Hiking Rainbow Mountain near Whistler
Contents
Rainbow Mountain Hike Information
Difficulty: Very Difficult
Distance: 18.00Km
Elevation Gain: 1,570m
Highest Elevation: 2,314m
Average Gradient: 17.44%
Effort/Reward Ratio: High / Very High
Time Needed:
– Slow: 8 – 9 Hours
– Moderate: 7 – 8 Hours
– Fast: 6 – 7 Hours
Dogs Permitted?: Yes
Season: ~April to October
4×4 / High Clearance Required? Yes
Scrambling / Exposure: Steep snow climb / Class 2 scramble.
Rainbow Mountain Trail - Winter
Trailhead Coordinates: 50°08’44.2″N 123°06’55.3″W
Rainbow Mountain Trail - Summer
Trailhead Coordinates: 50°07’48.7″N 122°59’06.9″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.
Rainbow Mountain Overview
Rainbow Mountain is an iconic summit along the Sea-to-Sky corridor, overseeing the town of Whistler on the opposite side of the valley to Whistler/Blackcomb mountains. With over 1,000m of prominence, Rainbow Mountain can be seen throughout the Sea-to-Sky, dwarfing the other peaks (Gin, Tonic, Sproatt, Spectrum) within its vicinity, and offering unparalleled views from the top, putting Rainbow high on the list for both peakbaggers and non-peakbaggers alike.
Rainbow can be summited year-round thanks to relatively straightforward winter access via Whistler Olympic Park/Alexander Falls to the southwest, with Alta Lake Road providing access from the southeast. Most parties will approach from the Whistler Olympic Park side in winter and Alta Lake Road side in summer. The Whistler Olympic Park route is not appropriate in the summer as there is no maintained trail. Whether you tackle this peak in summer or winter you can expect a long and draining day.
In the winter, the Hanging Lake backcountry is a very popular destination for ski tourers, with many aiming for Rainbow when conditions allow. As such it’s quite common for skin tracks to be present all the way to the summit. While skiers fairly frequently summit Rainbow, snowshoers are significantly less common due to the long and arduous approach. Conditions need to be ideal for most parties to do this on snowshoes, and even then it’s a challenging day. That being said, a winter approach is mostly straightforward and avoids any scrambling at the end as the route instead passes over a small glacier before wrapping around the back of the mountain for a relatively simple ascent. The summer route involves scrambling and some “sketchy”, loose terrain towards the end, though I can’t speak to that as I haven’t done it.
The guide here will discuss the winter approach from Whistler Olympic Park, though I will also link the summer route from Alta Lake Road for those interested. One thing to keep in mind in winter is that Whistler Olympic Park requires paid parking and operates gate hours that must be abided by if you choose to start there (putting you on a time limit). For parties that want to avoid this, you can usually park along Callaghan Valley Road at Alexander Falls (assuming it’s been plowed), but this adds an additional ~7km and ~100m gain to the stats above. Most parties opt to begin from Alexander Falls to remove any time constraint, but we opted for WOP as we had a strong party in ideal conditions.
Accessing from Whistler Olympic Park makes this a pet friendly hike as Hanging Lake is not in the Whistler Watershed. Dogs cannot be taken from the Alta Lake Road side as the Rainbow Lake trail passes through this watershed.
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Is Rainbow Mountain worthwhile?
Rainbow Mountain is the crown jewel of the Hanging / Rainbow Lake backcountry, and if you’ve ever ventured out to Gin Peak, Mount Sproatt or Spectrum Peak there’s no doubt you’ve set your eyes on the big one. Rainbow is much more challenging than any of the others, but the payoff is certainly well worth it.
How difficult is the hike to Rainbow Mountain?
This is a challenging hike no matter when you go. In the summer you will need to start from Alta Lake Road, which increases the stats to 25.6km and 1,760m. It also comes with some scrambling at the end to avoid the glacier. A winter approach is shorter with less elevation gain, but requires snow travel while carrying heavy backpacks. The ideal timing is when snow conditions are firm to allow for seamless travel while still benefitting from the easier access and shorter day. These conditions are rare and these windows are short lived, but if you’re patient they will eventually arrive.
Assuming you go in winter from Whistler Olympic Park as we did, most of the hike is just a huge grind. You’ll slog it up to Hanging Lake, gain the ridge opposite then drop down to a plateau before beginning the steeper climb to the summit. There aren’t a lot of technical challenges, though there is a short (~100m) section that would be steep enough for avalanches to become a concern (~35 degree slope). You’ll also pass over a small, receding glacier that is generally well filled and low risk in the winter (I don’t hear many people roping up on this one, but that’s your call). Overall it’s just a big day, and if you go in snow it only makes it more challenging. That being said, time it well and the winter route is likely an easier and more pleasant option than the summer route.
