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 down past the Co-Op 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.

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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

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/Sea to Sky 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.  If you continue walking through the forest trails in Pine Point Park you will eventually be squeezed between the lake and the train tracks for a few dozen metres before reaching the end of the lake.  Here you will find another hidden oasis at Alpha Lake that goes almost entirely unnoticed.  A remnant of the logging industry that used to thrive in the area, an old road abruptly stops at a jetty on the lake-shore.  This weirdly remote feeling spot is a great place to relax in the sun, launch a canoe, fish from the shore, or have a picnic in a tranquil, hidden corner of Whistler.

The Tranquil and Beautiful Far End of Alpha Lake

Alpha Lake in Whistler

Alpha Lake Park Map

Alpha Lake Park has a lot of facilities and things to do.  Next to the parking area you pass the basketball and tennis courts.  Next you come to the main beach area with two piers, volleyball courts, washrooms, picnic tables and a very nice kids playground.  A hiking trail extends around Alpha Lake to Pine Point Park where you find scenic rock outcrops overlooking the lake.  Hiking further around the lake, along the train tracks you come to the south end of the lake.  This serene little corner of Alpha Lake is gorgeous on a sunny day and almost always you will have it to yourself.  Back at the main parking area the Valley Trail/Sea to Sky Trail extends around the other side of Alpha Lake along the beautiful shore. In the opposite direction the trail extends along the shore of Nita Lake, then continues around both sides of Alta Lake and almost everywhere in Whistler.

Alpha Lake Park Map

Pine Point in Alpha Lake Park

Alpha Lake Park Trail View at Pine Point Park

Alpha Lake Park Things to Do

Family IconAlpha Lake Park is one of the most overlooked parks in Whistler, though it is arguably one of the best.  The park has a surprising array of things to do.  At the main area of Alpha Lake Park there are washrooms, water fountains, a very elaborate kids play area, dog park, picnic tables, a small sandy beach, volleyball courts, nice piers and hiking trails.  Next to the parking lot are tennis courts and a basketball court. Fishing is popular on the lake as it is stocked with hundreds of rainbow trout every year.  Despite the small size of Alpha Lake, its shoreline is never in a straight line and on a sunny summer day you will see several boats and paddleboards out on the water.  The best place to fish is close to the small island near Pine Point Park.  The island is private property, but the rocky outcrops near the island are accessible and ideal for fishing.

The Wonderful Playground at Alpha Lake Park

Alpha Lake Park Amazing Playground

Basketball and Tennis Courts at Alpha Lake

Best Whistler Parks Alpha Lake Park

Alpha Lake Park Playground

The playground at Alpha Lake Park is beautifully designed and has a huge array of things to do.  The elaborate, natural wood treehouse has slides and climbing nets to get up and down from it.  There are little climbing walls, horizontal bars, swings and behind the playground is a fantastic forest with wide open areas and huge trees.  The forest is a playground on its own, with space to run around and impressive and unusual trees everywhere you look.

Alpha Lake Park's Wonderful Playground

Alpha Lake Playground

Alpha Lake Park Forest Playground

Beautiful Alpha Lake Forest

Alpha Lake Park Huge Trees

Alpha Lake Park Huge Trees

Alpha Lake Park's Arfa Dog Park

Adjacent to the main beach at Alpha Lake Park, separated by a small forest is the wonderful dog park known as "Arfa Park".  Rarely will you pass through Arfa Park and not see a dog sprinting after a ball in this wide open, grassy field between the tennis courts and the lake.  Several park benches face the lake and make for a fantastic place in Whistler to watch the sun set.  Whistler's wonderful Valley Trail runs through Alpha Lake Park.  The Valley Trail is the wide, two lane, walking/biking/running trail that extends throughout Whistler.

Alpha Lake Park Main Beach

Valley Trail to Alpha Lake Park

With the Valley Trail connecting Whistler Village to Alpha Lake Park, walking or biking to it is a great option.  From the Village it is just 5 kilometres with a lot to see on the way.  From the Village the Valley Trail goes under the Sea to Sky Highway via an underpass and runs along the edge of the Whistler Golf Course.  The golf course is very scenic and bear sightings are frequent, especially early and late in the day.  Beyond the golf course the Valley Trail runs alongside roads for a short time before passing through Lakeside Park along the shore of Alta Lake.

Alpha Lake Park Directions

Driving to the TrailheadPublic Transit to the TrailheadAlpha Lake Park is easy to get to by car, bus, bike or on foot.  Parking for Alpha Lake Park is found at the end of Lake Placid Drive in Creekside. Lake Placid Drive is the road that goes past the Co-Op gas station four kilometres south of Whistler Village.  If driving north on the Sea to Sky Highway you will see the Co-Op gas station on your left at the lights in Creekside.  Turn left onto Lake Placid Drive and follow it past the Co-Op.  Lake Placid Drive bends 90 degrees left at Nita Lake Lodge and you will see the parking and entrance to Alpha Lake Park on your right.  Parking is free, though overnight parking is not allowed.  As Alpha Lake Park is on the Valley Trail and Sea to Sky Trail, walking, biking or jogging to it is a much better option than driving if you are staying in the Village.  Just follow the Valley Trail/Sea to Sky Trail, heading south, past Alta Lake, then past Nita Lake and you will enter Alpha Lake Park.  Getting there by bus is easy as well as you just have to catch a bus to Creekside, then walk to the park in less than 10 minutes.

Best Whistler Parks Map

Camping Near Alpha Lake Park

Alpha Lake Park, as with other Whistler parks is not a place you can put up a tent and spend the night.  If you want a place to put up your tent you have to look a little further out from Whistler Village.  If you are a fan of stealth camping(aka: not legal) Whistler Train Wreck is a great place to put up a tent and just 4 kilometres south of Alpha Lake Park along in Cheakamus Crossing.  The forest wilderness around Whistler Train Wreck. has many secluded locations ideal for a stealth camp and rarely explored by the throngs of people that only hike to the wrecks. Green River also has some amazing spots for a tent, north of Whistler Village near the turnoff to Wedgemount Lake.  Just outside the edge of the Resort Municipality of Whistler and on Crown land, camping is actually legal.  Just down the logging road is Parkhurst Ghost Town which is amazing for stealth camping, though lays withing the Resort Municipality of Whistler, so not officially allowed. These are off the radar places to camp so don't expect visible camping facilities or signs, but potential tent site locations are endless and remarkably beautiful.  Check out our guide to some of the best places to camp for free in and around Whistler. 

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