Summer Weekend in Whistler
Here to cover another weekend adventure! Spending a weekend in Whistler, not to mention a summer weekend in Whistler was not really an idea that had occurred to us in the past. After moving to Marysville, Washington we were finding plenty do in the surrounding area that we didn’t need to go as far as that and really we didn’t know much about Whistler except that it was a ski resort.
So Why Did We Go?
It Started with Tokyo
The reason we went to Whistler this summer can be traced back to when we booked an Airbnb in Tokyo. We booked a traditional place in a good location in Tokyo for our trip last August (2018) and then a problem came about within Tokyo where lots of Airbnbs had to be shut down (any place that didn’t have the proper tourism licensing or something like that). We really liked our place in Tokyo and took a lot of time picking it out so decided to keep it if we could. I would link to a Tokyo post but we still haven’t put any up! Gotta get to that.
It turned out, we couldn’t keep the place, though and Airbnb had to cancel it. They refunded us on Airbnb and also gave us some credit to use towards an Airbnb experience and some money outside of the platform which was nice, especially because by that time we simply couldn’t find something comparable for the same price. Anyway, that Airbnb credit had an expiration date. Why we didn’t use this on our Hong Kong Airbnb we don’t remember. It could have been that it was booked before this was canceled.
The expiration date was in July 2019 which back then seemed like a ways off but we had a bit going on with the layoff, going to Breckenridge (Kyle’s parents got that place), moving to Washington, etc. Our cat’s diabetes diagnosis also made us uncomfortable going anywhere very long for a while (he is now in remission). Interviews which meant potential moves also had us holding off on going anywhere.
Why a Weekend in Whistler?
We didn’t want to go too far so we searched and searched for a good option in the area, looking at the North Cascades, Rainier, Olympic, Portland, Victoria, and so on. For the parks, a lot of times the locations of places just didn’t make sense. Why stay somewhere two hours away from all the stuff we want to do when we’re only three hours away in Marysville? Plus, most of the time, we found the prices to be crazy.
Victoria and Portland actually had some decent offerings but we had to spend the credit all in one go and we could have used it over more than a weekend there but then some of that time would be a waste because of my working times, etc. so we thought we might as well go somewhere that would normally be more. I really could only do anything on a weekend. Finally, I found some good hikes up in the Whistler area and it all seemed to work. We ended up booking around 10:30 pm the night before our credit expired for the following weekend. So we definitely put that off which is not like me.
We wanted to do something, but we just didn’t feel we could plan very far ahead with everything going on. An added hesitancy was that it cost more than we typically spend per night but I rationalized that it was already spent and needed to be used and we didn’t really have better alternatives. I guess it was still an okay deal for the area.
What to do on a Weekend in Whistler in the Summer
We stuck to hiking and wandering the town, but here are some of the different activities you can do in Whistler in summer:
- Skiing (Yes, you actually can ski in the summer as well! Just be sure to check the dates.)
- Mountain Biking
- Hiking (what we did)
- Ziplining
- Swim in the lakes (probably cold, though)
- Golf
- The Peak to Peak gondola
- Rock Climbing
- White Water Rafting
- Wander the Town
- Shop, Eat & Drink
- Bobsled
- Etc.
Our Summer Weekend in Whistler: Day One
Driving Up From Washington
I got done with one of my jobs rather early on Friday, around 3 pm and while I had other work I needed to do (as did Kyle), we decided to get on the road. As per usual, there was some traffic on the way up, at the border, and in Vancouver but I guess it could have been worse. The biggest issue we faced was that the GPS in the car we took didn’t recognize Canada so we couldn’t use it! Only two weekends before we went up to Vancouver but we used the other car and GPS (mine) with no problem so didn’t anticipate this. It also resulted in a slightly longer path than was probably necessary.
We got kind of hungry on the way and wanted to find some poutine but between the GPS and traffic gave up on that idea.
Weekend in Whistler: Brandywine Falls
Past Vancouver and on our way up to Whistler, we came upon Brandywine Falls Provincial Park. I had this written down as a nice, shorter hike option for us and Kyle had already seen it was just off of 99 so we were planning to probably stop there. As the sign appeared, we decided we were up for it. The parking lot also had bathrooms, which was nice.
At only 1 km there and back, it is really more of a nature walk than a hike, but a pleasant one.
You cross a cute bridge and walk through the trees until you come up to the viewpoint where you can look at the falls. Kyle described it as a “perfect waterfall” with it falling right off the cliff and cascading down straight, like a square or rectangle. The waterfall is 70 meters (~230 feet) tall. After this area where we viewed the falls, we walked a little farther and then turned around to head to our place.
