What Is Garibaldi Lake And Where Is It?
Garibaldi Lake is located in Garibaldi Provincial Park in Squamish, British Columbia. It is located along the trail that goes up to Panorama Ridge, a stunning overlook at Garibaldi Provincial Park. Views of the Black Tusk are also along this trail. Both Panorama Ridge and Black Tusk are much farther up along the trail and require a much more strenuous hike. This photo is taken along the shore of Garibaldi Lake. If you want to get an aerial view of Garibaldi Lake then you’ll want to embark on the much more strenuous hike all the way up to Panorama Ridge.
Squamish, British Columbia is located in western Canada and is about halfway between the major city of Vancouver and the town of Whistler. It is the same Whistler where the famous ski resort is located. In order to get to Squamish, you’ll need to take a road trip from nearby and head up the Sea To Sky Highway from Vancouver or fly into the Vancouver, Canada Airport or the Seattle, Washington Airport.
What Is It Like To Travel To Garibaldi Lake At Garibaldi Provincial Park In British Columbia?
The first thing you’ll have to go is to get to Squamish, British Columbia. You can of course road trip there or fly into the Vancouver Airport. In order to get around, you will need either a rental car or your own car. Once you are in Squamish and have a place to stay, getting to the trailhead is an easy drive.
You’ll want to head to the Rubble Creek Parking Lot to hike to Garibaldi Lake. You’ll find the start of the trail right there at the parking lot. The first part of the hike is a lot of steep switchbacks that seem to go on forever. The trail then flattens out quite a bit and from there the rest of the trail has much less inline and is much easier hiking. It is about an 18km hike (11.2 mile) round trip hike.
It is a beautiful hike in a beautiful area. During the summer there are likely to be fields of wildflowers along the way. Garibaldi Lake Campground is located close by and can serve as a midway point if you plan to hike to Panorama Ridge and prefer to stretch the hike into a two day affair instead of trying to knock it out in one day.
What Does It Take To Get A Wall Art Quality Photo Of Garibaldi Lake?
If you want to get wall art quality photos of Garibaldi Lake, you’ll need to make the hike up to Garibaldi Lake from the Rubble Creek Parking Lot. The first part of the hike is pretty strenuous switchbacks and then flattens out and has some rolling hills but nothing strenuous. Late afternoon is a good time for photos. Sunrise and sunset may also be good times but I’ve only been there once.
If you wan to go for sunrise or sunset photos, you’ll probably want to spend a night in the Garibaldi Lake campground so you can hike up before sunset and get up before sunrise the next day. Look for a clear to partly cloudy forecast with no rain predicted. Snow might make the switchbacks at the start of the hike a bit more challenging both ways but once you get past those, it is pretty clear sailing.
If you do spend the night and are up for a much more spectacular view, then plan to hike up past the Black Tuck and up to Panorama Ridge for some truly epic views!
What Is The Best Gear For Photographing Garibaldi Lake At Garibaldi Provincial Park?
When it comes to photographing Garibaldi Lake, almost any camera gear will do. If you go midday, a point and shoot or cel phone camera will do just fine for photos to share on social media.
If you want to get better quality files for larger wall art prints then a DSLR or mirrorless camera with a lens rang anywhere from 17mm to around 100mm would probably be good. While there, I had very limited time to explore the area around the lake since the primary goal was hiking to Panorama Ridge. There may be some good panoramic photo opportunities but I didn’t have time to find them.
If you’ll be photographing in low light conditions at sunrise or sunset, chances are you’ll want a tripod and a cable release. When shooting in low light, the shutter will likely need to stay open longer and it is important to keep the camera steady to ensure your photos are sharp.
What Is The Story Behind This Garibaldi Lake Wall Art Photo?
This photo was taken on a last minute trip to Squamish, British Columbia. A friend had an extra spot on a trip and asked if I wanted to go. I’d never heard of Squamish before. After looking it up online, it looked like an amazing place to spend some time hiking and photographing the area.
We flew into Vancouver where I got the third degree from the Canadian customs folks. I’m not sure what the issue was but I got stuck there and was questioned for about an hour. At the very last minute they let me go through to catch the flight. I’d been back and forth across the Canadian border plenty of times in the past with no problem. I had a print out of the lodging reservation, a return flight and no legal issues so who knows what the reason was.
Once we got to Vancouver we got a rental car and headed up to the Tantalus View Retreat Chalet. The first few days we did some smaller hikes and went to various lakes and provincial parks. When the weather looked clear and fairly warm one day we decided to hike to Panorama Ridge. You can read about the long and strenuous hike to Panorama Ridge here. Garibaldi Lake was near the tail end of the hike to Panorama Ridge. Instead of 30km, Garibaldi Lake is only about 17km round trip.
After hiking all the way up to Panorama Ridge, the trip down to Garibaldi Lake was a last minute fork in the trail as the light was fading. We were in a hurry to get back down before it got dark and didn’t spend much time at the lake.
Once we left the lake shore, darkness came quickly and we ended up rushing down the steep switchbacks with the flashlight app on out cel phones to light the way.
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