We ventured out to Callaghan Lake near Whistler, BC in late June to make our way up to the beautiful alpine Cirque Lake. The trailhead to Cirque Lake is only accessible by boat, so we brought our trusty folding canoe with us.
Driving and Camping
We had two surprises on our way up there.
First, we were delighted to find multiple spots still available Friday night at the Callaghan Lake Rec Site. But the forecast wasn’t so great, so that may have been why.
Secondly, we saw a grizzly bear! I have never seen one in my life in the wild and I imagine I will never again.
The road is a forest service road and all gravel. It’s mostly in good shape, except for the medium-sized water bars. We drove our truck and I imagine a two-wheel drive car would not make it.
Paddling
We set up our folding canoe and then were off on a calm paddle across Callaghan Lake. Jasper (our puppy) is still learning chill in a canoe and had dumped us out of the boat recently. So we carefully waterproofed everything inside our hiking bags and attached our bags to the boat incase we went for a swim. But luckily, we did not.
Hiking
The hike is only 3km long with 354m of elevation, but it’s steep and challenging. There is a large section of talus and boulders that is a bit tricky to navigate. Once we got into the alpine, we were mostly met with snow. We did not use microspikes, but I did have on gators and waterproof boots.
Want to learn more? Watch our video trip report! Please remember to like, subscribe and share.
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