Elfin Lakes are two lakes in
Garibaldi Provincial Park
Garibaldi Provincial Park, also called Garibaldi Park, is a wilderness park located on the coastal mainland of British Columbia, Canada, 70 kilometres (43.5 mi) north of Vancouver. It was established in 1920 and named a Class A Provincial P ...
that are popular for hiking, snowshoeing, skiing, and mountain bicycling trail located east of
Squamish,
British Columbia
British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...
,
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
.
History
The name was adopted in 1978 when it was identified in a pamphlet for the local lodge. However, a 1946 letter from W.H. Matthews, a Vancouver City Archivist notes that the lakes were once called Crystal Lakes but were never found on any maps.
["Elfin Lakes." Crown Registry and Geographic Base. GeoBC. Web. 22 Oct 2011.]
The area has always been a popular destination for hikers and skiers since the creation of the park in the 1927. Then a local lodge was built in the early 1940s by Joan Mathews, Ottar Brandvold, and his brother Emil and was called the Diamond Head Chalet, but it is now unused and decaying. It attracted many hikers and backcountry skiers. Eventually the owners retired, and ownership was transferred to BC Parks. They chose to not maintain it and built the new Elfin Lakes shelter a few metres south. However, the road that was built is still used as a trail and service road. A moving film made by the Brandvolds showcases Garibaldi Park and the Diamond Head Chalet.
Recreation
All recreational activities in the area are governed by the regulations of Garibaldi Provincial Park. Primary access to the lake is via an 11 km (5.5 mi) long trail, which gains approximately of elevation from the trailhead. There are campgrounds and an overnight shelter at the lakes and campgrounds and a day-use shelter or a winter overnight shelter in Red Heather Meadows. During winter, the lake is typically frozen from late December to late April. Much of the trail up is on a rarely used forest service road and has an approximate grade of 5.5%. Approximately half of the trail is in forest, while the remaining half is in alpine meadows with clear views of the surrounding mountains. There are separate trails for mountain bicycling, hiking, and winter use. Hiking trails continue past Elfin Lakes towards
Opal Cone
Opal Cone is a cinder cone located on the southeast flank of Mount Garibaldi in the Coast Mountains of British Columbia, Canada. It is the source of a long broad dacite lava flow with prominent wrinkled ridges. The lava flow is unusually long fo ...
,
Mamquam Lake,
Columnar Peak,
The Gargoyles
The Gargoyles are two mountain peaks in the Garibaldi Ranges of the Pacific Ranges in southwestern British Columbia, Canada. The highest peak has an elevation of whereas the lowest peak has an elevation of . A deeply eroded obsidian lava dome, d ...
, and
Atwell Peak
Atwell Peak is a dramatic pyramid shaped volcanic peak located at the southern edge of Mount Garibaldi, British Columbia, Canada. Atwell Peak was the source of many pyroclastic flows during Garibaldi's development. Frequent landslides on its we ...
. It is also possible to travel to
Mount Garibaldi
Mount Garibaldi (known as Nch'kaý to the indigenous Squamish people) is a dormant stratovolcano in the Garibaldi Ranges of the Pacific Ranges in southwestern British Columbia, Canada. It has a maximum elevation of and rises above the surroundi ...
and
Diamond Head in the winter. Swimming is permitted in the top lake, and the lower lake is reserved for drinking water only.
See also
*
Garibaldi Lake
Garibaldi Lake is a turquoise-coloured alpine lake in British Columbia, Canada, located 37 km (23 mi) north of Squamish and 19 km (12 mi) south of Whistler. The lake lies within Garibaldi Provincial Park, which features mount ...
References
External links
BCParks - Garibaldi pageLive Trails: Elfin LakesHiking to Elfin Lakes* Outdoor Vancouver
Elfin Lakes Hiking Guide
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Hiking trails in British Columbia
Lakes of British Columbia
New Westminster Land District