Here are the Quickies:

• Time of Year: June 7, 2019
• City: Pemberton, British Columbia
• Accomodation: Whistler Village

Growing up in Vancouver, British Columbia definitely has its perks! Everyone knows it’s the metropolitan city to live in if you also enjoy the outdoors. Beach, City, Mountains, and Glaciers are literally possible all in a day!

Ever since Vancouver hosted the 2010 Winter Olympics, the drive up to Whistler has become half of what it used to take, totaling only about 2 hours from downtown Vancouver. The Sea-To-Sky Highway is honestly one of my favourite drives in the world as you literally ride from the beaches of Vancity, through the Howe Sound, around glacier waters and waterfalls, until you reach the rustic mountain villages.

Along with picturesque viewpoints, there are a few attractions along the drive as well. You can often see rock-climbers scaling The Chief once you hit Squamish, and you might as well make a stop at Shannon Falls to capture a pic of the cascading waterfall. Another MUST is to stop at Mountain Woman for lunch! This is a drive-and-dive that my Dad had found years and years ago and I always need to grab a burger from her when passing. Their Fish-n-Chips are delicious, too… and ok – their milkshakes do not disappoint either. It is an old blue school bus converted into a permanent Food Truck stop and is parked just beside The Britannia Mine.

About an hour further, you will hit the infamous Whistler Village, where I suggest spending the night (and more) to relax and breathe in some mountain-air. I will post a separate blog about Whistler soon.

From there, an hour’s drive North just past a place called Pemberton is the Joffre Lakes Provincial Park.

There is only 1 trail and it’s not a loop, so you won’t get lost – but keep in mind you will need to backtrack once you reach the top. There are 3 lakes to visit; the first being within 10 minutes or less of leaving the parking lot.

Between Lake 1 and Lake 2 is where the real challenge comes in as it’s the longest portion of the trail and has the most challenging inclinations. It’s a good thing that the path is SO stunning that you’ll want to stop to take some photos and appreciate where you are in that moment… this will also conveniently allow for some breathing and hydration breaks 🙂

When we got to Lake 2, we couldn’t believe the view. The crystal clear reflections and turquoise tints shows how pure the glacier waters are up here.

On our way to Lake 3 is a waterfall and a lot of man-made steep stairs and natural fallen boulders to step on. This is probably why the map at the bottom rated this portion of the trail the most difficult, mostly because of the heightened need of coordination and balance.

The temperature change was noticeable once you reached Lake 3 as you were now at the foot of the glacier and you could actually follow the exact track of the water inflow. My oh my, what a sight!

With many photo-ops and a relaxing lunch at the top, we leisurely hiked up and back within 4 hours. Keep in mind to check the weather reports. A friend of mine went up just a few weeks prior and Lake 3 was nearly still frozen over and snow covered the boulders. On our way back down, we did have a few snowflakes fall down on us as well. One other consideration is to know that weekends have proven to be much more crowded than weekdays as it is increasing in popularity.

For those of you who are campers, there is a campground just past Lake 3 that you can reserve to enjoy the scenery for even longer! It is a hike-in-hike-out camp, so make sure you take everything up that you would need for the night.

Many people who were doing a day hike stayed up here to picnic or meditate. It was so calming and beautiful and well worth the efforts of getting up here. Overall, Joffre Lakes is a great getaway from Vancouver if you are local and an even better display of British Columbia’s natural beauty for any visitor.

Check out my travels on Instagram #EarthDragonTravels.