The Whistler Book: An All-Season Outdoor Guide

by Jack Christie

Overview

This concise, thorough, and easy-to-use guide gives readers all the information they need to enjoy the Whistler area’s incredible range of year-round recreational opportunities. It features detailed descriptions of camping, hiking, paddling, and other summer activities, along with winter sports such as skiing, snowboarding, and snowshoeing. Detailed trail maps are provided for each location. Destination highlights, informative sidebars, and author Jack Christie’s insider tips on his favorite spots are provided throughout.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781926812342
Publisher:	Greystone Books
Publication date:	11/01/2009
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	256
File size:	3 MB

About the Author

Writer and broadcaster Jack Christie (dubbed "Mr. B.C." by the Toronto Sun) is one of the most trusted sources on outdoor recreation and travel. Host of TV's "The Rec Report" (now into its 100th+ episode), outdoors columnist with Vancouver's Georgia Straight (Canada's largest circulation weekly newspaper), creator and host of CBC-Radio's nationally-syndicated "Beyond the Backyard" series, his travel articles appear regularly in explore, British Columbia Magazine, and National Geographic Traveller. In 2004, Jack was the recipient of the Tourism BC Tourism Media Award sponsored by Delta Hotels.

Read an Excerpt

Chapter 9 Callaghan Valley

Location: 113 km (70 mi) north of Vancouver, 53 km (32.9 mi) north of Squamish, 6.5 km (3.1 mi) south of Whistler (Function Junction), 40 km (24.8 mi) south of Pemberton, on the Callaghan Valley access road

Activities: Camping, cross-country skiing, cycling, driving, fishing, hiking, paddling, swimming, viewpoints

Highlights: Fresh-whipped powder snow, soothing waterfall, magic lake

Access: The Callaghan Lake access and Forest Service Roads lead 15 km (9.3 mi) northwest from Highway 99. The Whistler Olympic/Paralympic Park and Alexander Falls Forest Service recreation site lie 9 km (5.6 mi) uphill on pavement; from there, a rough Forest Service road continues 6 km (3.7 mi) to Callaghan Lake Provincial Park. Note: Snow often persists on its upper sections until the beginning of summer.

