Tag: whistler

Guide to Beaches and Paddling Lakes on the Sea to Sky Highway

Guide to Beaches and Paddling Lakes on the Sea to Sky Highway

The Sea to Sky Highway linking Vancouver to Whistler and Pemberton is one of the most beautiful drives in the world. Weekend warriors load up every Friday evening and fill up the parking lots to every easily accessible lake, trail, and park along the road.…

How to Ski with your Dog (and where)

How to Ski with your Dog (and where)

How to start, things to think about, and where to go! I love getting outdoors with my Vizslas and when it snows, we still head out. Cross country and backcountry skiing is a really fun way to keep dogs active with you during the winter…

Ultimate List of Dog-Friendly Hikes in Squamish/Sea to Sky

Ultimate List of Dog-Friendly Hikes in Squamish/Sea to Sky

warnings:

Most of Squamish is officially dogs-on-leash however you’ll find most people skirt these rules outside of the downtown areas. Squamish, including downtown has loads of wildlife you must be aware and prepared for. DO NOT let your dogs off leash if you cannot recall them from wildlife. You will find Black Bears, Coyotes, Eagles everywhere throughout Squamish including residential areas. There are also Cougar sightings almost constantly in one trail or another, and less common are wolves, Grizzly bears, bobcat, and elk. Check trail reports before you go to avoid cougar and bear sightings.

Here’s a list of beaches and lakes to take your dog paddling along the Sea to Sky from Vancouver to Pemberton and beyond!

Wonderland Trail is super green in the winter

Parking is very limited in the summer in certain places, especially weekends. Avoid busy areas with dogs as a curtesy of other trail users. Trails may close due to Grizzlies and Black bear issues so check before leaving. Roads can close due to flooding/washouts. Roads and parking are also different in the winter as many FSRs are snowed in and never ploughed. Chains are usually necessary in the winters. Check avalanche forecasts and have knowledge before you head out. Many areas have no reception so download or print maps, and have a point of contact if your car breaks down.

Alexander Falls Frozen in the Winter

Easy- 1 hourish

Ray Peters
Very flat, official dog-off leash area, can be close to the highway so be aware, bears, coyotes, lots of options to make your own, also good for biking

Alexander Falls
Winter hike, entrance fee to Callaghan, microspikes advised

Whistler Trainwreck
Several entry points, watch for trains and broken bottles, metal on the ground

Wonderland
Close to highway, so be aware! Great for running on-leash or biking

Cat Lake
Extremely busy in summer, AWD, not ploughed in winter

Starvation Lake/ Cheakamus Canyon
AWD advised to park in the canyon, must leash up to start by highway

Crumpit Woods is close to town but beautiful views

Moderate- under 3 hours, uneven ground

Crumpit Woods
Easy to get lost, bears and cougars sometimes present, lots of trail options

Murrin Lake/Jurassic Ridge
Must leash around lake, no dogs around lake, busy in the summer, easy to get lost

Murrin Lake views overlooking the Howe Sound

4 Lakes Loop
Very busy in the summer, No dogs at Alice lake (walk on road do not follow the map), lots of offshoot bike trails to add-on, limited parking

Smoke Bluffs
Easy to get lost on the trails, Lots of viewpoints

Brohm Lake
Very busy in the summer, lots of trail options, awesome views from viewpoint, places to dip in the lake, leash near highway, very limited parking

Crooked Falls
Road can flood, AWD, Leash around waterfall, No reception

Tunnel Bluffs

Moderate/Hard- under 4 hours, uneven ground, steep sections, trailfinding

Watersprite
Very busy in the summer, Bears almost constant in the summer, cougar area, no reception, winter route is different, cars will need chains in the winter

Debeck’s Hill
Short but steep and easy to be lost, several options, views aren’t great

Chief
Very busy in the summer, may need daypass, leash around steep areas, 3 peaks for options

Sea to Sky Gondola/Sea to Summit Trail
Buy dog ticket at the bottom to go down by gondola, steep sections, rope areas, microspikes on icy days needed

High Falls
Easy to get lost, Grizzly and black bears, AWD, no reception, leash near falls

Tunnel Bluffs
Very busy in summer, log crossings, Black Bears, paid parking, limited parking

Triconi is a real scramble

Experienced only

Brandywine
Black bears, busy in summer, closed during snowmobile season, awd to lower parking, 4wd to higher parking, No reception, no trail past meadows

Triconi Peak
Scrambling and boulder fields, 4wd with clearance, wasps, black and grizzly bears,

Lake Lovely Water
Fast water crossing (need boat), wasps, bears, busy in the summer, no reception, no water, no dogs allowed in hut

Seed peak
AWD, routefinding, steep sections with rope, no reception

Brandywine is beautiful, but it’s true wilderness

Last warnings!

