Hiking Telemagique Peak near Whistler
Contents
Telemagique Peak Hike Information
Difficulty: Difficult
Distance: 19.70Km
Elevation Gain: 970m
Highest Elevation: 1,723m
Average Gradient: 9.85%
Effort/Reward Ratio: Moderate / Moderate
Time Needed:
– Slow: 8 – 9 Hours
– Moderate: 6 – 8 Hours
– Fast: 5 – 6 Hours
Dogs Permitted?: Yes
Season: ~December – April
4×4 / High Clearance Required? No
Scrambling / Exposure: None
Telemagique Peak Trail
Trailhead Coordinates: 50°08’00.8″N 123°07’47.3″W
Disclaimer: Winter hiking (snowshoeing) involves significantly more risk than summer hiking. Hikers should be prepared with appropriate education, training and equipment for all possibilities, including but not limited to avalanches. A mistake such as going off trail, getting lost or injured can be far more dangerous in winter than summer. You are responsible for your own safety, and while I am happy to give my opinion on this website as to the avalanche risk of a specific hike, do not take this as fact and please do your own research. Everybody has different risk tolerances and mine might be different to yours.
Telemagique Peak Overview
Telemagique Ridge is a ridge that divides Callaghan Creek from Madeley Creek near Whistler. The highest point along this broad ridge is simply known as Telemagique Peak. In the winter, Telemagique Ridge offers simple, low risk terrain for backcountry skiing, with an easy, gentle approach and some good skiing on the northern slopes of the peak. That being said, it is not a particularly heavily trafficked route, and often you will find there are no tracks along the way.
Due to the ~20km round trip distance, snowshoeing Telemagique Peak is also not very common. You need to time this for good conditions, ideally with a track to follow, but at the very least avoiding periods of challenging trailbreaking. Many parties have had to turn around after finding themselves wallowing in deep snow several kilometers from the end.
A snow free approach is not very common as there is no trail to the top, and any route would involve a degree of bushwhacking. If going in the summer, your best bet is likely bushwhacking straight up from either Callaghan Lake or Madeley Lake.
Assuming you are going in the winter, this route begins by following the Callaghan Country groomed FSR (Callaghan Lake FSR). Despite the fact Telemagique Peak (and most of the route) is in the backcountry, this short stretch of groomed FSR at the beginning requires payment. You can find details on the Callaghan Country website regarding hours/fees. It is possible to avoid payment if you park outside of their lot (for example, at Alexander Falls) and begin your hike before they open for business, but of course that’s your call whether you want to risk it.
This is a dog friendly hike and dogs are permitted on the groomed FSR as well (for a small fee).
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Is Telemagique Peak worthwhile?
On snowshoes, Telemagique Peak is quite a long slog, especially if you are having to break trail. The majority of the hike will be in the forest, with the views opening up for the last couple of kilometers. Due to the fairly low elevation summit, there are still some trees around at the top, though the views are still largely panoramic if you wander around. This is a more involved outing than the likes of the nearby Gin Peak or Mount Sproatt, both of which would be preferred over Telemagique, however it’s not a bad one to keep in mind if you can time it for favorable conditions (ideally with a track to follow).
How difficult is the hike to Telemagique Peak?
At almost 20km this is a long snowshoe outing, though the total elevation is quite manageable. With an average gradient of below 10%, much of the trail is flat or low gradient, with only a short stretch of steep climbing towards the very end. If you time it well and have a track to follow, this is a straightforward outing that shouldn’t be too difficult, but timing it well can be tricky as it’s not the most popular route so the trail doesn’t get broken too frequently.
Technically speaking this is quite a straightforward outing, with the majority of the route on low gradient, low risk terrain. The final climb up to the summit does get steeper, but you can easily reduce this with a few switchbacks if needed. The biggest challenge can often be route finding through the forest, which is another reason why following an established track is beneficial. There are typically no trail markers or flags for this route, so having a downloaded map is essential.