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The Callaghan Valley, site of the 2010 Winter Olympic Nordic ski events, lies southeast of Whistler, well within sight of Whistler Mountain's west side. Parts of the valley have been logged, but much of the old-growth forest at higher elevations remains intact. Rising above the valley on its west side are the snowy summits of Brandywine, Cayley and Powder mountains. Callaghan Creek flows down to join the Cheakamus River, close to Highway 99, from its headwaters-a turquoise jewel of a lake at the foot of Mount Callaghan.
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Callaghan Lake Access Road
The road to Callaghan Lake provides an excellent vista of the mountains on the west side of Whistler Valley, but perhaps the most compelling reason for traveling even partway up is the view on the descent. To the east is Black Tusk, which stands alone before you as you descend back into the valley-a view comparable to those from the summits of Whistler and Blackcomb. This is one of the most panoramic vantage points from which to admire this snaggletooth.
The road climbs along the north side of a spacious valley past a series of clear-cuts. Just before the road crosses a small bridge over Madely Creek at the 10-km (6.2 mi) point, a turnoff to the left leads to a small recreation site beside Alexander Falls with a captivating viewpoint of the falls and valley. On the west side of Callaghan Lake access road sits the Nordic center. One of my favourite times to stop here is near sundown, when the evening light plays over the snow domes of the Pacific Range peaks to the west: Brandywine Mountain at the southern end (the highest at 2 227 m/7,300 ft), Mount Cayley in the middle and Powder Mountain to the north. This range separates the Squamish Valley from the wide Callaghan Valley spread out below. Best views of the Black Tusk occur just beyond the Madely Creek bridge at the junction of the Madely and Callaghan East Forest Service roads.
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Whistler Olympic/Paralympic Park
From what I've seen, the Whistler Olympic/Paralympic Park may well prove to be the most significant legacy of the 2010 Winter Olympics. Not only does the site provide a companion venue for cross-country skiers to Whistler's Lost Lake trails (see chapter13), come summer the 50 km (31 mi) of trails do double-duty for mountain bikers as well. Don't be deterred by the fact that the park was been built for world-class athletes. When it comes to recreation, these trails offer a variety of challenges suited to all ability levels. Simply exploring them on foot or snowshoes may be all the activity you need.
The park also includes two chairlift-serviced ski jumps as well as a 4-km (2.5 mi) biathlon course complete with a shooting range which is open for guided tours in summer as well. In addition, thanks to the profusion of wildflowers in summer blossom, the park has quickly developed a reputation as the easiest-and safest-place to observe black bears around Whistler.
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Madely Lake
Access: Just north of the Madely Creek Bridge, the rough 4-km (2.5-mi) road to Madely Lake branches to the right from Callaghan East Forest Service Road. If you make the journey on foot it will take you a leisurely hour one way, slightly less by bike.
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Exploring on foot or by bicycle, snowshoes or skis up the Madely Lake road is worthwhile, as there are many sights you may miss driving it, including unbeatable views of the Black Tusk at the road's outset. Be prepared for a little hike-a-bike on steeper sections. In heavy snow years it's not unusual for this road to be blocked by the occasional blow down.
Halfway to the lake a logging road branches to the left and eventually leads back to Callaghan East Forest Service Road, higher up the mountain. Along the way this second road passes beside a small lake, one of several that dot the slopes of Mount Callaghan. Close to this junction, views begin to open up through the brush with better views of chatty Madely Creek (spelled Madeley on some maps). Fat marmots sunning themselves on the rocky hillside above the road may whistle at you-their loud calls are sure to catch you off guard. As you journey along, views of the summits of both Callaghan and Rainbow open up before you. The road curves around Madely Lake. The best access point is from the north end where there are several rough campsites.
The western terminus of the 15-km (9.3-mi) Rainbow Madely Trail lies just south of the lake. Originally brushed out decades ago by renown Forest Ranger Jack Carradice, the Rainbow Madely Trail more recently received a face-lift courtesy of forester Don MacLaurin and a group of Whistler Rotary Club volunteers, with help from the Resort Municipality of Whistler. Budget a full day to complete a round-trip to Rainbow Lake or a point-to-point trek to Alta Lake Road (West Side Road) in Whistler. Note: Bikes and dogs are not permitted on the trail from Rainbow Lake to Whistler (see chapter 18). The section between Madeley and Rainbow is rougher though the elevation gain isn't as great as the stretch from Rainbow Lake to Whistler.
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Callaghan Lake Provincial Park
Access: Callaghan East Forest Road climbs beyond Alexander Falls. Six km (3.7 mi) past you reach a large cleared parking area on Callaghan Lake's south side. The road ends here at the provincial park entrance.
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Fishing for rainbow trout is a major attraction here, though the stunning views warrant bringing a boat, kayak or canoe simply to experience the setting. Rising directly above is Mount Callaghan, the headwaters for the lake, which drains into the Cheakamus River, cutting through the valley below. Cool winds blow down the mountain's slopes, even in summer. Camping is limited to the parking lot on the shores of this cold, modest-sized lake. BC Parks staff have closed off the delicate underbrush and put the former lakeside sites in rehab.
For the observant, nature continually exhibits cues to the changing seasons. Towards the end of summer and with the approach of the autumn equinox, one of the most colourful of these signs-even preceding the turning of the leaves-is the shift of the mountain lakes' hues. Their intense coloring at this time of year is a result of sunlight reflecting off the very fine sediment in the water. In the Whistler region, this phenomenon can be witnessed most profoundly at Callaghan Lake.
Unlike the opaque tones of nearby mountain lakes such as Wedgemount and Lillooet, Callaghan is a sublimely clear shade of emerald green. It's handy to have a small craft in which to explore the lake, but you can look deep down into the water from a number of locations along the shoreline. Follow the rough trail that leads west from the parking lot around a series of small bays to where Callaghan Creek flows from the lake. If you're tempted to dive in, keep in mind that even when the water is at its warmest, the highest reading is still a numbing 16C (61°F).
Those who bring a canoe, kayak or small boat are in for the best views. As soon as you move away from the shoreline and get out far enough to see above the trees, the skyline is filled with an immense expanse of mountains, almost all them are snow-clad. Closest at hand is Mount Callaghan, which rears its rocky head above the lake's northern end. A long, snaking waterfall drops noisily down Callaghan's lower slopes before it splashes into the lake. This is one of a half-dozen streams that feed the lake with runoff from the surrounding ridges. Nearby to the north, taller Rainbow Mountain is almost as dominant. Looking west across the broad, densely forested Callaghan Valley, you'll see the ample white snowcap atop aptly named Powder Mountain, though on a clear day the icefields of Powder Mountain and its neighbor, Brandywine Mountain, are reflected on the surface of the lake so perfectly that you need not even raise your eyes to appreciate them.
Callaghan Lake is perched about 1 250 m (4,100 ft) above sea level; the more distant features to the southeast are increasingly visible as you move towards the center of the lake, including a panorama that runs from Whistler Mountain across to Black Tusk to end at Mount Garibaldi, its north face almost entirely cloaked by the Warren Glacier. Short of scaling one of the nearby ridges, you'd be challenged to find more spectacular vistas than those presented here. And you'll be in good company: that of dark-eyed juncos and red male crossbills and their yellow mates. So caught up are these birds in their incessant search for food that they'll come right up to you with no sign of fear.
After exploring the Callaghan Valley, you'll have a new perspective on the Whistler area. Instead of regarding it, as I once did, as a remote, inaccessible, confusing jumble of names, you will have a mental picture of how this region links up from one peak to the next, from one valley to the other. And looking west or south from Blackcomb or Whistler Mountain, you'll find it much easier to identify other peaks by name.

Table of Contents

Preface
Intro

SQUAMISH
01 Squamish
02 Diamond Head
03 Squamish and Paradise Valleys
04 Alice Lake
05 Squamish Bike Routes
06 Cat Lake and Brohm Lake
WHISTLER
07 Black Tusk and Garibaldi Lake
08 Brandywine Falls
09 Callaghan Valley
10 Cheakamus River and the Whistler Interpretive Forest
11 Cheakamus Lake
12 Whistler Mountain
13 Valley Trail
14 River of Golden Dreams
15 Blackcomb
16 Rainbow Mountain
17 Singing Pass
18 Whistler Bike Routes
19 Cougar Mountain
20 Wedgemount Lake
PEMBERTON
21 Whistler to Pemberton
22 Nairn Falls
23 Pemberton and Area
24 Pemberton Bike Routes
25 Lillooet Headwaters
26 Mount Currie to D'arcy
27 Birkenhead Lake
28 Barkley Valley
29 In-SHUCK-ch Road
30 Duffey Lake Road
31 Lillooet and Beyond

Indices