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Black Tusk

Whistler Train Wreck

Sproatt East

Wedgemount Lake

Joffre Lakes

Northair Mine

Spring Has Arrived!

Spring has arrived! Check out our Best Whistler Hiking by Month for inspiration! WeRentGear.com rents tents, sleeping bags, sleeping pads, camp stoves, packs, complete kits and more!

Best Trails This Week!

Best This Week: Alexander Falls, Brandywine Falls, Rainbow Falls, Nairn Falls, Sproatt East, Cheakamus River, Joffre Lakes, Blueberry Park, and Whistler Train Wreck.

Madeley Lake RatingMadeley Lake is a gorgeous mountain lake located high up in the Callaghan Valley just a short drive past Alexander Falls.  From Whistler Village it takes about 50 minutes to drive the 27.4 kilometres to get to the parking area for both Madeley Lake and Hanging Lake.  A new gate installed in 2022 blocks Madeley Lake FSR which continues two kilometres to the far end of Madeley Lake near the campsite. 

  • Amazing, remote feeling corner of Whistler
  • Driving there is very scenic and beautiful
  • Madeley has a cute beach
  • Tidy & cute campsite with picnic tables & fire rings
  • Beach is south facing & always sunny
  • Free campsites at both lakes
  • Madeley Creek flows through the campsite
  • Stunning mountain views all around
  • Swimming is amazing, though freezing!
  • Whistler Hiking Trail ConWhistler Olympic Park blocks the road

Visiting Madeley Lake now involves a boring walk up the old logging road to get there.  It also makes bringing a canoe, kayak or paddleboard to the lake out of the question for most.  This parking area is also where you find the trailhead for the Madeley-Hanging Lake trail.  The Madeley-Hanging Lake trail is a moderately challenging trail that ascends through the forest for 6.2 kilometres to the free campsite at Hanging Lake.  The trail connects to the Rainbow Trail, reaching Rainbow Lake in just one kilometre.  At the south end of the lake, the Rainbow Trail takes you 8 kilometres down the valley to emerge at the Rainbow Trail trailhead on Alta Lake Road.  These two trails meet at Rainbow Lake and the trails combined are known as the Rainbow Madeley trail, which is 16.1 kilometres long, trailhead to trailhead.  Rainbow Lake is the source of much of Whistler’s water supply and therefore camping, swimming and dogs are not allowed.  Hanging Lake is just outside the watershed area and none of the restrictions apply.  Camping is free at the Hanging Lake campsite which is unmaintained.  The campsite at Madeley Lake is also free and well outside the watershed area so there are no restrictions.  Beautiful Madeley Lake is the main attraction and the trail to Hanging Lake is not very popular, especially compared to the increasingly busy Rainbow Trail which is conveniently located in Whistler off Alta Lake Road, not far from Rainbow Park.  The Hanging Lake campsite is popular in the summer, though nearly everyone hikes there via the Rainbow Trail instead of the Madeley-Hanging Lake trail.  Hanging Lake is nice, though Rainbow Lake and Madeley Lake are beautiful by comparison.  Out of the three lakes, Madeley is the best by far in terms of scenery, serenity and size. 

Madeley Lake and Hanging Lake Map

Madeley is the largest of the three lakes and situated in a south facing valley aimed directly at the sun.  The small pebble beach at the far end at the campsite is amazing and always sunny.  The beach slopes steeply into the lake and perfect for jumping in if you can stand the always freezing cold the glacier fed water.  The campsite is spread throughout the forest behind this beach extending along the shore as well as along Madeley Creek which is filled with boulders and crisscrossed with deadfall trees.  A few metal fire pits can be found in various clearings around the campsite as well as a couple of picnic tables and one very old outhouse in the forest.  The campsite extends along the far end of Madeley Lake through a gorgeous and deep old forest.  A trail skirts around the top of the lake and continues around the far side of the lake.  The battered old trail is sometimes hard to follow, but it continues along the lake and connects to the Madeley-Hanging Lake trail just a few hundred metres from the trailhead parking area for both lakes.  Most hikers avoid this section around the back side of Madeley Lake and start their hike to Hanging Lake from the trailhead at the parking area. 

