What to do in Whistler this summer
As the snow melts, some of British Columbia’s most dramatic peaks unveil themselves as a summer playground for hikers, bikers and nature-lovers, while Whistler Village is home to some of Western Canada’s finest cultural institutions.
With its glacier-crowned peaks and long, powder-heavy pistes, Whistler is a dream winter sports destination. But Canada’s largest ski resort — officially called Whistler Blackcomb, after its two mountains — is attracting an increasing number of summer visitors. And with good reason. Travel just two hours north of Vancouver and you’ll find the melting snow brings a host of seasonal adventures.
This is the time to hike through the wildflower meadows carpeting the resort’s forested valley; zip-line over lush rainforest canopy and steep, river-carved ravines; or plunge into the bracing waters of a cedar-lined lake. It’s all possible in warmer months, when daytime highs hover around 28C and the sun lingers long in the sky. Here’s how to make the most of Whistler from May to August.
Get a dose of culture
Whistler was originally a fishing resort, popular in the 1930s, but it opened for skiers in 1966 — and it’s since drawn all sorts of adrenaline junkies, from mountain bikers to snowmobilers. But it isn’t all about heart-pumping pursuits here — Whistler Village, the sizable pedestrian hamlet at the base of its mountains, contains some of Western Canada’s finest cultural institutions. Don’t miss the Squamish Lil’wat Cultural Centre, where visitors can learn about the customs and history of the two nations whose ancestral lands encompassed the Whistler area. Hourly tours led by Indigenous guides begin with a traditional welcome song beat out on a hand drum. Next door, the Audain Art Museum houses a permanent collection of 300 works by artists from British Columbia, including Emily Carr’s bold landscape paintings and James Hart’s towering red cedar carving.
Also in the village, you’ll find the Whistler Museum — dedicated to the history of the town — and Whistler Public Library, which has won both architecture and sustainability awards for its self-sufficient design and slanted, greenery-covered roof.
Reach new heights
Whistler’s jagged, snow-dusted peaks and glacier-carved valleys are best seen from above. Luckily, there are several ways to do this — including the famed Peak 2 Peak gondola. Open for the summer season (May-September), this feat of engineering links the upper ridges of Blackcomb and Whistler Mountains in long, unsupported spans between towers. Hop aboard glass-bottomed cabins to feel like you’re flying over the deep, forest-blanketed valley 415 metres below.
You can take in even more dramatic vistas with Blackcomb Helicopters — tours whisk visitors high above Whistler to the top of a remote glacier. A 20-minute landing allows you to wander around the rugged, ice-mottled surface right up to the edge, where streams of meltwater feed a sunlit blue-green lake below. Or try Ziptrek Ecotours for a real bird’s eye view. With the longest zip-line in Canada and the US, it offers brave visitors the chance to soar through Whistler and Blackcomb’s temperate rainforest-cloaked slopes.
Lace up your hiking boots
From thrilling alpine scrambles to laid-back lakeside strolls, Whistler’s varied terrain and extensive network of well-kept trails make it a dream destination for hikers. The most spectacular route — Garibaldi Lake — is an 11-mile there-and-back trail in nearby Garibaldi Park, taking you up densely forested mountain slopes and emerging at a glacier-fed basin. For equally epic views, try the six-mile path that curves along Joffre Lakes — three electric-blue mountainside pools connected by bubbling forest streams and tumbling cascades.
For those after a gentler ramble, Whistler Train Wreck hike is a local icon. The 1.2-mile forest trail winds its way through mossy forest and over a suspension bridge, ending at the site of a 1956 train wreck. Today, the abandoned, overturned box cars have become something of an open-air gallery, scrawled with colourful graffiti by local artists.
Have some down time
Though much of summer in Whistler is about getting out and about, there are still plenty of ways to slow your pulse. Take the Scandinave Spa — inspired by Nordic bathing culture, this sprawling outdoor retreat is built around a thermal circuit that alternates between hot and cold therapies. Set in quiet woods, it has Finnish saunas, eucalyptus steam rooms, hot pools, cold plunges and several relaxation areas under the shade of towering pines.
For a relaxing experience right off the slopes, opt for Fairmont Chateau Whistler’s Vida Spa. The extensive massage menu — inspired by Ayurvedic principles of balancing mind and spirit — includes sleep-promotion, botanical aromatherapy and shiatsu treatments. Or try forest bathing on a walk along the Lost Lake trail, a 3.2-mile loop that starts near Whistler village, weaving past old-growth cedars and ending at the eponymous lake. When the weather’s warm, bathers roll out their towels on the man-made beach, cooling down with sips of beer and dips in the water. For more waterside relaxation, Alta Lake and Green Lake — the latter named for its glittering emerald colour in summer — beckon. Rent a paddleboard or kayak and get out in the early morning, when the air is still and the mountains reflect on the water’s surface.
Take a two-wheel tour
In summer, Whistler turns into a mountain biking hotspot — and if you’re up for a rugged, thigh-burning challenge, there are plenty of trails to choose from. The most popular is the Top of the World alpine ride, starting high on Whistler Mountain and delivering heart-stopping, panoramic views of powder-white peaks unfolding towards a clear blue horizon. For those looking for less intense rides, the extensive Valley Trail network at the base of the mountains is a series of gravel paths linking forests, lakes and wetland, where you can occasionally spy eagles soaring over the treetops.
For more wildlife-spotting opportunities, the quiet Cheakamus River area features a series of woodland trails cutting through major wildlife habitat. During summer, black bears can often be seen feasting on the berries that grow in this part of the valley. The Function Junction neighbourhood is a popular launch point for biking in the area — a laid-back alternative to Whistler Village, with breweries, coffee roasters and art galleries, plus bike shops where you can rent your ride for the day.
