The next stage on our Pacific Northwest road trip was to relocate from Tofino on Vancouver Island to Whistler in the mountains. This involved taking a ferry from Vancouver Island to the Canadian mainland and picking up the Sea-to-Sky Highway (Highway 99) to Whistler, BC. The name Sea-to-Sky Highway sounded intriguing and promised to be quite a drive…
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Where is Whistler located?
Whistler is a summer mountain resort and well-known winter ski resort in British Columbia (BC), about 125 km (78 miles) north of Vancouver. It sits in the southern Pacific Ranges of the Coast Mountains (not the Rocky Mountains).
Getting to Whistler from Tofino
Tearing ourselves away from the treasure of Tofino, we first retraced our steps, driving south to the Ucluelet junction and then turning inland to cross Vancouver Island on Pacific Rim Highway 4. We stopped at the Old Country Market in Coombs again to pick up lunch supplies and say hello the goats, as we had done on our drive to Tofino a few days earlier.
Just beyond Coombs is the coastal city of Nanaimo from where we picked up the ferry to Horseshoe Bay, Vancouver North. This ferry route is operated by BC Ferries and the crossing took 1.5 hours, so we sat on deck and just enjoyed the movement of the ferry gliding across the bay in the sun.
For more information about ferry bookings and reservations with BC Ferries read my blog about travel planning a Pacific Northwest road trip.
The Sea to Sky Highway to Whistler
From Horseshoe Bay in North Vancouver, we joined the Sea-to-Sky Highway (Highway 99) to Whistler, BC. From Horseshoe Bay the road follows the water of the Howe Sound before eventually heading up into the mountains towards Whistler. There are some lookout points on the Sea-to-Sky Highway where you can stop and admire the Howe Sound and its islands, which make a nice break from driving.
The Sea-to-Sky Highway was surprisingly twisty and undulating, so you had to have your wits about you when driving. It takes about 1.5 hours to drive this section of the Sea-to-Sky Highway without stops, however its worth making time for a couple of stops on the way, such as:
- Sea to Sky Gondola – the Sea to Sky Gondola climbs 900 meters up the side of Mount Habrich offering incredible views of the Howe Sound and the town of Squamish below. There are several walks at the top including the ‘panorama trail’ offering great views of the Stawamus Chief rock formation.
- The Boxcar and Bridges Train Wreck walk – the surprise of this walk is finding a series of mangled train boxcars covered in graffiti in the middle of towering cedar and fir trees. You can park at the Interpretive Forest Parking off Cheakamus Lake Road on the east side of Highway 99. You can then walk out to the train wreck area via the Sea to Sky Trail which takes about half an hour each way..
What to do in Whistler, BC, in the Summer?
Explore Whistler Village
Whistler Village is at the heart of the Whistler resort area and the place to go for Visitor Information, tour bookings, shops, restaurants and to take the main gondola up the mountain. As you enter Whistler Village you will see the first of several Inuksuk sculptures in the area.
There are often events and festivals happening in Whistler village, so it’s worth checking what’s going to be on when you visit – our August visit overlapped with an international mountain biking festival, so the town was awash with bikes and lycra.
Cycle the Whistler Valley Trail around the lakes
Rather than ride mountain bikes, we hired peddle bikes to ride the Whistler Valley Trail, which we mistakenly thought would be flat. The Whistler Valley Trail is a network of cycle paths which weave around the valley and several lakes, including Lost Lake, Green Lake, Alta Lake, Nita Lake, and Alpha Lake.
We picked up bikes from the hire shop at Whistler Creekside and rode along the Whistler Valley Trail to Green Lake where we had Lunch on the outdoor terrace at Whistler Golf Club and watched the Whistler Air float planes taking off and landing. According to my daughter, the golf club does an excellent burger.
We passed lots of signage along the way warning of bear encounters, so we made sure to ‘be bear aware’!
The Whistler Valley Trail was very enjoyable, cycling through the shade of the trees and around the pale green lakes, however just because it says Valley in the title, doesn’t mean that the route is flat – the Whistler Valley Trail certainly gave our legs a good work out.
Take a kayak or boat out on the lakes
Whilst you are at the lakes, you could park up your bikes for a while and take out a kayak or boat on the lake.
