Summer is Here!
Summer has arrived! Check out our Best Whistler Hiking by Month for inspiration! WeRentGear.com rents tents, sleeping bags, sleeping pads, camp stoves, packs, complete kits and more!
Ablation Zone: the lower altitude region of a glacier where there is a net loss of ice mass due to melting, sublimation, evaporation, ice calving or avalanche. The ablation zone of a glacier such as the Wedgemount Glacier has meltwater features such as englacial streams and a glacier window. An englacial stream refers to meltwater flowing inside a glacier. A glacier window is a cave-like opening at the mouth of a glacier where meltwater runs out.
Whistler & Garibaldi Hiking
Alexander Falls 
Ancient Cedars 
Black Tusk 
Blackcomb Mountain Brandywine Falls Brandywine Meadows Brew Lake Callaghan Lake Cheakamus Lake 
Cheakamus River 
Cirque Lake Flank Trail Garibaldi Lake Garibaldi Park Helm Creek Jane Lakes Joffre Lakes Keyhole Hot Springs Logger’s Lake Madeley Lake Meager Hot Springs Nairn Falls Newt Lake Panorama Ridge Parkhurst Ghost Town Rainbow Falls Rainbow Lake Ring Lake Russet Lake Sea to Sky Trail Skookumchuck Hot Springs Sloquet Hot Springs 
Sproatt East Sproatt West Taylor Meadows Train Wreck 
Wedgemount Lake Whistler Mountain
January February 
March April May 
June July August 
September October November December
A glacier such as the Wedgemount Glacier which stretches from Wedge Mountain down toward Wedgemount Lake, the ablation zone is quite beautiful. A big pool of meltwater spills down the rock face and into turquoise coloured Wedgemount Lake. The pool of water is at the toe of Wedgemount Glacier and the large glacier window appears like a huge, gaping mouth. Big chunks of ice float in the pool and chunks of glacier split off into the water. The Wedgemount Glacier has been receding for decades. In the 1970's the glacier terminated with a steep and vertical wall of ice at the shores of the lake. Today the glacier terminates several hundred metres above Wedgemount Lake. Of the many accessible glaciers around Whistler in Garibaldi Provincial Park, the Wedgemount Glacier is possibly the most impressive. The trailhead for Wedgemount Lake is located near the north end of Green Lake, just 10 minutes north of Whistler Village. Wedgemount Lake is a beautiful turquoise, glacier coloured lake lake that is nestled in a gorgeous and hostile looking rocky valley surrounded by mountains. Rethel Mountain, Parkhurst Mountain, Wedge Mountain, Mount Weart, Armchair Glacier and Mount Cook surround the lake with Wedgemount Glacier filling the valley between Parkhurst and Weart and flowing down from the highest mountain in Garibaldi Park.
The Ablation Zone of Wedgemount Glacier
The ablation zone of Wedgemount Glacier shown here in the summer with the englacial stream pooling in front of the glacier window. The Wedgemount Glacier is one of the most easily accessible glaciers around Whistler. Though the seven kilometre trail to Wedgemount Lake is fairly steep, it is relatively short. Without a heavy backpack a fit person can hike the trail in well under two hours. With a heavy pack expect to take over two hours.
Once at the lake you will see a faint trail lead down and around the far end of the lake and up to the ablation zone and the dramatically beautiful glacier window. Though the shape and size of the glacier window varies from year to year, it is always a magnificent sight to see up close.
Wedgemount Glacier's Ablation Zone Aerial Views
The ablation zone below Wedgemount Glacier is shown here from several metres above the glacier window.
Wedgemount Glacier's Englacial Stream
One of the nicest places to see Wedgemount Glacier is from the edge of the englacial stream that tumbles over the final rocky slope to the turquoise, glacier coloured water. At the far end of the lake the water flows out via Wedgemount Falls to Wedgemount Creek and down the valley to Green River.
Sights to See Around Wedgemount Lake
Though Wedgemount Glacier is an impressive sight, Wedgemount Lake, with its captivating colour is the main attraction. The extraordinary turquose colour of the lake contrasts well with the dark and menacing Rethel Mountain towering above. Hiking to the ablation zone of Wedgemount Glacier is just one of many beautiful sights to see. There are a few excellent and secluded places along the shore perfect to jump into the always bitterly cold water. You can hike the short route to get close to the top of Wedgemount Falls. On the way you pass over the hill at the end of the lake with great views. Back down at the ablation zone of Wedgemount Glacier you can hike up onto the glacier and make your way up to the Wedge-Weart Col that separates these two mighty peaks.
Rethel Mountain
Rethel Mountain towers over Wedgemount Lake and meets the abrupt end of the lake where it flows out and down Wedgemount Falls. The Wedgemount Lake side of Rethel Mountain is north facing and therefore always in the shade, making its already dark form almost pure black, especially near sunset.
Wedgemount Falls
Wedgemount Falls drops about 300 metres down an almost vertical cliff from Wedgemount Lake. There is one spot along the trail to Wedgemount Lake that you catch sight of it and it never fails to catch you by surprise. Concealed by trees, you hear it long before you catch sight of it. When you finally get a glimpse of it between the trees, you can't help but be shocked at how close it looks, despite being quite far away still.
Swimming in Wedgemount Lake With Icebergs
Often Wedgemount Lake is frozen well into June and early July. The rest of the summer it is not unusual to see icebergs floating in the lake. Despite the obvious bitterly cold temperature of the water even on a 22c day in July, it is hard not to jump in the lake. From the hut, if you walk directly towards the lake and bear right when possible you will come to a couple perfect places to jump in.
