Garibaldi Lake : Distance 18km. , Elevation :1450m., Elevation Gain : 800m, Time required : 6 hours * Can be extended to an overniter if you go to Taylor Meadows and then Black Tusk the next day . Located 35km. north of Squamish , look for a sign marked Garibaldi Park/Black Tusk , turn right off the Hwy. at Rubble Creek and head up to the parking lot .In the summer this lot has it’s share of break-ins so leave your car empty . That being said , I have a rather sleek looking Honda S.I. and no one went near it . Just make sure the rats can’t see anything worth taking . The trail starts at the north east end of the upper parking lot and is a fairly wide pleasant path . The trail is a steady grade up with a large number of switch backs but fear not, there is a nice cool creek about 30 min from the parking lot so if it is a hot day this is a good place to cool your brow before you push on . Along the way are white marker posts to keep you informed of your progress . About 2 hours into the trail you can start to see views of The Barrier . There is a short side trail to your right that brings you out into the open and onto some large boulders for a better view . This big natural dam was formed 12,000 years ago when lava from Mount Price slammed into a big glacier . The was a landslide in 1855 and a rock slab 500m long , 300m high , 500m deep came off the face of The Barrier .... must have been an incredible sight to see . You can see the remnants of the rockfall in the valley below .
Just past the 6km. marker is the turnoff for Taylor Meadows and the campground and you should be near to Barrier lake . This is a great place to stop for a break knowing most of your climbing is done . From this point the trail to Garibaldi lake is about 3km. Wind your way around this small lake and you’ll soon see Lesser Garibaldi down below you to your right . You will come to a junction where the trail goes off to Taylor Meadows or straight ahead to the lake . You can just see a small bridge below you and to the right ,from here the trail winds it’s way along a feeder creek to the main lake . There is a shelter at the lake and a ranger station and 300m more are the campgrounds . The trail is not as hard as it sounds . On the way there I passed 3 little Asian girls ( about 14 ) loaded with what looked like very heavy packs . They were giggling and laughing the whole way into the lake .
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