on the Valley Trail, it is just 2 kilometres or a 30 minute walk, or 10 minute bike ride away.  Similar to the popular Rainbow Park across the lake, Lakeside Park has a concession stand for food and drinks, picnic tables, BBQ stands, canoe and kayak rentals a huge grass field, pier, a sandy beach and an elaborate little kids play are.  Swimming and relaxing are the main draws to Lakeside Park, but fishing off the piers is a common sight as well.  The Lakeside Park pier is just one of many places on the lake good for fishing, but generally fishing on Alta Lake is best done by boat.  There is a proper boat launch on Lakeside Drive just a couple hundred metres north of the beach.  Alta Lake is catch and release only as is the nearby Green Lake, and there is a bait ban on the lake.  The two small lakes adjacent to Alta LakeAlpha Lake and Nita Lake you can keep what you catch and they are stocked with hundreds of fish every June.  Lost Lake on the other side of Whistler Village, you can keep what you catch as well as at Logger’s Lake near Cheakamus Crossing.  The beach at Lakeside Park is south facing making it a fantastic place to watch the sun set over the towering Mount Sproatt across the lake.  If you are looking for a quiet place to relax the main beach may be too chaotic for you, however there is a beautiful place to escape the noise just a 5 minute walk away.  To the left of the beach, cross the small bridge, follow the Valley Trail and keep your eyes out on the right for a trail veering off the main trail into the trees.  Continued here...

Best Whistler Parks - Lakeside Park

Lakeside Park in Whistler Map

Meadow Park - Best Whistler Parks

Whistler Parks and Lakes IconMeadow Park is a huge recreation area in Whistler that has a hockey rink, huge gym, swimming pool, squash courts, baseball diamonds, tennis courts, basketball courts, ball hockey court and a wonderfully elaborate kids play park.  Meadow Park is wonderfully located along the River of Golden Dreams, a cute little, slow, winding river that connects Alta Lake and Green Lake.  Along the River of Golden Dreams you will find impossibly idyllic picnic tables and park benches.  Wedge Mountain, Blackcomb Mountain and Whistler Mountain are stretched out before you with the serene river flowing past.  The kids play park has a variety of the usual slides and swings, but also a fun water park activated by a hidden button on a metal, ride on blue whale.  The button activated two opposing water guns, a little water slide and several fountains.  Surrounding the water park are lovely, grass areas for the parents to lay in the sun.  There are also several picnic tables between the water park and the rest of the kids area with slides and climbing walls.  Adjacent to the kids park is a ball hockey court that doubles as two basketball courts.  Next to that are some very nice tennis courts.  Continued here...

Meadow Park in Whistler

Meadow Park Map

Nita Lake Park - Best Whistler Parks

Whistler Parks and Lakes IconNita Lake is a tranquil little lake located in Creekside, just 4 kilometres south of Whistler Village.  Whistler's beautiful Valley Trail runs right along the edge of Nita Lake and continues past the beautiful Nita Lake Lodge.  A small gravel beach with a creek flowing through it gives the park consistently good fishing.  Two picnic tables sit in a forest clearing next to the creek.  At the end of the lake there are two piers.  One is a public pier and the other is for Nita Lake Lodge guests.  Nita Lake is comparatively quiet as compared to other Whistler lakes and parks.  The main reason is that it lacks a sizable beach and facilities to go along with it.  Though this may seem like a drawback, it is also an attraction.  On a busy summer day you may find hundreds of people in and around the neighbouring Alpha Lake, yet less than a dozen on Nita Lake.  It is relaxing and serene when everywhere else is not.  Nita Lake Park is just 4 kilometres from Whistler Village along the Valley Trail and walking, running or biking there is a great option.  From the Village the Valley Trail takes you along the edge of Whistler Golf Course, then past Blueberry ParkLakeside Park and Wayside Park.  Blueberry Park is a wonderful, deep forest and secluded feeling park on the edge of Alta Lake.  Lakeside Park is a big, lively and fun park on Alta Lake with boat rentals, concession stand, piers and a sandy beach.  Wayside Park is similar to Lakeside Park, though a bit smaller, and is near the end of Alta Lake.  Alta Lake and Nita Lake are separated by just a few dozen metres and the Valley Trail branches in three directions here.  Nita Lake to the south and to the north the Valley Trail goes on either side of Alta Lake.  Continued here...

