Garibaldi Lake is a picture-perfect alpine lake located in Garibaldi Provincial Park. This bright blue lake is a worthy objective on its own, but can also be a good base camp for exploration of other iconic hikes such as Panorama Ridge or Black Tusk.
I have completed the Garibaldi Lake trail a number of times – several times as an overnight trip, and several times as a day hike. Fun fact – this was actually my first overnight hike ever! It has an excellent effort-to-reward ratio in my opinion.
I’ve been lucky enough to have explored Elfin Lakes, Russet Lake, and Wedgemount Lake as well, all of which fall within the boundaries of Garibaldi Provincial Park. Due to the proximity to the Lower Mainland these can be some of the busiest and most well-trodden hikes in Southwestern BC, but if you pick your time wisely (i.e. mid-week) you may be able to find some solitude here.
Here is some beta for you to use while planning your hike to Garibaldi Lake.
Garibaldi Park is located on the traditional territories of the Coast Salish, Lil’wat, Squamish, and St’at’imc peoples.
Trail Stats
Distance: 18km return from the Rubble Creek parking lot to the Garibaldi Lake Campground
Elevation: 970m
Route Type: Out and back
Difficulty: Moderate
Hiking Season: July to September is the most popular time to complete this hike. If you have the appropriate avalanche gear and training it is possible to complete this hike in the winter as well.
Planning Resources
- 105 Hikes in Southwestern British Columbia is one of my favourite hiking guides for the area
- The BC Parks website has some maps of the area as well as trail reports
Preparing for the Trip
Itinerary
Garibaldi Lake can be done as a day trip, or as an overnight trip. It is worth staying overnight at the lake for at least two nights, in my opinion, to be able to explore the area a bit further.
Here are some of the options for day trips from Garibaldi Lake:
Panorama Ridge – 15km round trip, 650m elevation gain from Garibaldi Lake Campground
Black Tusk – 13km round trip, 530m elevation gain from Garibaldi Lake Campground
Mount Price – 7km round trip, 400m elevation gain from Garibaldi Lake Campground
On my second overnight trip to Garibaldi Lake in 2015, we stayed at the lake for two nights, and did a day trip to Panorama Ridge on our second day. This was an ideal itinerary and I would recommend doing something similar if you have the time and energy.
Note that Mount Price is not an official BC Parks trail – it is more of a route, requiring good fitness and navigation experience. It’s on my bucket list!
Transportation to Trailhead
Garibaldi Lake can be accessed from the Rubble Creek trailhead (just off of Highway 99 before Daisy Lake) or from the Helm Creek trailhead (at Cheakamus Lake, just before you arrive at Whistler). Rubble Creek is by far the most popular route to take to access the lake.
You can park at Rubble Creek with your personal vehicle, or book a ride via Parkbus.
Note that Parkbus is not currently operating due to COVID-19.
Sleeping Options
All campsites in Garibaldi Provincial Park require reservations ahead of time, regardless of the time of year. At the time of writing it was $10 per person per night to camp anywhere in the park. If you would like to complete Garibaldi Lake as a day hike, a Day Use Pass may also be required.
There are three campsites in the Garibaldi Lake area – Garibaldi Lake, Taylor Meadows, and Helm Creek. Garibaldi Lake is located directly on the lake. Taylor Meadows is about 2km away from the lake. Helm Creek is located on the other side of the lake and could be a good option for those approaching from the Helm Creek side, but is otherwise somewhat removed from the main area.
Check the BC Parks website for the most up-to-date information about the requirements for this trail.
On the Trail
Day 1: Rubble Creek Trailhead to Garibaldi Lake
From the Rubble Creek trailhead, the trail starts climbing through an evergreen forest at a moderate grade for a few kilometers.
At 2.3 km in, there is a viewpoint from which you can look back across the valley onto the Tantalus Range. This is also the point where the infamous switchbacks start!
I remember when I did Garibaldi Lake as my first overnight hike at age 16, these switchbacks felt like the HARDEST.THING.I.HAD.EVER.DONE. My backpack felt so heavy, and it was pouring rain, and I was hungry, cold, and generally miserable.
Compare this with the last time I did this trail in late 2020, a friend and I were able to maintain a good conversation the whole way up without getting winded.
In short: it’s truly a matter of experience. If you are in reasonable shape and comfortable carrying a heavy backpack, you’ll be fine on this section of the trail. Even if you are a newer hiker, this trail is very doable if you have some mental grit!
At the 6km mark, the trail arrives at a clearing with a sign board. Here is where you would turn off the main trail if you were camping at Taylor Meadows.
Continuing on to Garibaldi Lake, the trail traverses the edge of Barrier Lake and Lesser Garibaldi Lake. This section undulates slightly, but is not steep.
After another 2.5km, you will reach a bridge crossing Rubble Creek, where you get your first views of Garibaldi Lake!
Cross the bridge and continue traversing along the lakeshore for another few hundred meters, and you will reach the Garibaldi Lake campground.
The campsite has several cooking shelters, each equipped with indoor and outdoor seating areas. Note that even in early summer, there may still be a lot of snow here. When I went in July 2015, we had to spend some time digging our tent pad out from a snowbank.
Whatever you choose to do for the rest of the day, make sure you watch the sun set, ideally while eating a very well-deserved meal! I suspect for most folks this will be an early night.
Day 2: Panorama Ridge (Day Trip)
If you aim to do a day hike from the Garibaldi Lake campground, you’ll want to start reasonably early. When we did Panorama Ridge in 2015, we were back on the trail by 9am.
To get to Panorama Ridge or Black Tusk, you will back-track towards the small bridge crossing Rubble Creek. Soon after the bridge there is a fork in the trail – one direction will take you towards Taylor Meadows, and one will take you back to the Rubble Creek trailhead.
Take the junction towards Taylor Meadows and enjoy a 2 km walk through some beautiful alpine meadows. This section is relatively flat but can be muddy in sections.
You’ll reach the Black Tusk junction after about 30-40 minutes. From here, you can begin to climb to Black Tusk, or you can continue to traverse along the side of the lake towards the Helm Creek trail junction and Panorama Ridge.
The traverse to the Helm Creek junction provides great views of the lake below, and in the summer is covered with purple and white wildflowers. It is not particularly steep, and is fairly well-graded.
After about 4km, you will arrive at the Helm Creek Trail junction. In late summer you can see Black Tusk Lake and Helm Lake from this intersection – when I did this in July 2015, I did not see them as they were covered in snow!
From here the trail heads upwards, as you climb along a well-defined ridgeline. The Helm Glacier and Cinder Cone will be visible to your left. This section of the trail is much steeper than the earlier sections of trail, and is often snow-covered well into July. Make sure to pack accordingly!
After one final push, you will arrive at Panorama Ridge, with scenic views of Garibaldi Lake, Mount Price, and The Bookworms in all directions.
After you have eaten a good lunch and taken your obligatory photos, proceed to return the way that you came.
Day 3: Garibaldi Lake to Rubble Creek
After the past two days, today will be a well-deserved day of descent. You will return to the Rubble Creek car park using the same trail you ascended two days prior.
Summary
Garibaldi Lake is one of the most popular hikes in Southwestern BC, and is a great jumping-off point for day trips to Black Tusk and Panorama Ridge. It is well worth the hype in my opinion, and worth trying to get a booking overnight if possible to fully enjoy the spectacular scenery at all times of day.
Have you explored any of the trails around Garibaldi Lake?
