May 18th, 2023: Summer has arrived in Whistler and though the mountains are still snowy and tough to hike, all the lower elevation hikes are snow free. Parkhurst Ghost Town is absolutely fantastic in May and nearby Wedge Creek is almost entirely unknown to hikers. If you have ever hiked to Parkhurst, you likely crossed the disintegrating, yet strangely beautiful old bridge over Wedge Creek.
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
Few people notice that just a few metres past the bridge is a nice trail through the forest alongside Wedge Creek. This unmarked trail is one end of the old Green Lake Loop trail that extends up along Wedge Creek then arches across the back side of Green Lake to Lost Lake Park. A decade ago the Sea to Sky Trail was constructed and largely overlaps the older Green Lake Loop. This one kilometre section runs roughly parallel to the Sea to Sky Trail which follows an access road on the other side of Wedge Creek and not very scenic. Both trails connect and overlap just past Wedge Creek Falls about a kilometre from where they both start. Wedge Creek Falls is easily viewed from the access road/Sea to Sky Trail from the vehicle bridge that crosses it. The falls are small, but the piled up tangle of logs at the top makes them quite a sight to see, especially on a sunny day. Water crashing over, through and under dozens battered trees wedged precariously at the edge of the top of the falls which crashes loudly and disappears under the bridge you stand on. From Wedge Creek Falls you have three different options to hike further up Wedge Creek. You can follow an unmarked route up along the right side, which is fairly straight forward, but far from a trail and not marked. It is quite an adventure through the scenic forest that frequently opens up to gorgeous viewpoints over the creek as well as quick access down to the creek itself. This route is a little over a kilometre from Wedge Creek Falls to the Al Grey Memorial Bridge that crosses Wedge Creek along a section of the Comfortably Numb trail. Young Lust is another way to hike up and along Wedge Creek. This trail starts a few dozen metres from Wedge Creek Falls and takes you steeply up the left side of Wedge Creek. Quite a scenic, short, yet steep 1.1 kilometre hike which leads to Comfortably Numb just a few metres from the Al Grey Memorial Bridge. Young Lust and the unmarked route along Wedge Creek makes a nice two kilometre circle route that you can start and finish at Wedge Creek Falls.
The Grey Zone to Wedge Creek
A third way to hike Wedge Creek is from the Grey Zone trail that is found at the end of a logging road that branches off the Sea to Sky Trail/access road that is not too difficult to find, but very potholed and probably 4x4 only. From the parking area for Parkhurst Ghost Town just a few metres from the disintegrating Wedge Creek bridge, the unmarked route to Parkhurst starts at the cement blocks that prevent car access toward the old bridge. From the parking area you will also see an always open yellow gate and a gravel access road that ascends up, somewhat parallel to Wedge Creek.
The Unmarked Parking Area for Parkhurst Ghost Town
Sea to Sky Trail to the Grey Zone
This access road is also the Sea to Sky Trail and they both overlap for some distance. Most people hike or bike and park their car at the unmarked parking area, however no signs indicate that you can't drive up this access road a couple kilometres then left up the short logging road to a clearing just a couple hundred metres from Wedge Creek and the Comfortably Numb bridge crossing over Wedge Creek. The short, 350 metre Grey Zone trail connects to Comfortably Numb and another 300 metres takes you down to this wonderful bridge built in honour of Al Grey, WORCA president from 1994 to 1998, who died in 2001. Al Grey's nickname was Al Presidente, and the bridge is known as Al Presidente's Crossing with a beautiful memorial which reads: Al Presidente's Crossing In Memory of Al Grey WORCA President 1994-1998 "Wish you were here"
Parking Area Near the Grey Zone Trail
Al Presidente's Crossing Over Wedge Creek
The Beautiful Al Grey Memorial Bridge Over Wedge Creek
Al Presidente's Crossing View of Wedge Creek
Wedge Creek Falls from the Access Road/Sea to Sky Trail
Above Wedge Creek Falls
Beautiful Wedge Creek
Guides to the Best of Whistler
Best Dog Friendly Hiking Trails
Whistler is very dog friendly and the number of wonderful hiking trails that your dog will love is huge. The massively varied hiking trails range from easy, short, close to Whistler Village to challenging, long and deep in the endless wilderness around Whistler. You can find dog friendly trails in and around Whistler Village that take you through deep, dark and magical forests. Or you can drive beyond Whistler Village and take your dog to spectacular alpine lakes. Some requiring little or no hiking, while others are found after hiking challenging and long trails. Many of these places are comparatively quiet and often you and your dog will have the the wilderness to yourselves. In and around Whistler Village you have Lost Lake with its spider web of trails... Continued here.