Best Whistler Parks - Nita Lake Park

Nita Lake Park Map

Wayside Park - Best Whistler Parks

Whistler Parks and Lakes IconWayside Park in Whistler is one of several idyllic parks along the shore of Alta LakeRainbow Park, Lakeside Park and Blueberry Park are also along the shore of this huge lake that covers much of the valley edged by Whistler Village.  These four parks, all on Whistler's beautiful Valley Trail system, ensure that you are never far from one of several amazing vantage points over Alta Lake.  Wayside Park sits near the bottom end of Alta Lake and at just 3 kilometres from Whistler Village is just an hours walk or 10 minute bike ride away.  The Valley Trail is a huge spider web network of paved walking/biking/running trails that connect Whistler Village to dozens of beautiful parks and sights.  Over 40 kilometres of trails throughout Whistler, with directions at every junction make the Valley Trail much more than just a transportation network.  It's an interpretive tour of the area, where you can wander on foot or by bike and use the signs at each junction to choose your route.  Whistler's Valley Trail is in fact, now part of the 180 kilometre Sea to Sky Trail that runs from Squamish to D'Arcy.  In the summer months, swimming and relaxing in the sun are the main attractions to Wayside Park.  The piers are a fantastic way to view Alta Lake as it stretches north, edged by forest, hills and mountains in the distance.  Canoeing, kayaking and paddleboarding are all popular from Wayside Park and Whistler Eco Tours has a popular rental area here in the summertime. They also do canoe rentals where you can start canoeing at Wayside Park and finish at Green Lake.  This 7 kilometre route takes you the length of Alta Lake then down the River of Golden Dreams to Green Lake.  The current moves with you the entire journey making it a very relaxing route to paddle.  Continued here...

Best Whistler Parks - Wayside Park

Wayside Park Map

Best Whistler Parks!

Alpha Lake Park is a beautiful little park on the shores of Alpha Lake in Creekside, just 5 kilometres south of Whistler Village.  Located partway along ...
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Meadow Park is a huge recreation area in Whistler that has a hockey rink, huge gym, swimming pool, squash courts, baseball diamonds, tennis courts, ...
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Blueberry Park is a very scenic park on Alta Lake that most Whistler locals don't even know about.  If you have been to Rainbow Park you would have noticed several ...
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Rainbow Park is one of Whistler's most popular sightseeing, picnicking, dog walking, relaxing and swimming beaches and for good reason.  The beach is south ...
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Whistler's Best Hiking Trails!

Joffre Lakes Provincial Park is a gorgeous park with extraordinarily coloured lakes, waterfalls, stunning mountain peaks and ominous glaciers pouring into the valley.  Joffre Lakes is one of those incredible ...
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Garibaldi Lake is the centre and base for much of the hiking in Garibaldi Provincial Park. The Garibaldi Lake campsite is located on the amazing, turquoise shores of this massive and mostly still wild ...
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Keyhole Hot Springs (aka Pebble Creek Hot Springs) is located 100 kilometres from Whistler (Village Gate Blvd). Though much of the drive to Keyhole is on logging roads, the route is driveable by most cars ...
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Jane Lakes are a very remote feeling set of lakes in the beautiful wilderness near Cheakamus Crossing.  Consisting of three lakes, West Jane Lake, East Jane Lake and Little Jane Lake, they have a great ...
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Whistler & Garibaldi Park Best Hiking by Month!

March is usually a snowy month in Whistler, though in 2024 not a whole lot of snow has fallen. Snowshoes are already not necessary for lots of trails in and ...
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April in Whistler is a wonderful time of year.  The winter deep freeze ends and T-shirt weather erupts.  The village comes alive with overflowing patios and ...
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May is an extraordinarily beautiful time of year in Whistler.  The days are longer and warmer and a great lull in between seasons happens.  Whistler is fairly ...
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June is a pretty amazing month to hike in Whistler and Garibaldi Park.  The average low and high temperatures in Whistler range from 9c to 21c(48f/70f).  ...
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The Amazing West Coast Trail

Explore BC Hiking Destinations!

Whistler Hiking Trails

Hiking in Whistler is spectacular and wonderfully varied. Looking at a map of Whistler you see an extraordinary spider web of hiking trails that are unbelievably numerous. Easy trails, moderate trails and challenging hiking trails are all available. Another marvellous ...
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Squamish Hiking Trails

Squamish is located in the midst of a staggering array of amazing hiking trails. Garibaldi Provincial Park sprawls alongside Squamish and up and beyond Whistler. Tantalus Provincial Park lays across the valley to the west and the wonderfully remote Callaghan Valley ...
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Vancouver Hiking Trails

Vancouver is surrounded by seemingly endless hiking trails and mountains to explore.  Massive parks line up one after another.  Mount Seymour Provincial Park, Lynn Canyon Park, Grouse Mountain, Cypress Park and the enormous Garibaldi Park all contribute to Vancouver ...
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Clayoquot Hiking Trails

Clayoquot Sound has a staggering array of hiking trails within it.  Between Tofino and Ucluelet, Pacific Rim Park has several wilderness and beach trails, each one radically different from the last.  The islands in the area are often Provincial parks on their own with ...
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Victoria Hiking Trails

Victoria has a seemingly endless number of amazing hiking trails.  Most take you to wild and beautiful Pacific Ocean views and others take you to tranquil lakes in beautiful BC Coastal Rainforest wilderness.  Regional Parks and Provincial Parks are everywhere you turn in ...
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The West Coast Trail

The West Coast Trail was created after decades of brutal and costly shipwrecks occurred along the West Coast of Vancouver Island.  One shipwreck in particular was so horrific, tragic and unbelievable that it forced the creation of a trail along the coast, which ...
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