Where We Stayed on our Weekend in Whistler
We basically were staying in a studio condo in Whistler, but a little outside of the main area. It was nice having a little place to ourselves and when we walked up it was nice and cozy inside. For the size, we felt it was arranged well and all in all we were happy with it. While interactions were not required because we were simply provided with the key codes to get in all of the doors on the Airbnb platform, we ran into a man walking around with a pizza box in the parking lot who happened to be our host.
One disappointment was that we didn’t get to use the hot tub but it was our own fault. It apparently closed at 9 pm or some other relatively early hour and we didn’t get back until later both nights.
Whistler Wandering
When we arrived at our place it was relatively late (though still light) and we were pretty hungry. We had brought spaghetti, sauce, salad, and dressing from home to have for dinner but on the way, I was really craving avocado. It had been weeks since we’d had one and it was a good excuse to check out the area so we wandered to the grocery store to see if they had any avocados. At over 2.50 Canadian dollars per, we decided against it but still enjoyed checking out the grocery store.
We did witness a funny exchange between a woman and a boy who worked in the store. They seemed to be having an exchange over apples. I heard the boy saying “these are the apples” and Kyle heard the woman say “In Korea, we only have one”. She was very serious with the boy. We think she might have actually wanted a pear. Maybe it was funnier in person but it is true they only offer like one or two apples in Korea.
With no avocado, we headed back to the place to make our dinner and finish up some work.
Final Decision: Which Whistler Hikes To Do?
We had a lot of trouble deciding which hikes we would do in this area. What initially attracted me to the region was Garibaldi Lake. I didn’t even realize it was around Whistler at first but as I looked more in that area I found more hikes I liked. Wedgemont was another consideration but after reading about a lot of rock scrambling I wasn’t feeling it so much. I was thinking probably Garibaldi and Joffre with the falls (Nairn and Brandywine if there was time) but I sent Kyle a list of some other options I collected too and out of those options he wanted to do Stawamus.
I chose Joffre over Garibaldi and so when we got in Friday night we decided we’d do Joffre Saturday because it was north of Whistler and probably Stawamus Sunday because it was on the way back down to Washington.
Day Two: Joffre Lakes, Nairn Falls, and Around Town
Weekend in Whistler: Joffre Lakes
Getting to Joffre Lakes: Wrong Turn
After getting up we put a little gas in the car, grabbed a small gas station coffee (around $1), and headed for the trail. Since the GPS wasn’t working Kyle just looked at the map before we went. “It will be simple,” he said, “it’s just off of 99.” At one point I asked Kyle if he would like me to check the phone GPS and he said no because he felt confident about where he was going.
As time passed I told Kyle I thought we had gone too far. We no longer had service so I said we should just stop somewhere and ask how to get there. It turned out we overshot it by quite a lot. The issue was that to stay on 99, you don’t just continue on the road, you have to turn. And that was around 40-45 min back the other direction. They let us know to turn at the white church in Mount Currie. Eventually, we made it.
Arriving at Joffre Lakes: Lots of People
I want to begin by noting that there is a new shuttle for Joffre Lakes Park which runs on weekends. There is also a bus from Vancouver.
We knew that the Joffre Lakes hike would be somewhat popular, but we didn’t realize quite how popular. The parking lot closest to the trail was full so we went to the one just down the road and found a spot there. It was a July weekend, so I guess we shouldn’t have been super surprised. Like Washington, a lot of hikes here are probably only really accessible starting in July.
What we definitely didn’t expect was the line to the bathroom!
There were two stalls and one very long line. I had wanted to stop somewhere on the way to go but there weren’t many opportunities aside from the gas station where we stopped to ask for directions and Kyle didn’t need to go. By the time we arrived, Kyle had to go too and the way the trail was and with all the people there, there weren’t really any easily accessible private places to go off in the woods so we waited there for probably 45 min to an hour. In that time, a man even went in to clean them so they were in pretty good condition by the time it was our turn at least.
Like I said, there was not any private space here, but I have thought about getting one of these from time to time. If you have used a female urinal device, what has your experience been?
Lower Lake: Easy, Pretty
Joffre Lakes is made up of three lakes: Lower Lake, Middle Lake, and Upper Lake. Upper Lake feeds into the middle one which feeds into the lower one.
The lower lake is quite close to the trailhead and I believe we just went a little downhill to get to it, so there isn’t even much elevation change. We got down there and took a look for a few minutes when we noticed birds landing on someone’s hand, and then someone else. They were feeding them peanuts. Actually people would even outstretch their hands and a bird would land on it. We had peanuts though and Kyle was interested in trying that out.
