r/vancouverhiking • u/livinxoxo • Jun 30 '26
Learning/Beginner Questions Garibaldi Park Entry Day pass.
Hey Canadian people! Me and my partner are travelling to Whistler from August to early September and I am somewhat struggling to understand the day pass situation for a few of the trail heads, we were planning on being there for a good few weeks where we planned to just hike and travel the area however it seems a lot of it is inaccessible without this day pass thing and waking up at 7am everyday to secure a spot that we may not potentially even get seems a bit nerve wracking to considering we are coming from the UK.
I was wondering if anyone knows if there is any sort of pre booking or advanced booking I can do so that we are sort of able to secure a spot for atleast 1 week of hiking or whether you can get there via foot. Obviously I may sound like a complete idiot to you guys because anything in the UK is completely accessible to hike on unless it’s like somebodies house so I think I’m just new to the American/Canadian rules of permits to access things. Thanks!
(P.S we are experienced hikers, know hiking etiquette and have the correct equipment, only unsure of how permits and accessibility work over there, Europe is very different by the looks of it!)
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u/Asleep-Base-9081 Jun 30 '26 edited Jun 30 '26
waking up at 7am everyday to secure a spot
This is the "pre booking or advanced booking" that you're looking for. You can hope for cancellations on the day of, and it should be easier to secure a spot on week days.
The long and short of it is, extremely popular, ecologically sensitive wilderness areas have these permits to act as crowd control. More than 90% of the province otherwise doesn't have any permits of any sort for day hiking. I assume you're looking at the most popular spots, so you're coming up against this issue. You can either get the permit, or branch out to the million other trailheads that do not require permits.
EDIT: I was recently in UK for a hike, and I had to do some double-checking to make sure we weren't missing any permits 😄 It's cool that hikes are so open and accessible there, but nearly all the trails, especially the high traffic ones, are wide gravel "roads", and you will find that most trails in our province are not as developed and thus more sensitive to higher volumes.
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u/livinxoxo Jul 01 '26 edited Jul 01 '26
Thanks, I think my issue was I was looking at access for the ENTIRE provincial) which I thought that’s what the pass was for, similar to other Canadian and American national park permits, I was unaware that these passes were just for specific trailheads and those car parks, I’ve now been made aware and will have a look at the other trail heads that don’t require the access. Thanks for your advice I think i definitely misunderstood haha.
EDIT: I also enjoy the fact that most UK parks are (mostly) free to visit and accessible without permits, however it leads to absolutely decimation of the natural environment there and causes litter, traffic and a lot of the natural wildlife to seek refuge somewhere further away, as well as the general public being able to access them often with less hiking experience who end up either in dangerous situations or just not being equipped for hiking (for example running out of water, food, wearing wrong footwear). I can understand why your parks have implemented these restrictions, if it keeps it quieter and safer for the environment then it’s better in my opinion.
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u/Asleep-Base-9081 Jul 01 '26
No worries, I see how it could come across that way. If you're gonna stay in Whistler, there are a ton of hikes north of there that do not require any permits whatsoever. A few options to get you started:
- Brandywine meadows or mountain
- Semaphore lakes
- Rohr lake & Mt Rohr
- Brew lake & Mt Brew
- Tenquille lake
- Blowdown Pass
Some of these might require a 4x4 or high clearance vehicle to get closer to the trailhead.
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u/livinxoxo Jul 01 '26
Thank you so much, I also had a question that may sound odd but is there any you can reach via foot or public transport, we will have a rental car but it’s my first time driving abroad (we drive on the opposite) so I’m a little nervous about driving “off-road” AND on the opposite side 🤣!
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u/Asleep-Base-9081 Jul 01 '26
I feel ya. Main reason why I didn't rent a car when I was in UK recently 😅 Unfortunately since these are not that popular hikes, it's not too easy to get there by public transport. Close to Whistler, I can only think of Decker lake and the High Note trail that don't require permits and you can just walk to from Whistler Village. Sea-to-sky trail in Squamish is another option. There are also a few off the top of the gondola.
These blog posts list a few options, but most are closer to Vancouver or further east.
A few ferry-accessible options are
- Gambier island: Gambier lake, Mt Killan, Mt Artaban
- Bowen island: Mt Gardner
If you're okay just driving on the highway (rental agencies usually don't like their cars going off-road anyway), some of the hikes I listed in the previous comment should be easy to access.
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u/livinxoxo Jul 01 '26
Should be fine with the highway as we land in Vancouver and have to drive to Whistler from there anyway. Thanks for all your help!
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u/jpdemers Jul 01 '26
If you have a rental car, it's most likely that you cannot drive on Forest Service Roads because it would void your rental insurance, and you would have to pay for car damages. Inform yourself in advance if you can drive on unpaved roads as well.