Best Free Whistler Camping
Whistler is surrounded by an immense wilderness dotted with spectacular, hidden lakes and amazing places to set up a tent. Decades of logging activity has left a network of forest service roads that has opened easy access to these places. Some of these you can drive to and some you may need a 4x4 to comfortably get to. Some places to camp for free you can drive to, some require a short hike and others are fairly long hikes to reach. Beautiful Callaghan Valley is home to several incredible and free places to camp. Callaghan Lake has a great free drive-to campsite just steps from this spectacular alpine lake. If you have a canoe, you can paddle to the end of Callaghan Lake and hike the short, but steep trail up to Cirque Lake. This gorgeous lake is deep in the alpine wilderness... Continued here.
No Car? No Problem! Whistler Trails
Whistler as a resort has a wonderful car-free core. The Village Stroll runs through the heart of Whistler Village and is entirely car free. If you are visiting Whistler or living here and you don't have a car, it's no problem. On foot or on a bike you can travel the extensive network of non-motorized trails. The Valley Trail snakes through Whistler Village and extends in several directions, all of which lead to beautiful parts of Whistler. The Sea to Sky Trail and the Lost Lake trails continue this massive, car-free network of trails running almost everywhere in Whistler. When it comes to many of the best hiking trails, getting to the trailheads on foot, by bike or public transit can be tricky at best or complicated and impractical at worst. Many trailheads are far from Whistler Village and... Continued here.
Kid Friendly Whistler Hiking Trails
There are plenty of excellent, kid and family friendly hiking trails and destinations in and around Whistler. Kid and family friendly generally means an easy and somewhat short trail that a toddler can happily manage. Some of these trails are flat enough to be stroller friendly, such as Brandywine Falls, Whistler Mountain and Blackcomb Mountain. Others such as Logger’s Lake, Cheakamus River and Madeley Lake have short enough trails to reach them that you can manage with little kids that don't want to hike too far. Some of these hikes and walks are popular and close to Whistler Village, like Whistler Mountain, Blackcomb Mountain, Lost Lake Park, Rainbow Park and Meadow Park. Others are a beautiful, but far drive into the mountains and tricky to find... Continued here.
Whistler Train Wreck Murals
The colourful graffiti and murals that make Whistler Train Wreck the magical place it is today began appearing in 2011, when this hidden place was known by just a few Whistler locals. In the summer of 2011 several Whistler artists came here for "The Train Wreck Paint Jam" and transformed the mangled wreckage into a surreal art exhibit. The artists ranged from aspiring graffiti artists to professional artists like Kups. Remnants of one of his murals from 2011 is found inside the first boxcar you come to after crossing the bridge into Whistler Train Wreck. Several of the original murals were gorgeous. Brilliantly coloured and surreal in such an unusual, tranquil and hidden forest with seven mangled train boxcars scattered. Like some sort of haunting art gallery... Continued here.
Northair Mine Murals
Way up in the Callaghan Valley on the back side of Mount Sproatt is an abandoned gold mine. Old cement foundations and two unexpectedly beautiful lakes mark the location of Northair Mine, abandoned in 1982. It was a fairly productive gold mine that extracted five tons of gold. Largely forgotten for years, in the last decade it has come to life in stunning colour by graffiti artists and professional muralists. In the summer of 2013, the first mural appeared on the blank foundation walls of Northair Mine. A creation of a professional Whistler artist PETKO. Painted on one of the inside, pillar walls, the mural is about 8 feet tall and five feet wide of what looks like a robot snake in front of a cube background. It stood out in striking contrast to the grey walls in the background... Continued here.
More Whistler Updates!
Whistler & Garibaldi Park Hiking Glossary A to Z
Whistler & Garibaldi Park Best Hiking by Month!
Explore BC Hiking Destinations!
Whistler Hiking Trails
Squamish Hiking Trails
Vancouver Hiking Trails
Clayoquot Hiking Trails
Victoria Hiking Trails
The West Coast Trail