Now, is it okay to feed these birds like this? I didn’t know at the time so after getting back I looked into it a little. From what I’ve read, it really depends on the bird with it being potentially more problematic when you are trying to feed birds of prey than say, songbirds. The main potential problems I see in this specific situation are (1) birds associating humans with food and becoming more aggressive toward them, again less likely with songbirds and (2) birds hanging out closer to the people and parking lot which could be dangerous for them. There could be more breed-specific issues and without knowing what kind of birds they were, it is hard to say. We each just gave a couple of peanuts as everyone else was doing. 
Just for reference, bread does not offer much in terms of nutrients for birds. Nuts can be better but they should be roasted and not salted (I think) so if you’re going to feed them something, peanuts would probably be better. Feel free to comment if we are wrong about this.
The Moraine: Rain and Beauty
What is a moraine? For hikers, it basically just means a lot of rocks you pass through but you can read more on the wiki here.
Throughout this area, it rained on us on the way up and down. This worked out great because I love the rain and it makes me enjoy the hike even more. It was especially nice looking over the trees with the misty clouds with some rain. Don’t forget a rain jacket! It can be a little chilly so I’d opt for a warm-ish one.
Middle Lake: So Turquoise
The whole trail was pretty crowded but of course, you are going to see people congregating around the lakes more. I think we probably heard something like “It’s so blue!” in like ten different languages. It’s not photo editing, this place really is a beautiful vibrant color.
So why is Joffre Lakes so turquoise/blue/green? Apparently it is the reflection of the rock flour/glacial silt in the water.
There is also a bathroom nearby. We used this on the way down and there was no wait. We do think it is a great idea to offer a bathroom into a hike like this one. I think it is difficult for most people to hold it that long and it makes it so there is probably less litter on the trail. The trail is overall 10km (6.2 miles) and has 370 meters gain (~1,200 feet).
A Surprise Waterfall
As you make your way up to the upper lake, there is a waterfall off to the side. I was surprised because I didn’t remember seeing it mentioned online and it was fairly significant. We stopped to look at this for just a few minutes, though before proceeding back on the path to the Upper Lake.
Upper Lake: Beautiful & Glacier Fed
The hike between the middle and upper lake was pretty muddy, probably from the recent rain. I think it rained for us a little on the way up on this part too.
This lake was also gorgeous. It’s true that the first lake which you can get to easily was beautiful but the second and third ones are even more stunning so they are worth the climb. The middle lake looks a bit more green whereas this one has more of a blue tint.
Here you can see Matier Glacier. You can actually see it at the other lakes as well, but you are closest to it here. This is the glacier that feeds into the lakes.
Bears at Joffre Lakes?
Until reading this post we were a little nervous about bears in Canada. It turns out, you really don’t need to worry about bears at Joffre Lakes, mainly because there are so many people! I mean, you can worry if you want, but you are unlikely to have any problems. Just wanted to note that.
Weekend in Whistler: Nairn Falls
Even though we were pretty tired after Joffre Lakes, we decided we were up for another quick hike afterward. Nairn Falls was on the way back to town and I had it on my list so we stopped in. It is also only 3km (1.8 miles) roundtrip. By this time it was the evening (around 5/6pm). We passed one family coming down on the way to the falls and at the falls a couple of people caught up behind us but other than that, it was empty.
The walk there was quite pleasant, not much elevation change, a light mist, and fresh air. Along the left-hand side is the Green River and on the right is forest, offering scenic views.
My knees were hurting quite badly, though. Oddly they hurt more on the flat ground than areas with elevation change. It’s a relatively short trail and so it was not very long before we reached the falls.
First, we went to the viewing platform for the upper falls. You have to climb over some rocks to get there. We would describe the falls as “angry”. Loud, and seemingly falling aggressively, but beautiful. The falls are supposed to be around 60 meters height total but I read that is 30 meters each for the lower and upper falls.
To get to the lower falls you climb over some more rocks down.
You’re supposed to be able to hike this trail year-round. There is also camping in the area.
Weekend in Whistler: Whistler Town
We ate the lunch we had made at home at the end of our Joffre Lakes Hike at Upper Lake but after a long day of hiking, we were pretty hungry again. I was okay with the idea of eating more spaghetti at the condo but I had a list of some food options and Kyle was feeling something out so we decided to try something.
We chose a place and headed over to Whistler town. The restaurant we chose had over an hour wait and also was loud and full of drunk people so we weren’t that interested. We looked for other places around but they seemed expensive. We walked another couple miles wandering around before deciding on a place.
We both thought the food was good. I think I chose the Teriyaki option but I don’t remember for sure and did not add on a protein even though they had tofu. Kyle got Kung Pao Noodles (see menu). I got spicy or kind of spicy and it was spicy but a right amount.
