Garibaldi Lake Trail

The Garibaldi Lake Trail is meticulously maintained by BC Parks.   All junctions are marked with trail destinations and distances. 

Route:  The Garibaldi Lake Trail is the main trail connecting with Black Tusk Meadows Trail and S end of Helm Lake Trail. Trail maps are available at the trailhead or from BC Parks, but do not show much geographic detail. The route switchbacks up the north side of Rubble Creek and then swings around the north sides of Barrier Lake and Lesser Garibaldi Lake to Garibaldi Lake.  

How to Find: From Squamish, drive north on Highway 99 about 35 km, then turn right (east) onto the Rubble Creek Road, and then drive another 2.6km up to the Garibaldi Lake parking lot. The turn is marked by a BC Parks sign to Garibaldi Lake. The turn is before Daisy Lake, if you see Daisy lake, you've gone too far.

Trail Description:  From the Rubble Creek Parking Lot, head north on the only trail, and follow the signs to Garibaldi Lake. The first part of the trail climbs steadily in the forest, somewhat away from Rubble Creek. Then approximately north of the label for "The Barrier the trail begins the exhausting switchbacks up the forested slopes just north of the open cliff of the Barrier. After the switchbacks, you see one brief view of the barrier, and then the trail runs north of Barrier Lake and lesser Garibaldi Lake, and finally reaches the outlet of Garibaldi Lake. At this point, the trail crosses a bridge to the south side of Rubble Creek. This area is labelled "Battleship Islands" on the map. The trail officially ends at the Battleship Islands campground. 

In winter, many skiers choose to ski across Barrier and Lesser Garibaldi Lakes, but a steep canyon in Rubble Creek beyond Lesser Garibaldi Lake forces a return to the trail on the north side of the creek. Garibaldi Lake usually freezes over in late December, but caution should be excercised as the far side of the lake is the last to freeze.

Outhouses are available at Rubble Creek Parking Lot, Garibaldi Lake (Battleship Islands Campground), Taylor Meadows and Black Tusk Meadows.