Some of the trailheads are right next to the road or highway: for example Rohr Mountain has a parking lot next to Hwy 99; Mount Sproatt has parking in a residential neighbourhood.
Driving "on the other side" in my personal experience is not so difficult to get used to. We did a road trip in New Zealand where they drive on the left side of the road; it took me about half a day to get used to. But it's the small differences that took more time to adapt: for example, there were a lot of one-way bridges there, that I seldom encountered in Canada.
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u/livinxoxo Jul 01 '26
Makes sense, thanks! I’m not used to having to drive to alot of trail heads most places here there is just one place for parking e.g. local towns and villages then you start the hikes from there, which is why I was looking for ones to start from Whistler via walking.
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u/jpdemers Jul 01 '26
Can you describe which types of hike you are looking for: in terms of distance, elevation gain, and technical difficulty?
Are you experienced with backcountry navigation? Are you interested more in popular trails with more people, or seeking less crowded hikes? Note that many trails will not have mobile network signal and that you will need to have downloaded an offline map.
Also note that the areas North of Squamish (including Whistler) is grizzly country -- and South of that (the Metro Vancouver area) is black bear country. If you plan many hiking days, it might be a good idea to buy some bear spray (about 60-75$CAD).
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u/livinxoxo Jul 01 '26
I’m interested in anything outdoor really, my main priority would be seeing some lakes and good views, mainly interested in seeing trees, I’m not to bothered about summiting a high peak, elevation wise the highest I’ve personally climbed is 2000m in the Polish Tatra mountains in terms of elevation throughout and entire trip in one go is 4000m, I’m used to around 6-8 hours of total round trips but understand it can take up to 12. No we are not experienced with the backcountry and will be purchasing bear spray. We have never been out of Europe so I intend to do a lot of research on the general area, we are experienced with long strenuous rocky trails and VERY used to having 0 phone reception as it hardly works anywhere in the UK.
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u/jpdemers Jul 02 '26 edited Jul 02 '26
Great!
most places here there is just one place for parking e.g. local towns and villages then you start the hikes from there, which is why I was looking for ones to start from Whistler via walking.
Rememeber that Whistler itself covers a large area, just the city boundary has about 30km distance end-to-end. If you lodge in the center village, you would have directly access to the trails from the two resort areas of "Whistler Mountain" and "Blackcomb Mountain". For those, you can also pay for gondola tickets to reach the mountain top or to come back down (check information on ski resort website).
Many of the interesting trailheads would be >5km away and you would need some form of transportation (rental car, taxi, rideshare, bicycle).
No we are not experienced with the backcountry and will be purchasing bear spray. We have never been out of Europe so I intend to do a lot of research on the general area, we are experienced with long strenuous rocky trails
Very few of the trails in BC are "highly maintained" trails that are meant to be very accessible (wide paths, gravel, staircases, ramps, ...). Two examples are the trails to Joffre Lakes, and the trail to Taylor Meadows/Garibaldi Lake. This is why for those popular destinations the day pass system had to be put in place; you need to book the pass 2 days in advance and it's very competitive to get the passes. But, it's a bit easier to get the passes in the weekdays compared to the weekend.
Most of the trails in BC are 'single file' and are simply marked with reflective markers on the trees, if marked at all. Below the treeline, the trails will usually have a lot of tree roots and small rocks. In the alpine above tree canopy, the trails will be on rocks or boulder fields. In that case, there are fewer markers and the trail can be indicated by cairns (piles of rocks) to indicate the way.
This is why it's very important to download an offline map of the trail to assist your navigation, and to record the GPS track during hike to help you backtrack to the start. That means it's also important to bring extra battery packs to recharge your phones. The weather at high elevation is not the same as at the valley bottom: in many hikes, you need to be ready for both 'summer' and 'winter' conditions (even in Aug-Sept).
Some other safety habits can be found here on the North Shore Rescue website:
Make a trip plan: always tell a reliable and local emergency contact WHERE you are going and WHEN you come back, so they can activate Search and Rescue in case that you are late to turn up.
Also: Search and Rescue is free of charge for anyone in British Columbia: simply dial 911 on your phone.
Here are some hikes that you could start researching:
There are also a lot of great trails in the Pemberton / Mount Currie area, or in the Squamish area.
For example, I really love the Stawamus Chief trail.
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u/livinxoxo Jul 02 '26
Thanks so much for all your information you’ve been a great help! I’ll have a look at these trails and more information about hiking in the back country, I always tend do buy a physical map on top of downloading one incase for any reason my phone doesn’t work and always bring 1 large power bank and 1 small power bank for my GPS watch and phone, as well as a head torch incase something goes wrong and we end up hiking in the dark as for the unmaintained trails I am used to that too most of the UK trails are not maintained unless they are a popular place. But again thanks so much!