The town was also nice, like an outdoor shopping mall. We were really surprised at just how crowded it was.
Day Three: Stawamus Chief Trail
The final day of our weekend in Whistler. Fun fact: Stawamus Chief is allegedly the second largest granite monolith in the world. The keyword there is granite. It also may be among the largest monoliths in the world period, but I think it might fall outside the top ten tier.
Weekend in Whistler: Stawamus Chief Trail
Stawamus Chief Trail is about an hour south of Whistler. The parking lot here also turned out to be pretty crowded and there were a LOT of campers. I think because a lot of them were climbers as they were carrying around these big futon-looking-things. This area is a sort of rock climbing mecca I guess.
Note that there are also some bus services to the park during peak season.
So Steep: Leg Day
Stairs, stairs, and more stairs. Plus some rocks. Quite the leg and cardio workout. We took a number of breaks and basically were taking turns with this other couple in terms of who was ahead for some time. The woman in that couple-ship was talking about how she did not want to do this hike and her husband made her. I felt a little similar.
Eventually, you get to an area where you switch to ladders and holding a cable to climb up bigger rocks. Overall, it’s a very steep hike. Several people commented on the fact that we were wearing jeans which is something we’d never really thought about while hiking before.
Peak One: Views & Chipmunks
The views were great! From up there, you can see the surrounding areas including Howe Park and Garibaldi Park.
After looking around we sat down and ate our other packed lunch. We had a big issue with some wasps that didn’t want to leave Kyle alone, probably because he had meat on his sandwich.
We also had some run-ins with some friendly chipmunks. I guess people feed those as well so they would get near people, and sometimes even crawl on them, including us!
Oops, Kyle Fell
A local guy happened to decide to go down at the same time as us and wanted to converse along the way. It is good to socialize with others sometimes but we weren’t really feeling like it at the time and there wasn’t much we could do about it.
As we started going down the area with the ropes, Kyle fell and twisted his ankle. He sat on the ground and the guy asked him if he was okay. He needed to sit and see.
A woman right behind us saw the fall. It turned out she was an ER doctor. She began asking him some questions and it seemed everything was okay. She asked if he would like her to look at it and I think he said it was okay but she insisted since she is a doctor. In the end, everyone was satisfied that it was a sprain so we would be okay but just need to go down slowly. While there wasn’t much from the first aid kit for this, it’s a good reminder that anything can happen!
The Long Way Down
We told the other guy he could go on without us as we would be much slower. Actually we think the conversation may have contributed to the fall, though the fact that Kyle wasn’t wearing shoes with any traction didn’t help. The guy went on and so did we.
At this point we were quite happy we had the hiking poles for Kyle to use as it would have been even more difficult without them. We had a man or two offer to help Kyle down by letting him lean on them but he declined. The hike down felt very long. It took about a month before Kyle could hike again and his ankle still hurts a little now sometimes.
No other peaks for us. I did read that peak 2 has some more difficult bouldering and three can be hard.
Even though this hike is ultimately not so long length-wise, we both thought it felt more difficult than many trails which are longer and have similar or greater elevation gain due to the gain being so quick. This is keeping in mind that we did not complete the final two peaks. Vancouver Trails puts the total at 11km (6.8 mi) and 600 meters (~2,000 feet) gain total.
Weekend in Whistler: Time to Go Home!
We made it, thank goodness. After stopping to use a bathroom we headed back to Washington. It was a great weekend for hiking and getting out into nature. In addition to seeing Whistler town, we were able to do two waterfall hikes, the Joffre Lakes hike, and Stawamus Chief Peak One. Overall, it was a good summer weekend in Whistler.
Other Nature/Hiking Stuff in Whistler
There are more nature activities and hiking in Whistler than on the list below, but these were the other things we thought about for this particular weekend:
- Wedgemont Lake. This hike was a serious consideration but we decided against it for this weekend. It’s supposed to be a difficult one.
- Garibaldi Lake. My vote was to maybe do this one but Kyle wanted to do Stawamus which was more different from Joffre which I chose so we went with it. Stawamus was technically shorter also.
- Blueberry Beach Park
- Alta Lake State Park. I thought this looked like a nice place to kayak.
- Callaghan Lake Provincial Park
- Cascades Falls Regional Park. This was an idea for the way back if we were feeling up to it. Obviously, we weren’t. Looks pretty, though.
- Keyhole Hot Springs. Information about this place seemed confusing, though.
- Brandywine Hot Springs. Couldn’t figure out if this was even really a thing.
We could definitely fill up another summer weekend in Whistler with some of these things and others. Or who knows, maybe we’ll check it out in winter next time if we ever do.
And here are some weekend adventures from when we lived in California:
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