Becoming a Patron through Patreon unlocks all sorts of membership benefits and rewards. The road is narrow, and it’s not worth taking chances if your car is not winter-ready, as more than a few cars have fallen off this road before. There are two lakes (one swimmable, one reserved for drinking water), a well-equipped shelter, and a campsite available in a beautiful, alpine area. Lancer had no problems going up. From Whistler Village, the trailhead is just over an hours drive away, located near the south end of Garibaldi Park. Looking for the most amazing hikes near Vancouver? There will be a few quick views to the west through the trees if you keep your eyes peeled, but most of the trail to the Red Heather shelter is within the forest. Your email address will not be published. To get to the trail from Vancouver, take Highway 99 just north past Squamish. Camping at the Elfin Lakes shelter opens up the opportunity to other nearby hikes like Gargoyles, Opal Cone and Mamquam Lake. Estimated time to Elfin Lakes in winter is 3-5 hours. You will climb up along Paul Ridge to a high point of about 1,660 m before the trail begins its rolling descent back down, and finally reaching the Elfin Lakes hut at 1,470 m. As you make your way down to the Elfin Lakes hut and ranger lodge a view will open up to your left of the spectacular Mount Garibaldi. Driving Time from Vancouver: 1 hour 30 minutesTrailhead Coordinates: 49.750175, -123.053186. eval(ez_write_tag([[336,280],'outdoorvancouver_ca-medrectangle-4','ezslot_8',107,'0','0']));*For a better understanding of the stats and difficulty rating, check out the Hiking Guides page for details. If you find our content helpful, please support us via PayPal or Patreon. We planned to show them the first view of Mount Atwell, and then keep going if the conditions were good, or call it a day if it didn’t look safe. Here are the instructions how to enable JavaScript in your web browser. Located 11 km from the parking lot, the Elfin Lakes area offers an overnight shelter equipped with bunks for 33 people (11 double bunks, 12 single bunks), 4 picnic tables, 2 propane hot plates, a wash sink, a propane heater, propane lights and pit toilet facilities. the snow started about 2 or 3 km up the trail (1200 m). For full functionality of this site, it is necessary to enable JavaScript. You should check this information yourself. Elfin Lakes . Travel time to the Elfin Lakes Shelter can vary greatly depending on snow conditions and group abilities. Your email address will not be published. We had done an overnight trip up there in early October a few years ago and the fall colours in the meadows were amazing! This is Mamquam Road, right before the Canadian Tire. Learn More. Heading down from the main parking lot on the snow covered road. Went there July 6, 2013. One of the prominent peaks visible along the way will be Atwell Peak – the diamond-shaped peak off to the north. No need to register, buy now! Be it rainy and cloudy monday morning we decided to hike in to elfin lakes. Another draw for this hike is the ability to sleep in the heated Elfin Lakes shelter. All 5 Kms of it. Parking lot is accessibly by 2WD car! Simply follow these orange poles and enjoy the views (provided you have good weather), until you finally reach the Elfin Lakes shelter. After the fork from where the trail separates into biking and hiking lakes, it's all snow till the Elfin Lakes. The elfin shelter/hut can now be reserved in advance; no idea what happens if you show up without one. ... avy conditions moderated and plenty of places to get some nice turns in. 26 November 2020 at 04:00-05:00: Cloudy, Temperature -6, 0 mm, Light air, 1 m/s from east-northeast All Forecasts are meant for mid afternoon and are intended as a guideline for the level of bug activity. The trail to Elfin Lakes is a steady 11 km (7 mile) climb from the parking lot onto a gently sloping ridge that provides far-reaching views for the last hour of the day before finding its way to the two small alpine lakes that give the trail its name. Join us at patreon.com/outdoorvancouver. (If you are looking for the guide to the Elfin Lakes summer route – click here), Rating: DifficultDistance: 22 kmNet Elevation Change*: 700 mHighest Point: 1,660 m (Paul Ridge)Time Needed: 7 to 10 hours (or overnight)Type: Out and Back, Season: November to JulyDogs Allowed: NoEst. Recent Trail Reports Along Route At the 5 km mark (roughly 1.5 hours), you will reach the Red Heather shelter and this is a great place to eat, rest, and