Telemagique Peak Route Information
This route to Telemagique Peak begins from the Callaghan Country parking lot. As noted, if you plan to park here you will need to visit during opening hours and pay Callaghan Country to access their groomed FSR. If you want to avoid this, you can park outside of their parking lot on Callaghan Valley Road and visit anytime, potentially avoiding paying if you begin hiking outside of opening hours. Alexander Falls is where most people will park, however this is not always plowed in the winter. There is sometimes space on the side of Callaghan Valley Road for a couple of vehicles if it isn’t plowed.
Assuming you parked at Alexander Falls, you’ll now walk up Callaghan Valley Road, cross the bridge over Madeley Creek and begin hiking up the groomed FSR. You’ll now simply follow the FSR for around 3km, gaining about 250m in the process. Usually you can just keep your hiking boots on for this stretch. You will pass by one or two spurs along the way, make sure to ignore them and stick to the main FSR.
After 3km you’ll want to pay attention to your map, as you’ll now be departing from the FSR and joining a spur road. This is your moment of truth as to whether you’ll be following tracks, as if this spur has no tracks going up it, you’re in for a long day. Either way, you’ll likely be putting your snowshoes on at this point.
The first few hundred meters of the spur are straightforward, climbing gradually while passing by a few junctions that you’ll want to ignore. After a little more than 1.5km following this spur road, with the views opening up a little as you go, you’ll reach the end of the spur, at which point you’ll enter the forest. Again, you should refer to your map now, especially if you’re not following any tracks.
Once in the forest, there isn’t a lot to say about the next 3km or so, only that navigation will be the tricky part, as there are no flags or indicators for which way to go, so just refer to your map to ensure you’re generally on the right path. A broken trail will make this straightforward, but without one you’ll need to keep referring to your map throughout. It’s all largely straightforward and never really steep. Thankfully the trees are sparse enough that skiers should be fine as well, though they may need to side step up some slopes on the return leg.
After around 3km, or 1,550m elevation, the trees thin further and the views begin to open up a little. You should see the Black Tusk in the distance behind you as you follow a creek bed through a pair of cliff bands. Shortly ahead, at around 1,600m you’ll reach the base of the final, steep climb up to the summit plateau.
How you tackle this final stretch is up to you. Skiers will zigzag up the slopes to reduce the gradient, but on snowshoes you can likely take a direct, albeit quite steep approach if you prefer. As you gain elevation, the views continue to improve, and soon enough you’ll reach the top of the steep climb, where you might think the summit is. Unfortunately you’re not quite there yet, as the bump slightly north of you is actually the higher point. Thankfully it’s only a couple of minutes away now.
From the top the views will be panoramic, albeit somewhat obscured by the odd tree here and there. Rainbow Mountain and Puma Peak will dominate the eastern skyline, Ipsoot Mountain and Longspur Peak will lie to the north, Mount Callaghan and Brandywine Mountain to the west, and finally the Black Tusk, Mount Garibaldi and the Sky Pilot group will lie to the south.
Once you’re finished at the top, you return back the way you came. Thankfully there isn’t too much uphill on the return leg, but there are plenty of flat spots throughout. Once you’re back on the groomed FSR it’s easy stuff. If you opted to avoid paying to access the Callaghan Country groomed FSR, crossing the bridge over Madeley Creek may be a little awkward, as you need to walk directly past the customer service kiosk at the end of the bridge, who no doubt will be curious where you’re going on foot.
When should I hike Telemagique Peak?
Telemagique Peak is predominantly a winter/early spring objective when there is a solid snowpack covering the bush. With that said, December to April will be your best window.
Top Tip
If you can time doing this one to go recently after another group, that would make your life considerably easier, since you’ll have a broken trail and route finding will be easy. I would not suggest doing this soon after a dumping of snow, as there’s a solid chance you won’t make it.