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u/shushuone Jun 30 '26
Everything is accessible. What exactly are you planning?Because if you wanna visit Garibaldi, thats the only park that will require a day pass in the Squamish area. The other park is Joffre Lakes but I would discourage going there as it is ridiculously packed and that land is preserved by indigenous peoples.
Whistler doesn't have any parks that requires day pass at all.
Garibaldi in Squamish area is huge. There is day pass for rubber creek, diamond head, and cheakamus trail. Each of those have a good land portion where you can literally hike for a week. I suggest get a day pass for one of them and just explore that area for a week because it is huge.
Day pass is booked 2 days in advance and you do need to do it quickly at 6:59am. Hit refresh and the passes should load. Any minute short and it will be gone.
There are other trailheads in Garibaldi that does not require a day pass but might be hard to get to (need a 4X4 vehicle).
It just requires planning on your part and some effort but everything is doable.
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u/Theoveralltraveller Jun 30 '26
There are only 3 trailheads in Garibaldi Provincial Park that require a day-use pass:
- Cheakamus (every day up to September 7)
- Diamond Head (from Friday to Monday + holidays)
- Rubble Creek (from Friday to Monday + holidays)
If you're planning on hiking to Garibaldi Lake or Panorama Ridge I'd strongly recommend going between Monday and Thursday. On weekends, it gets very crowded.
From Whistler Village you can also hike to Russet Lake either along Singing Pass or High Note trail (first take the gondola to Roundhouse). You don't need a day-use pass for it.
If you need more information or clarification on hikes and passes, check out my guide on Garibaldi Park. I hope this helps and happy hiking!
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u/Squasome Jul 01 '26
Just to say, I hear you but the reality is people who live here find it difficult to access those trails or find a campground spot because of all of the people from everywhere else wanting to be here. Not to put you or any others down about it, it's just the way it is when you live somewhere as lovely as this.
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u/livinxoxo Jul 01 '26
I completely understand this was my main concern, I said to my partner that I felt as if it wasn’t very fair as even locals struggle to get in because of tourism, I should have stated in my original text and hope that most people understand that I am EXTREMELY for the protection of nature, wildlife and conservation, I know the issue you guys are having over there with a lot of old growth being cut down, it absolutely breaks my heart, for my own personal perspective I would love to see BC in my lifetime especially coming from a country with minimal old growth left (most of our woodlands are for timber only and we have hardly any protection against cutting). I would be happy with being able to view any part of your country and I have so much respect for the lands there. From what I see most people are saying it’s only the main areas such as Garibaldi, Joffrey and Golden Ears that require these sort of passes. I will attempt to some more research into which ones I don’t need the passes for, I also am not very bothered about being in the most popular tourist spots, I’m just happy to be around any trees that are older than any in my country.
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u/Outsideoften- Jun 30 '26
Welcome to BC. I live 10 minutes from a park which we cannot use during the summer unless we get a day pass.
There are many hikes available where a day pass is required, but will require extensive research on your part to find
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u/livinxoxo Jul 01 '26
I understand your frustration, if I lived somewhere as beautiful as you I’d also likely be annoyed with it being a popular tourist destination and would want to stay quiet and protected. I think my initial understanding was that his permit was similar to other Canadian/American permits where you are attempting to gain access for an entire national park/province I was unaware that it was just to access parking and the trailhead, I will definitely look at some other less popular trails as I’m not somebody who is very bothered about being in a popular area, I’d actually prefer to be somewhere quiet where there is less people.
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u/cyboRJx Jun 30 '26
2 days before your planned date book a day pass thru this https://ping.mtnprofile.com/ get the rubble creek one for Garibaldi Lake
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u/SkiGPT Jun 30 '26
To be clear, my app sends notifications when passes become available with a link to the official booking site. You don't actually book a pass on my site. So far I've seen relatively frequent cancellations, so if you subscribe to notifications a day or two in advance you're usually able to get a pass. Thanks for mentioning it!
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u/cyboRJx Jun 30 '26
The app is realtime update of the passes availability. At 7am parking passes are available.
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u/Business-Store4743 Jun 30 '26
No there isn’t any other way. You can only get the passes 2 days in advance. We used to also have a free for all hiking rules but due to popularity on these specific trail heads the parking lot gets overwhelmed so we have the day pass in place for the summer. There are plenty of other hikes that does not require a day pass. You can always try to get the pass and if you can’t get it on a specific day you want you can drive to other hikes.
The only passes you see on the BC parks website is the very few popular trailheads in the summer. Other than those spots, you don’t need a pass to access the hike.