Miles: 16.3 miles RT
Elevation Gain/Highest: 3736ft/5939ft
Map: Garibaldi Provincial Park, my GAIA
Favorite Eats After Hike: Pack A Cooler
Find out current conditions and as always, practice Leave No Trace. Pretty please.
My hike:
7/23/2018 This was the most FABULOUS hike I did with my friend, Josy, from A Walk And A Lark this summer and I’m going to give you the low down here but write up our time together in a blog post I will add later. For now, enjoy the details and all the gorgeous scenery!
There are two parts to the this hike, the trail into Elfin Lakes and the trail beyond to The Gargoyles. The hike to Elfin Lakes is 6.25 miles one way with 2,000ft of gain. To continue on to The Gargoyles is another 1.85 miles with almost 1300ft gain. Two very different trails!
From the parking lot, the trail follows an old decommissioned road 2.75 miles to the Red Heather Warming Hut and privy, gradually gaining about 1350ft. Brandvold Falls glistens at 1.5 miles, stop and enjoy its refreshing spray. This is, also, the only source of water on the trail aside from a few murky tarns before you arrive at Elfin Lakes.
From here, the trail splits between a bike path that continues on the old road and a hiker path that weaves through the trees with occasional views of Garibaldi. After about .65 miles, the trail meets up again with the old road and carries onto Paul Ridge and Elfin Lakes.
At 4.3 miles into the hike you reach the high point of this section at roughly 5184ft and the ridge weaves out in front of you with the mountains seeming to stretch on in every direction. You won’t know where to look first! Garibaldi grows on the horizon and you can spot its lower peaks like Atwell Peak, Diamond Head and The Tent. On the right, Pyramid, Paranoid and Mount Sir Richard reach up to the sky.
Now the trail makes a slow descent towards Elfin Lakes, dropping to a little over 4,800ft as the pair of shimmering pools come into view at the end of the ridge. The first lake is for swimming and cooling down, the second is for water, even though purifying is still recommended.
On the far side of the lakes is the second ski hut, warming hut, picnic tables, and tent platforms that take reservations. We stopped on one of the platforms for lunch with the mountains spread out before us.
To continue on to The Gargoyles, you will make your way back down to a junction before the campground and turn right onto a trail marked for the Saddle Trail. It drops down another 200ft to a junction, keep left to head up towards The Gargoyles and Columnar Peak on the Saddle Trail.
Here you will now regain all the elevation you lost plus another 1,100 ft as you make your way towards a saddle between Columnar and The Gargoyles on a steep path that alternates between deeply trenched soil and rock, loose scree, and meadows filled with pink tipped heather and purple mountain lupine.
You will be able to see why Columnar Peak has earned its name, the rock on your right as you make your way underneath is angular and and reminds you of a child’s Lego set leftover from play. There are several good sources of water here, be sure to fill up before the summit if needed. To your right, gaze up at The Gargoyles and you will, also, be able to pick out the ghoulish rock formations that gave this summit its name.
The saddle is reached at 5,667ft and just shy of 8 miles from the car. Garibaldi rests solidly in front of you with Diamond Head just below. Columnar rises to the left and the ridge to the right climbs towards the summit of The Gargoyles just a few more hundred feet above on loose scree.
But don’t be fooled. The first summit sits at 5,908 but the true summit is along the ridge a bit further at 5,981. You can be satisfied with an equal view or follow a boot path over to the middle and highest point to bag the peak. Either way, the panaromic vista will leave you breathless.
If you have the energy, you can descend and from the saddle climb up to Columnar Peak on the other side or head back down to the lakes and find a quiet spot to rest and stare back up at where you once were before making your way back down to the car.
Directions: From Vancouver, BC, drive west on Highway #1 (Trans Canada Highway) towards Horseshoe Bay and then take the turnoff onto Highway #99 (Sea to Sky Highway). At 2.4 miles past the town of Squamish, turn right onto Mamquam Road or the Valley Golf Country Club. Follow the paved road alongside the Squamish Golf and Country Club. Turn North onto Highland Way S, turn East at the roundabout and head up and through Quest University. Turn left or Northeast onto Mamquam road. which becomes Garibaldi Park road. Follow this road until you arrive at a large parking area. It is a total 8.4 miles from the highway to the parking lot. For more information, click here.
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