Blanca lake squamish

Experience this Generally considered a challenging route, it takes an average of 5 h 52 min to complete.

Difficulty: Moderate Distance: Dogs Permitted? Follow this until you reach the E spur road, which you drive up to the very end to the trailhead. Blanca Peak is an easily hiked summit located northeast of the lake, offering panoramic views in a truly remote region. While Blanca Lake is located closer to Whistler than Squamish, access is from the Squamish Valley Road and indeed is the most challenging part of this trip. You will be driving a full 40km along forest service roads in order to access the trailhead, taking around 3 hours from Vancouver. An SUV can likely make it to the E spur road, and indeed up most of it, but you will likely have to park further down the E spur as the road deteriorates, increasing the distance and elevation gain of the hike.

Blanca lake squamish

This area locates not far from the confluence of Elaho River and Squamish River and can also be considered as the very southern extension of Pemberton Icecap. Logging roads had been pushed to m elevation on the southern slopes and a trail had been built to access Blanca Lake. Because of the easy access and the scenic terrain this area had caught a lot of attention on social media these days, such that even on weekday one can expect to encounter multiple parties. I had heard about this peak years ago but my plan had always been to ascend it on snowshoes in spring, but after seeing so many summer photos of the lakes I changed my mind this year. We anticipated some slow show on the roads so agreed to meet up at am at the church in West Vancouver. This further meant a wake-up call at am for me, which was pretty tiring. The drive to Squamish was without event and the foray into the upper Squamish River valley was as expected, slow due to the endless pot holes. Right off the bat we went too far and missed the actual trail-head. Thankfully I have a habit to check GPS every few minutes and realized the mistake before it came really costy. We opted to side-hill across the cut-block with some minor bushwhacking to join the trail since none of us wanted elevation loss and regain. I could not comment whether this was a faster option than simply back-tracking but it worked out well. Francis then set up a blistering pace for the next m elevation gain until the trail petered out on a flat bench. I was really struggling to keep up the pace. This section was extremely muddy and actually boasted some annoying elevation loss that could definitely become frustrating a few hours later on the return. We rock-hopped across the main creek.

Due to the region that Blanca Lake is located, this is a summer only option once the snowline has risen above the FSR. The highest point of the trail is at Virgin Lake and then descends to the southern shore of the gorgeous blue lake below, blanca lake squamish. Blanca lake squamish the winter months, bringing microspikes for icy sections is recommended, especially for the steep switchbacks along the trail.

Try this Generally considered a challenging route. This trail is great for hiking, and it's unlikely you'll encounter many other people while exploring. The best times to visit this trail are August through September. Note that trailhead is at m, with a high clearance 4x4, there is no problem to get to the trailhead.

Blanca Lake has been at the back of my mind for some years now. Sign me up! The final stretch was steep and loose, and there were water bars which caused us to leave our car 3 kms from the trailhead. Our friends and their five year old had driven up a bit earlier, keen to get an early start as usual. When we made our final turn onto the little logging road that would take us to the trailhead, we were surprised to see their car parked right there!

Blanca lake squamish

There are a couple small early fall weather small creek crossings 1m wide that require some boulder hopping or log balancing. The trail is mostly obvious but for a small section of boulders and a boggy creek-side area, but ravine sides and Blanca Peak in view keep you oriented. Having cancelled our Blanca plans last weekend due to rains—and snow above m—my friend Mark noticed sunny window was predicted for Friday, September 24, so within 24hrs we had Googled and asked friends about the route—both the road and the hike—and set off from Squamish on our motorbikes at am with our daypacks, a couple lunches, the Gaia GPS app and a Back Road Map Book. From there we take the traffic-calmed Government Road for a couple kilometres before the T-intersection and left-turn on to Squamish Valley Road. We stay on this road, following the east bank of its namesake river, for the majority of the drive to the trailhead. From here road condition is mostly wide, smooth, hard-packed gravel, though heavily potholed from the frequent recreation traffic: rafting buses to luxury SUVs, GS motorbikes to beat-up enduros, the ubiquitous tent-topped Tacoma trucks, and Honda Civics with teenagers partying along the river sandbars. We average about 50kph along this section.

Bugha actualmente

We traversed across this bench for almost a kilometer due north before making the final push to the summit. We had successfully circumnavigated Blanca Lake, despite getting cliffed out a couple times, and managed to tag Blanca Peak in the process. Lot was almost full by the time we returned at 3 PM. On a clear day, visitors will be treated to great views of Glacier Peak and Columbia Peak across the valley. Getting here in a truck is no problem. We meandered down toward Blanca Lake, making our way to the west so we could get a look down to the lake. An hour or so into the hike we were warned by a couple of hikers of a grizzly near the trail, therefore, they were turning back. The traverse under the cliffs on somewhat unstable talus went well and after a short elevation gain of less than m, we were at the gap in the ridge. Gili November 2, at pm. Length 7. Some mud to navigate en route, in spite of the very dry weather of late, but not much more of any challenge. Joanna Marsolais. This trail is great for hiking, and it's unlikely you'll encounter many other people while exploring. This time it was slightly higher up than where we saw it last. Cody and I got what felt like a pretty early start, but the drive up the logging road took ages and we ran into further delays when we got to where the trailhead was supposed to be and encountered active logging.

Difficulty: Moderate Distance: Dogs Permitted? Follow this until you reach the E spur road, which you drive up to the very end to the trailhead.

Long slog up the switchbacks. Try this Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest are subject to seasonal closure. Definitely a place to return to and explore some more. Due to the difficulty of accessing this area and the stunning setting Blanca Lake is in, many people opt to camp around the lake so as to allow more time to explore. There are numerous lakes dotted around, mostly to the west, and the whole area is a joy to explore. There was certainly no obvious trailhead as it appeared the brand new road had essentially been built right where the trail used to be. Started coming back down before the heat of the day started setting in so we didn't have to deal with soft snow. Trail was in great condition and we had it all to ourselves. Soon we crested the ridge and got a look to the northwest. The first three miles of the hike are straight up and it's hard, but not impossible I'm not in the best hiking shape and I was definitely breathing hard and had to take a few breaks, but I was fine. No micro spikes needed. Helpful to have poles. Really Clear Lake was now directly south of us and the whole of the Ashlu-Elaho Divide provided a stunning backdrop. Skip to content.