Take a chairlift up to The Top of the World
We caught a chairlift from Whistler Village up to The Roundhouse on Whistler Mountain for coffee and to admire the gorgeous views. You can pose for some good photos at the Olympic Rings standing outside The Roundhouse (Whistler hosted the Winter Olympics in 2010), or at one of the strategically placed Inuksuks, before taking a second chair lift further up the mountain.
The second chairlift flies above rocky mountain slopes complete with some patches of snow, to get you to The Top of the World experience where you can walk along a metal bridge to a platform overhanding the mountain – not for those with vertigo but the views are stunning from here. Be prepared for some movement on the bridge…
Hike the High Note Trail (3.5 km)
Unsurprisingly there are a lot of options for hiking trails in Whistler, and so you are spoilt for choice. We decided to pick up the High Note Trail because it conveniently started near The Top of the World experience.
The first few minutes of the High Note Trail involved some scrambling downhill on loose gravel with chains for assistance – watch out for those knees! However, then the path flattens out and traverses the mountain side through green pastures with marmots and endless scenic viewpoints. We followed the cute wooden signposts carved in the form of bears, marmots, and golden eagles.
Eventually a view of Cheakamus Lake came into view, and we were taken aback by the colour of the lake – a pure turquoise blue – so we found a spot to sit down and soak the view in. Such a magical view with trees in the foreground, the colour of the lake and snow-capped mountain peaks in the background. Canada at its best!
At the end of the High Note Trail, we found a big patch of snow which led to a family snowball fight in the height of August – brilliant. Once back at The Roundhouse on Whistler Mountain we sat outside on the terrace to recover from our walk with a bowl of fries and a beer. The High Note Trail was only 3.5 km but it felt much longer due to the ups and downs of the trail and gravelly bits.
Ride the Peak-to-Peak Gondola
The Peak-to-Peak Gondola is the highest and longest gondola in North America. The large red gondola cabins have glass bottoms allowing you to gaze at the tree-tops as you sail over the forest or admire the 360-degree mountain views from the windows as you are transported from Whistler Mountain to Blackcomb Peak.
Once at Blackcomb Peak you can explore further hiking opportunities, or head straight down the mountain on a small gondola to Blackcomb Village. A regular bus service runs from Blackcomb Village to Whistler Village and Whistler Creekside.
Book white-water rafting with Wedge Rafting
We booked a white-water rafting adventure with Wedge Rafting who are based in Whistler Village.
We arrived at Wedge Rafting HQ at the required time and were ushered into changing rooms in military fashion to get changed into wetsuits, before jumping on minibuses for a 20-minute transfer to Green Lake to board our rafts with our guide.
After the safety briefing, we set off on a gentle paddle across serene (but glacial) Green Lake before picking up Green River to ride the rapids. The rapids were family friendly Grade 2 and 3 rapids, although children need to be 10 plus to take this tour.
We all got very wet, but luckily no-one fell in. We had fun with our guide and just followed his instruction to “Let me do the thinking for you!”.
Where to eat in Whistler Village?
Apart from a decent meal at Caramba in Whistler Village after our cycling trip, we didn’t really have a notable meal during our time in Whistler, probably because we were either eating on the go, for example, at The Roundhouse up the mountain, or just grabbing functional meals because we were tired. However, there looked to be lots of options, so you won’t struggle to eat well here.
Where to stay in Whistler resort?
Whistler is set up for ski season visitors and so there is an excellent range of accommodation options, from the expensive hotels to affordable ski apartments.
We booked into the Evolution Apart-Hotel which offered two bedrooms, with a shared lounge and small kitchenette. There is a small pool at Evolution and so you can enjoy a soothing soak in the jacuzzi after any hiking or cycling on your stay. The Evolution Apart-Hotel is located in the Whistler Creekside area, just south of Whistler Village, connected to the main resort by a free bus shuttle.
Whistler Creekside has a grocery shop, bike rental outlet, clothes, and equipment shops and the Creekside chairlift up to The Roundhouse. Unfortunately, the Creekside Chairlift was only allowing passengers with bikes during the mountain biking festival.
Reflections on our stay in Whistler, BC
Wow, what a place – it is so pretty and there is so much to do in the outdoors. I instantly felt 10 times healthier after 3 days in the fresh mountain air and would have been happier for a longer stay.
If you love trees, turquoise lakes, and mountains, then you’ll love Whistler – it is a special treat waiting for you at the end of The Sea-to-Sky Highway!
I am so glad that we included Whistler on our Pacific Northwest road trip. Next stop Vancouver...
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