Relatively smooth rock outcrops can be found along the shore and you usually can't see the bottom of the lake around them. As the water is close to freezing even on the hottest days of the year, jumping in is preferable to walking in from the shore down at the other end of the lake in front of the tent platforms. As you hit the water your entire body instantly numbs from the cold and you can't help but scramble out of the water and back into the sun on the warm rock.
The views from this perfect swimming rock are sensational. Across the lake and to the left you see Parkhurst Mountain (pictured above) and to your right you look toward the end of the lake with Rethel Mountain towering above (pictured below).
The Wedge-Weart Col
The Wedge-Weart Col is possibly the easiest hike from Wedgemount Lake. It is a long scramble through the boulder strewn terrain to the Wedgemount Glacier, then a long ascent up Wedgemount Glacier. It is deceptively far so allow at least 4 hours roundtrip, hut to hut.
Below is a picture taken from the Wedge-Weart Col looking south with Parkhurst Mountain in the middle and Rethel Mountain on the right.
Mount Cook & Armchair Glacier
Mount Cook is a relatively easy hike from Wedgemount Lake. It is partly marked and a worn trail leading to a scramble up the logical ascent of Mount Cook. You get tremendous views of Wedgemount Lake and surrounding mountains from the summit. Armchair Glacier is adjacent to Mount Cook and catches your attention far more than the unassuming Mount Cook.
Camping at Wedgemount Lake
If you are camping overnight, you will pass several rustic, gravel tent clearings directly opposite the glacier and just steps from the lake. Up towards the hut there are several wooden tent platforms for tents as well. No matter where you set up your tent you have a breathtaking view of this alpine paradise.
Up in the midst of the boulder field near the Wedge Hut you will find several more beautiful tent platforms overlooking the lake. From there you get a much better view of the Wedgemount Lake, Wedgemount Glacier and the surrounding mountains. The picture below is a typical sunset tent view of Wedgemount Lake.
Wedgemount Lake Maps
Below is a map showing Wedgemount Lake from several vantage points. The upper tent pad view looking across to Wedgemount Glacier, an iceberg in July, the beautiful glacier window, the amazing view from the lower tent pads along Wedgemount Lake. The map also shows the various routes up Wedgemount Glacier to Wedge Mountain. These routes are potentially very dangerous and glacier travel is always unpredictable and hazardous, so make sure you know what you are doing before venturing beyond the glacier window.
Ablation Zone at Joffre Lakes
Another great place to get up close to see an ablation zone of a glacier is at Joffre Lakes. There is a glacier window found above Upper Joffre Lake that most visitors to the lakes don't bother to hike to. It is just a five minute hike up the rocky slope that stretches above the campsites. Here you find a small glacier window and a lot of glacier water flowing out. Not as impressive at the one at Wedgemount Lake, though the area is pretty nice to explore, and the view of Joffre Lakes is magnificent. There are also so great rock outcrops that are warm and sunny places to lounge in the summer.
Scree: from the Norse “skridha”, landslide. The small, loose stones covering a slope. Also called talus, the French word for slope. Scree is mainly formed ...
Read more
Mount Garibaldi is the huge, potentially active volcano that Garibaldi Provincial Park is named after. Mount Garibaldi also lends its name to the Garibaldi ...
Read more
The Table is an extraordinary flat-topped mountain located in Garibaldi Park just one kilometre south of Garibaldi Lake. Sometimes reflexively referred to as ...
Read more
The Green Lake Loop is the original trail that runs around the back side of Green Lake. Before the Sea to Sky Highway was cut through the valley in 1964, ...
Read more
Green Lake is the marvellously vivid, green coloured lake just north of Whistler Village. Driving north on the Sea to Sky Highway, Green Lake appears ...
Read more
The second Caterpillar tractor in Parkhurst Ghost Town is considerably harder to find despite being just a few metres from the hulking Caterpillar at the shore ...
Read more
Bivouac or Bivy: a primitive campsite or simple, flat area where camping is possible. Traditionally used to refer to a very primitive campsite comprised of ...
Read more
May is an extraordinarily beautiful time of year in Whistler. The days are longer and warmer and a great lull in between seasons happens. Whistler is fairly ...
Read more
June is a pretty amazing month to hike in Whistler. The average low and high temperatures in Whistler range from 9c to 21c(48f/70f). The summer tourist ...
Read more
July is a wonderful time to hike in Whistler and Garibaldi Provincial Park. The weather is beautiful and the snow on high elevation hiking trails is long ...
Read more
August hiking in Whistler definitely has the most consistently great, hot weather. You can feel the rare pleasure of walking across a glacier shirtless and ...
Read more
Blackcomb Mountain holds an impressive and ever growing array of hiking trails. From the moment you arrive at the Rendezvous Lodge, you see hiking trails ascend into the distance. The Rendezvous Lodge is ...
Read more
Nairn Falls is a wonderful, crashing and chaotic waterfall that surrounds you from the deluxe viewing platform that allows you to safely watch it from above. The beautiful, green water rushes through the ...
Read more
Keyhole Hot Springs (aka Pebble Creek Hot Springs) is located 100 kilometres from Whistler (Village Gate Blvd). Closed from Apr 1- Nov 15 every year by BC Ministry of Forests due to potential bear conflicts. Though much of ...
Read more
Cheakamus River is a beautiful, crashing, turquoise coloured river that flows from Cheakamus Lake, through Whistler Interpretive Forest at Cheakamus Crossing, then down past Brandywine Falls to Daisy Lake. ...
Read more