Aiguille

Aiguille: a tall, narrow, characteristically distinct spire of rock. From the French word for "needle". Used extensively as part of the names for many peaks in the French Alps. Around Whistler and in Garibaldi Park you will find several distinct aiguilles. Shown here is the prominent aiguille that stands like a tower at the summit of Rethel Mountain above Wedgemount Lake. Standing near the hut at Wedgemount Lake, Rethel is the towering mountain directly across the lake.

Whistler & Garibaldi Hiking

Alexander Falls Ancient Cedars Black Tusk Blackcomb Mountain Brandywine Falls Brandywine Meadows Brew Lake Callaghan Lake Cheakamus Lake Cheakamus River Cirque Lake Flank Trail Garibaldi Lake Garibaldi Park Helm Creek Jane Lakes Joffre Lakes Keyhole Hot Springs Logger’s Lake Madeley Lake Meager Hot Springs Nairn Falls Newt Lake Panorama Ridge Parkhurst Ghost Town Rainbow Falls Rainbow Lake Ring Lake Russet Lake Sea to Sky Trail Skookumchuck Hot Springs Sloquet Hot Springs Sproatt East Sproatt West Taylor Meadows Train Wreck Wedgemount Lake Whistler Mountain

January February March April May June July August September October November December

If you are looking at Wedge Mountain from Whistler Village, Rethel Mountain is the second mountain to the left of Wedge. In order they are Wedge Mountain, Parkhurst Mountain and Rethel Mountain. Parkhurst Mountain stretches down the valley to Parkhurst Ghost Town at the shore of Green Lake. Across Wedgemount Lake and still visible from Whistler are Mount Weart, Armchair Glacier and Cook Mountain. If you are new to Whistler and are unfamiliar with Wedge Mountain, it is the strikingly wedge-shaped mountain that dominates the skyline from many places in Whistler. The highest mountain in Garibaldi Provincial Park and easily spotted next to Blackcomb Mountain, which in turn is next to Whistler Mountain. Shown here is Wedge Mountain and Blackcomb Mountain as seen from Rainbow Lake across the valley. The first glimpse of Wedge Mountain, for most, is from the highway as they drive into Whistler. At Function Junction 8 kilometres south of Whistler Village you catch your first beautiful view of this towering mountain. The Sea to Sky Highway lines up with Wedge Mountain a few times as you drive through Whistler and north of Whistler Village you see it almost constantly on your right as you pass Green Lake and continue north toward Pemberton.

Rethel Mountain Aiguille from Wedgemount Lake

From the shore of Wedgemount Lake the aiguille on Rethel Mountain is easily visible and quite distinct. Rethel Mountain and its neighbour to the left, Parkhurst are strikingly beautiful mountains to see and even hear. While camping at the shore of Wedgemount Lake, you will be startled occasionally to hear quite large boulders tumbling down these mountains and into the lake. It happens fairly regularly and you never quite get used to the unnerving sound of falling rocks. It tends to add to the interesting and hostile beauty of this wonderful place.

Wedgemount Lake Maps

Below is a map showing Wedgemount Lake from several vantage points. The upper tent pad view looking across to Wedgemount Glacier, an iceberg in July, the beautiful glacier window, the amazing view from the lower tent pads along Wedgemount Lake. The map also shows the various routes up Wedgemount Glacier to Wedge Mountain. These routes are potentially very dangerous and glacier travel is always unpredictable and hazardous, so make sure you know what you are doing before venturing beyond the glacier window.

Levette Lake View of a Tantalus Range Aiguille

Another good place to see an aiguille is at Levette Lake, south of Whistler, near Squamish. Looking across the lake you get a great view of the Tantalus Range and this marvellous aiguille shown here. Levette Lake is a hidden little lake found just a short drive up Squamish Valley Road. Details, maps and directions can be found at HikeInSquamish.com.

Interested in the Geology of BC?