warm up using the wood furnace before pushing the final 6 km of your hike. Elfin Lakes in Garibaldi Provincial Park is an absolutely phenomenal, though long, hiking, biking, snowshoeing and skiing trail that begins at the Diamond Head area in Squamish. Pushing on from the Red Heather hut, the next 6 km provide a few steep sections, but also some flat and downhill relief. It is about 16 km to reach the trailhead from Highway 99, mostly on a narrow, gravel road. These may or may not be marked for winter routes, but regardless, you will need to take all the requisite snow travel safety precautions if you carry on to any of these other destinations from Elfin Lakes. We weren't prepared at all hiking in our runners and no hiking poles. I have done it in as short as 2.5 hours and as long as 7 hours. Many people day hike to the Red Heather shelter, and enjoy some backcountry snowboarding and skiing along Paul Ridge before heading back to the parking lot. Avalanche Canada. Snow forecast map for Appalachians and Great Lakes showing snow accumulation over the next 10 days and past 7 days, plus snow reports, live weather conditions and webcams. Great trail conditions for ski touring, almost completely snow covered from trail head. All that being said the Elfin lakes area has relatively gentle slopes in most places, and since the trail to the cabin goes along the ridge top most of the way you're pretty safe. This is a personal favorite for many because of its well-marked route and spectacular views. The best, or depending on your luck, worst part of staying at the shelter may be your company. I was determined to get up to Elfin Lakes this autumn. After the trek, it’s time to build your accommodations for the night. Sleeping in the hut is only allowed in emergency. Thank you! Make sure you are online and try again. peterm. Elfin Lakes is a very popular hiking destination located in Garibaldi Provincial Park near Squamish, B.C. Todays weather forecast, by the hour and long term. Click following button or element on the map to see information about it. A bit icy and not too slippery. The trail itself is a steady uphill climb of 11 km to reach the hut at Elfin Lakes, and will take around 3 – 5 hours, each way (with great variability depending on weather and snow conditions). The road will steepen and you will pass Quest University. I am going to Elfin lake on 26th(Monday). To see if the winter route is in place, and the latest trail conditions, see here. There are also outhouses just adjacent to the shelter. - Elfin Lakes (Diamondhead), Garibaldi Lake (Rubble Creek), Cheakamus Lake . Always carry The Essentials and fill out a trip plan. You should check this information yourself. – Guides for 10 amazing hikes near Vancouver– Hiking safety and trail etiquette– Resources, hiking gear overview, and more! Still, enjoyed the hike although we were greeted by two completely frozen lakes in the end. Served by the Norwegian Meteorological Institute and NRK, Yr is a joint service by the Norwegian Meteorological Institute and the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation, Copyright © Norwegian Meteorological Institute and the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation 2007-2020. From the Diamond Head parking lot, the first 5 km of the trail are the steepest of the day. Find the perfect elfin lakes stock photo. By providing this information, Bottletop Media does not assume any liability for the use of this information by our readers.Privacy Policy | Terms and Conditions. The Elfin Lakes hike is one of the more moderate hikes in the park, but still spectacular. Elfin Lakes trail is a beautiful hike, but if we were going to repeat it, we would do it in the summer, when the trail is clear of snow and the actual lakes emerge from beneath few feet of snow! Red Heather Hut. eval(ez_write_tag([[336,280],'outdoorvancouver_ca-banner-1','ezslot_10',104,'0','0']));Once you’ve reached the hut, you can go inside to warm up, eat, and hopefully grab a bunk to sleep in. You can check conditions of the trail on the BC Provincial Parks website under trail report or try typing Eflin Lakes into the search bar of Instagram to see recent posts. I hike out to Elfin Lakes yesterday. It looks like you're using an old browser. Well the title of this post is Elfin Lakes in fall, but really what I think I mean is Elfin Lakes in almost winter. The reader is warned that it is unreasonable to rely solely upon the above information. 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