Be aware of human feces that might be laced with drugs on trails. This is a common problem especially around where people camp, on bike trails, and busy trails. If you notice excessive panting, dilated eyes, excessive drooling, disorientation, turn back immediately and seek help. Another common issue are dogs chasing (or being chased) by bears. In both cases you should be in control of your dogs as there is very little help out of reception. Wasps can sting out of seemingly nowhere (when you pass through a ground nest) and dogs may bolt or be allergic so it’s good to have anti allergy drugs. Lastly, water loving dogs need to be leashed near fast moving water especially Lake Lovely Water, Crooked Falls, High Falls, and Sea to Sky Gondola hike. Dogs have died on these rivers that turn into waterfalls.

Crooked Falls, slippery and a deadly fall

Not Dog Friendly

These places dogs are absolutely not allowed!

Garibaldi Park (Garibaldi Lake, Wedgemount Lake, Elfin Lakes, Black Tusk), both sides of Whistler due to watershed/park rules (Blackcomb, Whistler peak, Rainbow Lake, Cheakamus Lake, Iceberg Lake, Mount Sproatt) as well as Joffre Lakes and Tenquille Lakes further north.


Check out more on a list of beaches and lakes to take your dog paddling! And here’s a post on how to each your dog to recall off leash as well as a recall challenge to try before heading out into bear country! Support my page by checking out my shop redbarkshop.com

Callaghan Skiing Off Leash

Callaghan Skiing Off Leash

Cross country skiing off leash Now for a fun post: I cannot believe we haven’t been to Callaghan Valley’s Olympic Nordic center (close to Whistler) before! We are super lucky because they have a cross country skiing area that allows off leash dogs (isn’t that the…

Limping episode resolved!

Limping episode resolved!

At Whistler for her treatment Awhile back, we had a scary episode where Whiskey was suddenly limping and wouldn’t use her left hind leg. We had taken to her to emergency and had no answers after a rather large bill (xrays were fine).  It strangely…

Stawamus-Chief Hike

Stawamus-Chief Hike

This weekend we finally had beautiful weather and enough time to head to Squamish for “The Chief” hike. One of our old favorites it has become so popular that over the last 5 years it’s come to rival the “Grouse Grind” for the must-do hike in Vancouver (even though I don’t consider the grind a hike). I now only do the Chief when conditions are such that I can avoid crowds. In November when the trail is full of ice and snow, the peaks chilly with arctic winds, we met relatively few hikers and had a blast.

on top of the Squamish world
Ice and sun

Whereas 7 years ago when I first did this hike there were few stairs and it really did feel like a natural hike, nowadays the trail is mostly comprised of  man-made wooden or rock stairs, especially to the first peak.  There are 3 peaks in total and I normally climb the third, then second and call it done. Most people do the peaks in numerical order so you avoid any lineups going the opposite way. Also the trail down from 3rd peak is the most rugged and hardest on bad knees (we’ve got a few bad knees in our pack) so I prefer going up that way.

We start at the Shannon Falls parking
Just starting out
Seriously Mom? You want me to climb that?
I’m doing it! Whooop!

Whiskey was super stoked to get going, especially since she was shivering right out of the car. Of course as soon as we started the upward trail we were all shedding our layers and pretty soon down to one shirt.

Puppy on a mountain
On Third Peak
It’s an amazing view from here
Looking north to Whistler
In the summer I would lie down and nap here
Watch out for chipmunks and crows that like to lure the dogs to the edge
Looking south from 2nd peak

The peak on 3rd was happily wind-free, and as we crossed the quick section to 2nd peak the sun was threatening to set. Coming down from 2nd peak is a challenge with a dog (many people don’t attempt 2nd with a large dog) because there is a ladder and chain section. Whiskey was a little nervous but was carried down with no drama (except the Vizsla drama). Check out those sad sad eyes! She was gripping so hard, I sometimes wonder that she isn’t human.

Heading down from 2nd peak
It’s a good thing she’s so used to being carried
Oh that sad face
the drama! It was too icy to put her down
awwwww
Here I’m happy I don’t have a larger dog
We handed her down

For those that want to avoid crowds in the summer, a nice side trail off from Chief is the Upper Shannon Falls hike. I’m sure we’ll do that one with Whiskey soon! I’m just super stoked that she’s big enough now to do “proper” hikes.

Our hiking family
Whistler Weekend

Whistler Weekend

We were off to Whistler last weekend and though forecast was bleak, we had really good luck with the timing of rain. Because we both work full time, sometimes our lives seem nothing more than walk the dog, eat, work, walk the dog, eat, laundry,…

Camping with a puppy

Camping with a puppy

Boy oh boy!  At first I wasn’t so sure about camping but I knew that if it worked out, Whiskey would be the happiest little Vizsla.  We had a couple hurdles to overcome but leapt over each and everyone of them: So we were supposed…