Here are two excellent books on the Geology of British Columbia. In Search of Ancient British Columbia by Barbara Huck is one of our favourites. It focuses on southern BC and covers each individual region separately. The Lower Mainland chapter explains the geology, paleontology and archaeology of the region stretching from Vancouver, Sea to Sky, Garibaldi Park and north to Mount Meager and Meager Hot Springs. Quite a lot of the book is devoted to how the last ice age shaped the land and inhabitants of southern BC. The chapters on Vancouver Island are particularly good as the geological history was particularly chaotic and the history of glaciation around present day Victoria is very interesting. Geology of British Columbia: A Journey Through Time by Sydney Cannings, JoAnne Nelson and Richard Cannings is a beautiful history of BC's geology and the 200 million year history of creatures living in this extraordinary corner of the world. The authors take us on a journey through time, describing the collisions of island chains called terrains, the sliding of plates, the erupting of volcanoes, and the movement of glaciers that created British Columbia as we know it today. They also describe the rich legacy of fossils left behind as a result of all this geological activity.

**We participate in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program and earn a small commission on purchases we link through to Amazon at no extra cost to you. We only link to books and products we love and highly recommend. Thanks for your support!**

Crevasse: is a split or crack in the glacier surface, often with near vertical walls. Crevasses form out of the constant movement of a glacier over ...

Russet Lake sits in a wide, glacier carved valley at the base of The Fissile. In the direction opposite The Fissile, up on a plateau less than a ...

Paper birch, also known as white birch is a type of birch tree that grows in northern North America. Named for its paper-like, white or cream coloured ...

Cairns, inukshuks or inuksuks are a pile or arrangement of rocks used to indicate a route, landmark or a summit. The word cairn originates from the ...

Mountain hemlock is a species of hemlock that thrives along the west coast of North America from Alaska to California. In Whistler and Garibaldi Park you ...

Surprisingly often in Whistler's forests you will find a tree growing on an old fallen tree or out of a decaying tree stump. Decaying logs and stumps in ...

Coast Douglas-fir trees are medium to extremely large trees that you will encounter in Whistler and Garibaldi Park. They are the second tallest conifer ...

The second Caterpillar tractor in Parkhurst Ghost Town is considerably harder to find despite being just a few metres from the hulking Caterpillar at the shore ...

June is a pretty amazing month to hike in Whistler. The average low and high temperatures in Whistler range from 9c to 21c(48f/70f). The summer tourist ...

July is a wonderful time to hike in Whistler and Garibaldi Provincial Park. The weather is beautiful and the snow on high elevation hiking trails is long ...

August hiking in Whistler definitely has the most consistently great, hot weather. You can feel the rare pleasure of walking across a glacier shirtless and ...

September hiking in Whistler is possibly the best month of all. The snow has melted far up to the mountain tops, yet the temperatures are still quite high. ...

Best Whistler Hiking Trails by Month

Whistler & Garibaldi Hiking

January February March April May June July August September October November December

Mount Sproatt, or as it is known locally as just Sproatt, is one of the many towering mountains visible from Whistler Village. Above and beyond Alta Lake, directly across from Whistler Mountain and ...

Cheakamus River is a beautiful, crashing, turquoise coloured river that flows from Cheakamus Lake, through Whistler Interpretive Forest at Cheakamus Crossing, then down past Brandywine Falls to Daisy Lake. ...

The Sproatt East trail is a beautifully wild, steep, but relatively short trail to the magnificent, wide open alpine and summit of Mount Sproatt. Mount Sproatt (1834 metres) towers over Whistler Valley ...

Cheakamus Lake is a wonderfully relaxing way to get in the wilderness easily and quickly from Whistler Village. The trail begins on the far side of Whistler Mountain, 8 kilometres from the Sea to Sky Highway ...

More Whistler Hiking Trails & Maps

HikeInWhistler.com

Joffre Lakes

Parkhurst Ghost Town

Rainbow Falls

Wedgemount Lake

Cirque Lake

Garibaldi Park

Black Tusk

Whistler Train Wreck

Spring Hiking Has Arrived!

Rent Hiking Gear Here!

Whistler & Garibaldi Hiking

Rethel Mountain Aiguille from Wedgemount Lake

Wedgemount Lake Maps

Levette Lake View of a Tantalus Range Aiguille

Interested in the Geology of BC?

Whistler & Garibaldi Hiking