Garibaldi Lake
49°57′ N 123°07′ W
Garibaldi Lake suits fit hikers who want the glacier-fed lake at the heart of Garibaldi Park between Squamish and Whistler, 9 km from the Rubble Creek parking lot on BC Parks' current pages. The trade-off is a steep first 6 km that gains 770 m before the trail eases toward the lake.
Closed
Taylor Meadows' campground and day-use area close for bears until 31 October
BC Parks closes the Taylor Meadows Campground and day-use area in Garibaldi Park every year from 1 September to 31 October, when black bears get busier as they prepare for winter. Hikers can still walk through. Anyone who ignores the closure can be evicted from the park and ticketed under the Park Act. Report bear sightings and aggressive wildlife to the Conservation Officer Service at 1-877-952-7277.
Checked 2026-10-17 · bcparks.ca
Wildlife notice
BC Parks warns of more bears all through Garibaldi Park
BC Parks warned on 5 September 2026 that bears are more active right across Garibaldi Park. Carry bear spray and know how to use it, and stay alert, especially at dawn and dusk. If you camp, cook and eat away from your tent pad, and store food, garbage, toiletries and anything else with a scent in the bear caches whenever you leave the site or go to sleep. Pack out everything you carried in. Call the Conservation Officer Service at 1-877-952-7277 to report bears and aggressive wildlife.
Checked 2026-10-17 · bcparks.ca
Photo Davidwegan · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0 and others, credited in the gallery
Field card · Hike · No. 005 · checked 16 Oct 2026
Leave no valuables in the car at Rubble Creek.
Garibaldi Lake is partly closed right now
Taylor Meadows Campground and its day-use area close every year from 1 September to 31 October for black bear activity, and BC Parks lets hikers pass through. BC Parks posted no closure on the Garibaldi Lake trail itself on 16 October 2026.
Book the free day-use pass before you go
The pass window runs Jun 12 to Oct 12, 2026 (ended).
BC Parks releases free vehicle passes for the Rubble Creek trailhead online at 7 am two days before your visit. From 22 September 2026 you need a BC Parks account with a verified identity to book one.
Is it for you?
Garibaldi Lake pays back a hard forest climb with a big glacier-fed lake under the peaks, and it works as a long day or an overnight.
You’ll love Garibaldi Lake if
- You can handle 770 m of steep climbing in the first 6 km.
- You plan ahead for the free summer vehicle pass or a Parkbus seat.
Think twice if
- You're bringing a dog, since Garibaldi Park bans pets.
- You want an easy winter walk, when the area turns into ski touring terrain.
Pick the right months for this hike
BC Parks' park brochure warns that snow can linger in the alpine until well into July, and its park page says the alpine flowers bloom in July and August. In winter the area becomes advanced intermediate to advanced ski touring terrain, and the day shelters at the lake aren't built for sleeping.
Know what catches hikers out here
- BC Parks treats the slopes below the Barrier as a civil defence zone, so keep moving as you pass through and never stay overnight at or near the parking lot.
- Shortcutting the switchbacks damages the slope and can send debris onto hikers below, BC Parks warns.
- BC Parks' pages disagree on winter access. Its area page says the road isn't ploughed to the parking lot in winter, and its May 2026 trail sheet says Daisy Lake Road is ploughed as a lower priority than the highways and recommends a high-clearance 4x4 with winter tires and chains. Plan as if the road isn't ploughed to the lot, and never block the dam access or the snowplow route.
- Mountain weather changes suddenly and snow can fall in any month, so BC Parks expects day visitors to be ready to camp out after an injury or a storm.
- The Black Tusk trail ends at a viewpoint kiosk, and BC Parks warns that going beyond it can mean serious injury or death from loose and falling rock.
Give the wildlife room
BC Parks closes Taylor Meadows Campground and its day-use area every year from 1 September to 31 October because black bears grow more active as they prepare for winter, and in September 2026 it warned of more bears across Garibaldi Park. Carry bear spray, and report aggressive bears to the Conservation Officer Service at 1-877-952-7277. Grizzly bears, cougars, wolverines and mountain goats live in the park too. Feeding a bear or leaving an attractant out is an offence under section 33.1 of BC's Wildlife Act.
