Exchange Zones

We met at 8am in West Vancouver.  As there were only eight of us, it was easy to divide into two groups of four people each to continue our journey in two cars only.

To get to the Garibaldi Park from Vancouver you need to take the Sea To Sky Highway (Hwy 99) past the intersection for downtown Squamish. There is a BC Parks sign for Garibaldi Park/Diamond Head. You need to turn east here off the highway onto Mamquam Road. The paved road changes to gravel one, and about 8 km from highway the road forks. Stay left for about another 8 km to the parking lot.

The hike from the parking lot to Elfin Lakes is relatively easy. It stretches through 11 kilometers with about 600 meters elevation gain. Most of the time the trail follows something that looks like old logging road. The trail seems to be also popular among mountain bikers.

First part of the hikes leads through the forest where I spotted a huge mushroom. I am not an expert mushroom picker but I had a fair share of this activity in my native Poland and I know a few most popular mushroom varieties. The specimen I found at the edge of the road looked very much like “boletus edulis”  also known by the popular name of “Porcini”. The only trouble I had with it was the size. It looked like at least three times larger than any such mushroom I have ever seen in my teenage years in Poland. Although this kind of mushroom is very much sought after I decided to leave it there untouched as it seemed to me simply too large to be true… However on my return home I searched the net and I found out that indeed a fully mature specimens can weigh about 2 pounds or 1 kg. So I realized once again that everything is indeed much bigger in Canada. I regret having left this mushroom untouched as it would probably provide me with two delicious dinners. Well, next time I will know better…

After about 5 kilometers we arrived at Red Heather. It is a day use shelter with two picnic tables, cooking facilities, toilet and even a wood stove for winter use.

From now on the trail meanders through red heather fields with fewer and fewer trees, to eventually give way to sub-alpine area. That’s where the views are really breath-taking. The air is clean and crisp. The nature astounding: snow-capped mountain peaks, glaciers, lakes, and… serenity.

There is another shelter at Elfin Lakes. I was surprised to learn that this actually is a night shelter with several bunks to spread your bones on. There are also the usual cooking facilities, toilet, etc. I think it is a good idea to stay overnight in this shelter and continue the next day for other destinations in the area. If you do not stay there, you will have to go back 11 km to the parking lot at the bottom of the trail. Give yourself 5 to 6 hours of leisurely hike from the parking lot to Elfin Lakes and back.