The first view of Garibaldi Lake is a welcome sight after 3 hours of switchback trails.

Early morning sunshine on Garibaldi Lake with one of the Battleship Islands in the foreground.

Mount Price and one of the Battleship Islands reflected on Garibaldi Lake.

The path to the wildflowers of Taylor Meadows.

Red and blue wildflowers along a stream in Taylor Meadows.

An interesting ring of clouds hangs above Black Tusk.

The volcanic spires on the Black Tusk approach.

The view of Mount Garibaldi from the summit of Black Tusk.

Garibaldi Lake: Very Chilly!

I braved the ice cold waters to check out this neat offshore island.

Garibaldi Lake is in Garibaldi Highlands Park in the Sea-to-Sky corridor between Vancouver and Whistler. The turn-off for the access road is about 20 minutes past the town of Squamish.

From the parking lot, the hike to the lake is 3 hours of switchbacks  to the campground on a ancient volcanic lava bed beside Garibaldi Lake. Around the spectacular camp site are huge pillars of fascinating lava rock, views of the extinct volcano plug known as the Black Tusk and a beautiful archipelago of islands known as the Battleship Islands. From the southern shore you have an excellent view of the Sphinx Glacier across the lake. In the winter, you can ski across the lake and explore the Sphinx, Mount Garibaldi and Diamond Head Glaciers and then continue on to the  Elphin Lakes at the other end of the provincial park.

Towering to the south is 2,678 m (8,786 feet) Mount Garibaldi, an extinct volcano in the Pacific Ring of Fire chain that includes Mount Baker, Mount Rainier, Mount St. Helens and Mount Shasta to the south. To the north of Garibaldi Lake rises the distinctive black rock of 2,319 metres (7,608 feet) Black Tusk, a mysterious looking volcanic spire that is highly visible from the upper alpine of Whistler Blackcomb. From the top of both peaks you can see edge of the Pacific Ocean in Howe Sound. Mount Garibaldi is the dominant peakabove the outdoor adventure town of Squamish.

The Black Tusk is one of the most distinctive mountain peak seen from the upper alpine on Whistler Mountain. Between Garibaldi Lake and The Black Tusk lies the summer wildflower display on the Taylor Meadows and Black Tusk meadows. Peaceful glacial-fed streams, waterfalls and alpine lakes dot the spectacular alpine meadows. Above the meadows lies the steep climb to Black Tusk and another great hike to Panorama Ridge which overlooks Garibaldi Lake and the Tantalus Range.

From the top of Black Tusk you can see the edge of Whistler Mountain, Helms Glacier, the Cloudburst Range, the Tantalus Range and all the way to the Pacific Ocean at the edge of Howe Sound. I strongly recommended this hike.