Follow North Shore Rescue's advice
If you need help, BC Parks names the RCMP in Squamish as the nearest emergency help, so call 911, and it says cell coverage in the area is very limited. North Shore Rescue asks every hiker to leave a trip plan with a turnaround time and to carry the 10 essentials, headlamp first. Rescue costs nothing in British Columbia.
Turn off Highway 99 just past the Rubble Creek Bridge, 37 km north of Squamish and 19 km south of Whistler, and a paved road leads to the Rubble Creek parking lot. BC Parks' trail sheet, updated 19 May 2026, rates the climb from the lot to the Taylor Meadows junction at the 6.5 km mark steep, with 770 m of gain and a pit toilet at the junction. Keep on toward Garibaldi Lake Campground for 3 km and 130 m more. Taylor Meadows sits 1.5 km and 180 m up the other branch, and the campground at the lake has 50 tent sites and four day-use cooking shelters.
A geological feature called the Barrier holds the lake up, and BC Parks treats the ground below and beside it as a civil defence zone. It asks you not to camp or linger as you pass through, and nobody may stay overnight at or near the parking lot. BC Parks allows swimming in Garibaldi Lake and warns that its glacier-fed water stays extremely cold all year.
In 2026 BC Parks required a free vehicle pass at Rubble Creek on Fridays to Mondays and holidays from 12 June to 12 October, with designated space for 200 vehicles plus roadside parking. Without a car, Parkbus runs a summer coach from 1025 Dunsmuir Street in downtown Vancouver to the trailhead with the park pass included, and its next season's dates weren't on sale on 16 October 2026. The whole valley lies inside the traditional territory the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish Nation) describes on its land page, which reaches past Whistler to where the Soo and Green rivers meet.
Worth knowing
- In the summer pass window, book the vehicle pass at 7 am two days before your visit, and make sure your BC Parks account is verified first.
- Stay on the main trail. BC Parks says shortcutting the switchbacks can kick debris down the steep slope onto hikers below.
- Treat any water you drink from the lake or streams, since BC Parks supplies none on the trail.
- Leave no valuables in the car at Rubble Creek, because BC Parks warns of thieves in Garibaldi Park.
- From July to September, check the BC Wildfire Service before you go, since wildfire smoke and closures shape Sea to Sky plans.
Quick answers about Garibaldi Lake
How long is the Garibaldi Lake hike?
BC Parks puts Garibaldi Lake Campground 9 km from the Rubble Creek parking lot on its area page, with 770 m of gain to the junction its trail sheet places at 6.5 km and 130 m more to the lake. Its 2002 park brochure gives 9.5 km and 3 to 5 hours one way, so allow for the longer distance.
Do you need a day-use pass for Garibaldi Lake?
Yes, in summer. In 2026 BC Parks required a free vehicle pass at the Rubble Creek trailhead on Fridays to Mondays and holidays from 12 June to 12 October, released online at 7 am two days before your visit.
Can you camp at Garibaldi Lake?
Yes, with a reservation. BC Parks requires bookings all year for Garibaldi Lake Campground and its 50 tent sites, and it prohibits camping or staying overnight at or near the parking lot.
Are dogs allowed at Garibaldi Lake?
No. BC Parks prohibits dogs and other pets in Garibaldi Park, except accredited guide and service dogs whose handlers carry proof.
Can you swim in Garibaldi Lake?
Yes. BC Parks allows swimming at Garibaldi Lake and warns that the glacier-fed water is extremely cold all year.
Can you get to Garibaldi Lake by bus?
Yes. The Parkbus Garibaldi Lake stops at Rubble Creek trailhead, on Parkbus's seasonal coach from 1025 Dunsmuir Street, Vancouver.
Is Garibaldi Lake open now?
Taylor Meadows Campground and its day-use area close every year from 1 September to 31 October for black bear activity, and BC Parks lets hikers pass through. BC Parks posted no closure on the Garibaldi Lake trail itself on 16 October 2026.
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