Madeley Lake Map v8a

Madeley Lake Trail Stats:

Driving There: 50 minutes from Whistler Village(27.4 kilometres/17 miles)  Hiking Distance to Madeley Lake: 500 metres to lake or 2 kilometres to campsite.  Hiking Time: 20 minutes to lake or 45 minutes to campsite.  Elevation Gain: Minimal  Fees: None  Campsites: Yes  Camping Allowed: Yes  Difficulty: Easy walk along Madeley FSR.  Kid Friendly: Yes.  Stroller Friendly: Yes.  Dog Friendly: Yes

Madeley-Hanging Lake Trail Stats:

Driving There: 50 minutes from Whistler Village(27.4 kilometres/17 miles)  Hiking Distance to Hanging Lake: 6.2 kilometres/3.8 miles to campsite.  Hiking Time: 2-3 hours to Hanging Lake.  Elevation Gain: 437 metres/1434 feet.  Fees: None  Campsites: Yes  Camping Allowed: Yes  Difficulty: Moderate, though can be challenging due to overgrown trail, deadfall, creek crossing, muddy and steep trail.  Kid Friendly: Not very fun for kids.  Stroller Friendly: No.  Dog Friendly: Yes

Callaghan Valley Map

Callaghan Valley Map v11a

Callaghan Valley Map Wider Area

Callaghan Valley Map Large v18

Brew Lake is beautiful mountain lake just a short drive south of Whistler and is relatively unknown and seldom hiked. Laying at the base of Mount Brew, Brew Lake lays in a ...
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Panorama Ridge is easily one of the most amazing hikes in Garibaldi Provincial Park.  The 15 kilometre hike from the trailhead at Rubble Creek to Panorama Ridge takes you ...
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Skookumchuck Hot Springs(aka T'sek Hot Springs and St. Agnes Well), located two hours north of Whistler along the edge of the huge Lillooet River. The name Skookumchuck ...
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Keyhole Hot Springs (aka Pebble Creek Hot Springs) is located 100 kilometres from Whistler(Village Gate Blvd). Though most of the 100 kilometres is on logging roads, it is ...
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Bergschrund or abbreviated schrund: a crevasse that forms from the separation of moving glacier ice from the stagnant ice above. Characterized by a deep ...
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The Coast Mountains run from the Yukon down to Vancouver along the west coast of British Columbia in a band that averages 300 kilometres wide(190 miles).  ...
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Bivouac or Bivy: a primitive campsite or simple, flat area where camping is possible.  Traditionally used to refer to a very primitive campsite comprised of ...
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Neal Carter (14 Dec 1902 - 15 Mar 1978) was an early explorer of the Coast Mountains around what would eventually be called Whistler Valley.  In the summer ...
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The Cordilleran Ice Sheet covered most of north-west North America for much of the last 2.6 million years.  At the Last Glacial Maximum during the Last ...
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Aiguille: a tall, narrow, characteristically distinct spire of rock. From the French word for "needle". Used extensively as part of the names for many ...
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Bench: a flat section in steep terrain.  Characteristically narrow, flat or gently sloping with steep or vertical slopes on either side.  A bench can be ...
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Northair Mine is wonderful, hidden world high up in Callaghan Valley.  It was a gold mine run by the Northair Group from 1976 until was abandoned in 1982 ...
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More Hike in Whistler Glossary

Whistler and Garibaldi Park Hiking Gear Rental

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 ...
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Cirque Lake is a wild and beautiful lake that hides high above and beyond Callaghan Lake in Callaghan Lake Provincial Park.  What makes Cirque Lake special among the other sensationally beautiful lakes in the ...
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Nairn Falls is a wonderful, crashing and chaotic waterfall that surrounds you from the deluxe viewing platform that allows you to safely watch it from above.  The beautiful, green water rushes through the ...
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Madeley Lake is a gorgeous mountain lake located high up in the Callaghan Valley just a short drive past Alexander Falls.  From Whistler Village it takes about 50 minutes to drive the 27.4 kilometres to get to the ...
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More Whistler Hiking Trails & Maps

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