Hiking Panorama Ridge in Garibaldi Provincial Park
Contents
Panorama Ridge Hike Information
Difficulty: Difficult
Distance: 31Km
Elevation Gain: 1,600m
Highest Elevation: 2,133m
Average Gradient: 10.40%
Effort/Reward Ratio: High / Very High
Time Needed:
– Slow: 10 – 12 Hours
– Moderate: 9 – 10 Hours
– Fast: 7 – 9 Hours
Dog Friendly?: No
Season: Year-Round (Summer Preferred)
4×4 / High Clearance Required? No
Scrambling / Exposure: None
Panorama Ridge Trail
Trailhead Coordinates: 49°57’27.1″N 123°07’12.9″W
Panorama Ridge Overview
Panorama Ridge is a ridgeline above Garibaldi Lake in Garibaldi Provincial Park, between Squamish and Whistler. Due to its alpine meadows, glacier lakes, iconic mountains, colossal glaciers and incredible panoramic views, Panorama Ridge is easily one of the most popular hikes in British Columbia.
Panorama Ridge is primarily a summer hike, with the iconic Garibaldi Lake usually frozen for much of the winter and spring. It is possible to do this hike in the winter, and people do, but it’s a very long day in deep snow and most people would usually require an overnight at this time of year. Combined with the fact the lake is frozen in the winter, Panorama Ridge is a much better summer option.
At 31km this is obviously a very long hike, but don’t let that fool you into thinking this is too difficult to complete in a day, many people, if not most people, do so. That being said if you want to spread out the climb it’s possible to camp at either Garibaldi Lake or Taylor Meadows and spread the hike over two days. A camping reservation through BC Parks is required for this, of course.
There is actually a couple of different approaches to Panorama Ridge, by far the most popular route is from the Rubble Creek trailhead, but you can also start from Cheakamus Lake. Few people take the latter route as it misses out on Garibaldi Lake itself, so the route described here will be the one from Rubble Creek. Rubble Creek is easily accessible in any vehicle.
Due to the popularity of this hike an early start is strongly. The ridge can get quite busy on a sunny weekend so the sooner you leave the quieter it will be.
Maintaining this website requires a significant investment of both time and money, if you find this website a useful resource, please consider making a donation using this button.
Is Panorama Ridge worthwhile?
Panorama Ridge is one of the most popular hikes in BC, with people traveling far and wide after seeing that photo above Garibaldi Lake.
Thanks to the length and elevation of this hike, while still popular, it is nowhere near as busy as that of Garibaldi Lake, which tends to attract the more casual hikers. While this hike is long, it is never so difficult you’ll question your ability. The ascent is gradual throughout and spread over such a distance it never feels too steep.
Without a doubt this is one of the best hikes in British Columbia. Even though it has become almost a cliché for being an Instagram hike, it’s undeniably one of the most stunning hikes you can do, and even after completing this hike several times I find it hard to resist the urge to do it at least once a year.
How difficult is the hike to Panorama Ridge ?
While Panorama Ridge is considered a difficult hike due to its distance and elevation gain, in reality I would consider it closer to a moderate hike. The elevation gain is quite gradual throughout and rarely are you seriously tested physically. The end of the hike is fairly steep but again, there are far steeper hikes out there than this. Don’t let the distance and elevation gain fool you into thinking this is a seriously difficult hike that only the most experienced hikers can do. Panorama Ridge is a very accessible hike that is easy to follow and rarely technical. There is no part of this hike that is exposed or requires scrambling.
Panorama Ridge Route Information
The hike starts from Rubble Creek parking lot off of the Sea to Sky highway, and is accessible for all vehicles thanks to being paved. The trail quickly enters the forest and begins a steady climb up a gravel track, with little to see or do for the next 6km or so. This is a pretty dull part of the hike, and easily the biggest drawback of any hike beginning at Rubble Creek.
The trail continues to climb steadily into the forest, without ever getting exceedingly steep but also without any real breaks. You’ll soon hit several switchbacks where the gradient picks up a little. Eventually, at around the 6km mark, after ascending around 800m, you reach a decision point. Now you can either continue along the Garibaldi Lake trail, which continues on to the lake itself, or take the Taylor Meadows trail for a more direct approach to Panorama Ridge.
