Panorama Ridge Hiking Info
- Difficult
- 8-11 hours
- 30 km round trip
- Elevation gain 1560 meters
- Summit 2133 meters
- Camping available
- no dogs
Panorama Ridge is in Garibaldi Provincial Park, and it was one of the prettiest hikes I have ever done. There was a lot of elevation gain and kilometers to hike out, but the challenge of it all was definitely worth it. The trail goes through meadows of vibrant wildflowers and dense forests, and also passes turquoise glacier lakes and rugged mountains. The views at the summit are insane, and totally depict the beauty of BC.
The peak of Panorama Ridge is at 2,133 meters and provides views of Garibaldi Lake, Mt. Price, Mt. Garibaldi, Black Tusk, The Table and the Tantalus Range. You can even see all of the way to Howe Sound and Whistler on a clear day! It literally gives you panoramic views, hence the name.
The Hike
Garibaldi Provincial Park is in between Whistler and Squamish. The hike starts at the Rubble Creek parking lot where the Garibaldi Lake Trail begins. The first part of the hike is a fairly steady uphill ascent on a very well maintained path through dense forest. There are signs everywhere so you can not get lost. This section is about 7km all uphill!
When you reach the fifth kilometer you will finally come to a lookout area called The Barrier. This cliff was formed during a massive landslide back in 1885.
Once you get to the 6 km mark there will be a rest area with more signs that direct you towards Garibaldi Lake and Taylor Meadows campgrounds. There will be a sign to let you know how much farther you need to go, and there is a little section with benches and an outhouse.
After a couple of more kilometers up hill you will also pass the turquoise waters of Barrier Lake and Lesser Garibaldi Lake.
To continue to Panorama ridge you will head towards Taylor Meadows and the Black Tusk Junction. However, our group was camping at Garibaldi Lake, so we dropped our gear off at our campsite and then back tracked to get back on the trail to reach Panorama Ridge. The campsite is 9 kms from the parking lot and about a 2km detour from the Panorama Ridge trail.
After you walk through the meadows, the trail will eventually pass the junction for Black Tusk and Panorama Ridge. We ended up doing the Black Tusk hike the following day, but for now keep following the signs to the Ridge. Every once in a while you will start to see beautiful views of Garibaldi Lake peeking through the forest.
About 2 kms beyond the Black Tusk junction you will approach Black Tusk Lake, where there is another detour that leads to Cheakamus Lake (Helm Creek Trail). Do not turn at this junction, keep heading up around Black Tusk Lake.
This part of the hike gets a bit more technical, and will take you up a bit of a scree sloped section. Definitely take your time to look around because you will have great views of the Black Tusk, Mimulus Lake, Helm Lake and Cinder Cone.
After the most challenging part of the hike you will eventually reach the summit, where you will have panoramic views overlooking Garibaldi Lake.
After getting a few pictures at the summit, we rushed down back to our campsite so we wouldn’t get stuck in the dark. The lighting was amazing and the views were like nothing I have ever seen.
When to go?
The best time of the year to do the Panorama Ridge hike is between July and October when there are clear pathways and no snow. Yet, a lot of people do walk up to Garibaldi Lake in the winter with snow shoes. I would definitely recommend going between late July and early August when the wildflowers are in full bloom.
NOTE:
Our group went at a pretty quick pace to do all of this in one day. We started at about 8am and after dropping our gear off, setting up and having a late lunch, we headed up to complete Panorama Ridge from the campground around 3pm. We really had to hussle in order to stay hiking during day light. By the time we got back to camp it was about 8pm and the sun was just going down. We then hiked up to the Black Tusk the next morning.
You can also hike Panorama Ridge or Black Tusk as a day hike, but you definitely need to be in good shape because it is difficult. Yet, you will go a bit quicker because you won’t have to carry your heavy gear up the 9 kms to the campsite. Furthermore, to make this more leisurely, a lot of people camp and then hike up to Panorama Ridge the following day.
Camping
Our group decided to camp at the Garibaldi Lake campground because of the stunning views of the lake. Yet, you can do this hike as a long day hike or you can camp at Taylor Meadows. You have to reserve these back country sites, so make sure you get a permit before planning your trip because sites book up fast.
The trail to the campground is really pretty and circles around part of the lake. The campsites are right off of the lake and each site has a hut that you can store your food and cooking supplies in.
Directions to Rubble Creek
It is about an hour and a half drive from Vancouver to the Rubble Creek Parking lot, which is the beginning of the Panorama Ridge Hike. The drive is beautiful and will take you along the sea to sky highway. The parking lot is free and we found it safe to leave our car there for a couple days.
If you still have energy why not check out Tunnel Bluffs and or Joffre Lakes while you are in the area!
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