Trip 129 - August 30, 2017 (Wednesday)

Panorama Ridge Trail Hike

Garibaldi Provincial Park (North of Squamish BC)

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Distance From Vancouver: 98 km via Highway 1 West and Highway 99 (Sea-to-Sky) North. Turn to the right 33 km past the Squamish Welcome Centre. Then drive 3 km to the parking lots and the Black Tusk / Panorama Ridge / Garibaldi Lake trailhead near Rubble Creek.

Liked: Views of Black Tusk, Garibaldi Lake, Black Tusk Lake. Creek views with wildflowers. Virtually no bugs.

Of note: The trail is very popular, and is likely packed on Summer weekends. Parking could be an issue when it's busy, forcing one to park far away along the access road and extend the hike accordingly. Some dust on the trail from the parking lot to the main split (about 6 km in total). A few muddy sections. Some snow still on the ground (including the trail) late in the season. Hiking boots and poles are highly recommended (the last stretch of the trail is steep, with loose stones).

Vancouver, Coast & Mountains Backroad Mapbook (2010 edition) Coordinates: Page 22 (Squamish) C1-D1-E1.

103 Hikes in Southwestern British Columbia (2008 edition): hike #21.

Related Trip in Garibaldi Provincial Park: 031 - Black Tusk Trail Hike.

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Panorama Ridge Trail is popular for a good reason - relatively close to Metro Vancouver, easy access off Highway 99, (for the most part) moderately challenging trail, and simply grand views of lakes and mountains. This trail is about 15 km one way, and follows the same route as Black Tusk trail until a split, where one turns to the left to visit Black Tusk, and goes straight to Panorama Ridge. We visited Black Tusk in 2010, and were very impressed. This time, while there was no "is this for real?" factor from the first visit almost seven years ago, the views were still absolutely amazing. For more photos of this Park and more complete directions, please visit our Black Tusk Trail trip report.

17. The path starts getting steep, with loose stones. This is where hiking boots and poles would be especially helpful.

Squamish Trail - Panorama Ridge Trail in Garibaldi Provincial Park

18. The higher you climb, the better the view behind you. Black Tusk Mountain and Black Tusk Lake.

Black Tusk Mountain and Black Tusk Lake in Garibaldi Provincial Park British Columbia Canada

19. The path is getting more and more challenging.

Panorama Ridge Trail in Garibaldi Provincial Park BC Canada

20. There was still some snow on the ground.

Squamish Hike - Panorama Ridge Trail

21. Chances are the snow is always present here.

Panorama Ridge Trail - Squamish Hiking

22. The end of the hike is near.

Hike in Squamish Area - Panorama Ridge Trail

23. The final climb.

British Columbia Hiking

24. And, then, it's "panorama" ridge indeed. Looking back is Black Tusk.

Hike in Garibaldi Provincial Park - Black Tusk seen from Panorama Ridge

25-29. And looking forward is Garibaldi Lake. Left to right.

Garibaldi Lake

Garibaldi Lake seen from Panorama Ridge Trail in Garibaldi Provincial Park British Columbia

30. This hiker chose a good day to fly a drone.

Hiker Flying a Drone in Garibaldi Provincial Park

31. To the left is a valley.

View from Panorama Ridge in Garibaldi Provincial Park British Columbia Canada

32. And here is the rest of Panorama Ridge. Most hikers stopped at the Garibaldi Lake viewpoint, though, from where we took this photo.

Squamish Trail - Panorama Ridge Trail in Garibaldi Provincial Park - BC Hiking

Here is our video of the surrounding area:

More ihikebc.com videos are on our YouTube Channel.

33. We hiked till the end. The views didn't get better. So, if you want to save 10-15 minutes in total, Garibaldi Lake viewpoint is a good place to turn around and head back. Coordinates for the trail end: N 49⁰57.278' W 123⁰00.761'. Elevation: 2,120 meters (1,565 meters elevation gain from the trailhead).

Garibaldi Provincial Park Hiking

It took us about 6 hours to hike to the top, and 4.5 hours to get back. Despite crowded conditions at the beginning of the trail, Panorama Ridge is a great hike, leading to some of the best views near the Metro Vancouver area. Highly recommended.