Personally I would choose to take the Taylor Meadows route, summiting the ridge, before heading back down and returning via Garibaldi Lake. This allows you to reach the ridge sooner, when hopefully there are fewer crowds. Assuming you take this advice, the trail now continues to climb gradually into the forest for another kilometer or so, before eventually reaching a boardwalk along the Taylor Meadows trail, passing through the campground.
Once past the campground the views of this hike really start to open up, with the gorgeous alpine meadows and mountain backdrop looking like the Swiss Alps. The trail continues for another 2km or so before you reach the Garibaldi Lake junction, which you’ll take on the way down from Panorama Ridge. Continuing along, the trail now becomes the Helm Creek trail, and in a few hundred meters you’ll pass the junction that leads up to the Black Tusk. The next couple of kilometers will take you through the stunning Black Tusk meadows, with beautiful views of Mimulus and Black Tusk Lake, as well as peek-a-boo views of Garibaldi Lake.
Once you reach the northern tip of Black Tusk Lake, the trail separates again, going left will continue on to Helm Creek campground, while going right and around Black Tusk Lake will continue on the Panorama Ridge trail. Here the gradient starts to pick up again as you begin your final climb to the top of Panorama Ridge. The views of the Black Tusk during this ascent are ridiculous and arguably better than the views from Panorama Ridge itself, so much sure to take your time to soak in the views and take lots of photos.
The final push to the top of the ridge will be quite steep, and you’ll now be traveling mostly on rocks, but it’s a pretty well defined trail and it should be very obvious where you are going, even if it is not really marked. Eventually you’ll reach the top of the ridge, and once you do you’ll be greeted by the most insane panoramic view above Garibaldi Lake that will take your breath away.
While this is a popular hike, one of the advantages is the end point is a ridgeline that is fairly long with many different photo opportunities and resting spots. Even when it’s busy you won’t be knocking elbows for that photo as there is plenty of space. Catch your breath, soak in the views, fill up on summit treats and take your time before descending back down.
On the way down you might as well drop by Garibaldi Lake to get a close up view of what you were overlooking from the ridge line. This way you can combine the Panorama Ridge and Garibaldi Lake hikes into one day hike. To do so you simply go back along the same trail you climbed up all the way to the junction just after the Black Tusk Meadows. Instead of continuing back along the Taylor Meadows trail, just take the Garibaldi Lake trail now, which actually descends down towards Garibaldi Lake following a few switchbacks.
Feel free to take a dip in the lake after your hard earned hike, but I doubt you will last long in the glacier water. Still, there are some great photo ops from the lake but I’ve never stuck around for more than half an hour as it’s always so busy.
After a quick break at the lake, you return to the Garibaldi Lake trail, this time heading back towards Rubble Creek. This will feel like a long slog after such a big hike but the views aren’t quite over. You’ll pass Lesser Garibaldi Lake and Barrier Lake along the trail, which are both nice spots. Unfortunately that’s the end of the views and it’s time to hit the dreaded switchbacks to end your day. Even as a seasoned hiker these switchbacks are the bane of this day. Most people are tempted to rush down them as they’re so annoying and long that they just want to get it over with. Many people will even trail run down, myself included at times, to get it over with.
When should I hike Panorama Ridge ?
The vast majority of people hike Panorama Ridge in the summer when the lake is completely thawed and there is little, if any, snow on the ridge. The prime season is likely Mid-June to Mid-October for this, outside of which there will likely be snow around at these elevations.
It’s absolutely possible to hike Panorama Ridge year-round, but in the winter this is a massive day on soft snow, so it would mostly be an overnight trip at this time of year.
Top Tip
For a hike this popular I would be willing to take a day off work, or any other commitments, just to avoid the crowds. For many people this is a once in a lifetime hike and you want it to be as perfect as possible. Obviously I would only go on a perfectly sunny day as well. I don’t see the point in doing this hike in anything but bluebird weather.
Whenever you go, start your day early. Ideally begin your hike at 7am or earlier.