Rainbow Mountain Route Information
The trailhead for Rainbow is in Whistler Olympic Park, which charges a fee and has opening/closing hours, so make sure to check them out on their website. You’ll want to park in the backcountry parking lot near the Biathlon Parking at the very end of the road. Alternatively if you don’t want to pay for parking or want to avoid gate hour restrictions (most do) you can park at Alexander Falls for free and hike the extra 3.5km (each way) to the trailhead.
From the backcountry parking lot there should be good signage directing people towards Hanging Lake, so keep an eye out. The route will hike past the biathlon firing range before quickly entering the forest. For around 500m you’ll climb gradually through a lightly wooded area adjacent to a groomed backcountry ski track before reaching a junction with a trail leading up to your left. There will be some obvious signage pointing towards Hanging Lake, so join this trail and from here on out there is only one way to go. Most of the time the trail is very hard packed here due to the volume of visitors to the Hanging Lake region. Unless there has been heavy snow recently you will likely be able to use microspikes all the way to Hanging Lake.
Over the next two kilometers the trail meanders through the forest with a decent amount of steep and icy slopes. At around the 3km mark you’ll reach a large boulder field below a cliff band. You want to avoid ascending this boulder field and instead traverse the bottom of it, sticking close to the forest. In around 500m you’ll reach Hanging Lake and the views begin to open up. Immediately you will see the imposing Rainbow Mountain on the horizon. Most people stop for a break on Hanging Lake to refuel and perhaps put on snowshoes if needed.
After crossing the lake you’ll want to gain the ridge on the opposite side. Tracks tend to split up here and people make their own way, so pick your own route based on what you see. Once on the ridge you’ll see the imposing Rainbow in all its glory. You’ll now drop off the ridge, gradually descending to a plateau on the southwest slopes of Rainbow. It’s all self guided from here on out, but there’s often a set of skin tracks to guide the way.
You’ll now begin climbing the massif itself. While fairly steep the entire time, it’s usually straightforward travel. Spectrum Peak will be on your back as you ascend, and ahead you will see a couple of cliffy buttes. You’ll stay in front of both of these, continuing the climb to around 1,800m. At this point you’ll enter a bit of a bowl before the steepest part of the day. Between ~1,850 – 1,970m the gradient picks up, now covering a slope angle closing in on 35 degrees. You can most likely manage in just snowshoes, but some skiers will likely bootpack up this section given the steepness.
Soon enough you’ll be back on mellower terrain, though the climb continues to be relentless. At around 2,100m you’ll top out on a ridge thinking the end is close, only to see the true summit further ahead, as well as the famous wind scoop. This is another good place for a rest before the final push. The summer and winter route diverge here, once ascending from the SW with the other (winter) approaching from the east. Once ready to continue, you’ll drop down slightly before crossing over the glacier and working your way around this impressive natural wind scoop feature.
As you do, you continue climbing to a col between the true summit and a sub summit. You’ll then wrap around the back of this ridge, with a short section of steep sidehilling before a simple ascent to the top. The summit is broad and spacious, so much so that helicopters often bring people up here for special occasions (wedding photo shoots etc.). Don’t be surprised if you see one on a sunny weekend. The summit is also often very windy and cold, so how long you stick around depends on conditions.
Once you’re finished up top, you simply retrace your steps back. The descent is mostly straightforward, albeit tiring after a long day.
When should I hike Rainbow Mountain?
If you’re aiming to go in snow then ideal timing really depends on recent conditions. Peak season is typically December – April (when WOP is open for business – check their site). Outside of WOP business hours the approach will likely be difficult (the trail to Hanging Lake might be rough and hard to follow) and you’re less likely to have skin tracks. At this point your best bet might be to go via Alta Lake Road.
Obviously if you plan to do this in summer then you would need to go from Alta Lake Road. You’d probably want to wait for perfect conditions (no snow at all) at this point, which means July – September would be ideal.
Top Tip
Timing is key for Rainbow in the winter. Ideally you want a bulletproof snowpack and/or a solid set of skin tracks to follow all the way. This will make life much easier. If you do this after fresh snow then there is a good chance you won’t make it at all.
Most parties will want to start from Alexander Falls to avoid a time constraint with the WOP gate. The gate usually means you only have ~7.5 hours to do this hike, which most parties will not be able to do unless they are very strong and the conditions are ideal.
You can almost always get away with wearing microspikes on the trail to Hanging Lake, but after that there is a good chance you will need snowshoes. Most parties will not need crampons or an ice axe, though you may want to bring them for the steep slope at ~1,850m. Avalanche gear is of course recommended.
