Garibaldi Provincial Park

We hiked 6km in the snow to get to the frozen Elfin Lakes, and snow camped at the top near the deserted lodge. The views were astounding!

The 2,678m high Garibaldi Mountain, after which the park is named, is itself named after the famous 19th-century Italian patriot and soldier, Giuseppe Garibaldi.

The park contains rugged snow-capped mountain peaks, glaciers, alpine lakes, glacial fed streams and colourful alpine meadows. Day hikes into many areas are a relatively easy introduction to the Wilderness north of Vancouver.

The park is accessible from the Sea-to-Sky Highway (Highway 99 from Squamish to Whistler Mountain) in several different spots.

I’ve included a description of Diamond Head in the entry for Squamish and the Cheakumus Lake hike in the Whistler entry, but the Black Tusk and Garibaldi Lake area is the heart of the park.

A day hike will take you to either the Black Tusk or Garibaldi lake, but if you have longer, and are willing to carry in camping gear, Panorama Ridge, Helm Glacier, the Sphinx, Guard Mountain, the Barrier, the Table, Sentinel Glacier, Sphinx Glacier and Castle Towers are just a few of the Alpine treats that await.

Many of the park’s peaks, including Black Tusk, The Table, Mount Garibaldi, the Cinder Cone, and the Barrier are the results of recent, geologically speaking,vocanic activity.

The Barrier is a natural 300-metre dam formed from the erupting lava of Clinker Peak running into a glacier. in the mid 1800’s a a massive landslide that occurred in 1855, carried an enormous amount of debris into the creek below… now aptly named Rubble Creek (from where you start the hike to the alpine region). This left behind a spectactular ragged face that can be viewed from a short side trail just before you reach Lesser Garibaldi Lake. Just beyond is the Spectacular Garibaldi Lake with its Battleship Islands and views of the Sphinx Glacier at the far end.

Alternatively, another trail takes your from the Barrier lookout to Taylor Meadows and the Black Tusk beyond. The Black Tusk is perhaps the most interesting of the volcanic peaks. This peak stands alone and has experienced severe erosion over time, leaving behind just a Black Lava plug that juts into the blue alpine sky.