Follow the Pemberton Trail north until it meets Highway 99 and you will have covered one of the most well-preserved sections of the historic route. This is also the opening segment of the epic Cheakamus Challenge mountain bike race held in September between Brackendale and Whistler (www.cheakamuschallenge.ca).
> BEST BEAK SPOTTING
NO MATTER what time of year you adventure here, Brackendale’s Art Gallery Theatre Teahouse, just north of Depot Road, makes a good stop to learn more about bald eagles (41950 Government Road; 604-898-3333; www.brackendaleartgallery.com). Open weekends and holidays from noon to 10 pm, this birders’ hot spot hosts a variety of artistic, musical, and dramatic productions and serves up steaming bowls of soup—perfect on a frosty morning. Sculptor Thor Froslev, who began building this sprawling space in 1969, is also responsible for publicizing Brackendale as the winter home of the bald eagle and helping to develop the park. The dramatic wooden signs on Highway 99, dominated by the profile of an eagle, are his creation.
> THE INSIDE TRACK
> Camping: Squamish Valley Campground (16.5 Mile Squamish Valley Road; 604-898-1145; www.campsquamish.com); Paradise Valley Campground (Paradise Valley Road; 1-800 -922-1486 or 604-898-1486; www.paradisevalleycampground.net)
> Flightseeing: Black Tusk Helicopter (Squamish Municipal Airport, 46041 Government Road; 604-898-4800; www.blacktuskhelicopter.com)
> Kayaking: The Sea to Sky Kayaking School in North Vancouver conducts tours of the Cheakamus River and other whitewater sources around Squamish (604-898-5498; www.squamishkayak.com).
> Rock Climbing: Slipstream Rock and Ice (5010 Paradise Valley Road; 1-800 -616 -1325 or 604-898-4891; www.getclimbing.com) operates a private climbing center at Paradise Valley Crags.
> Trail Riding: Sea-to-Sky Stables (Paradise Valley; 1-866-898-3934; www.seatoskystables.com) offers trail rides, guided hikes and eagle watching tours.
> Whitewater Rafting: Those in search of a lively river experience should experience rafting the Squamish when its water levels and those of a trio of its major tributaries—the Cheakamus, Cheekye, and Mamquam rivers—are on the rise, fed by snowmelt from the local mountains. Here, each May, Canadian Outback Adventures (1-800 -565-8735; www.canadianoutback.com) ramps up for another season. In operation since 1992, COA has an enviable record not only for safely guiding rafting trips but also as a training center for aspiring river guides. (COA also runs special rafting trips for families with young children.) Their river of choice is the Cheakamus, which flows past COA’s base on Squamish Valley Road. Rafters are bused from base camp to a put-in location farther north in Paradise Valley, where the river broadens after its long run through the narrow Cheakamus Canyon. The Sunwolf Outdoor Centre, situated beside the Cheekye River Bridge, offers a variety of year-round adventure tours of the region, including eagle-watching and rafting. Sunwolf also has cabins available for rent (1-877-806 -8046; 604-898-1537; www.sunwolf.net).
From out on the river, views of the Squamish and Paradise valleys open on all sides. This is a remarkably scenic location, dominated by peaks in both Garibaldi Park to the east and the Tantalus Range to the west. Whistler River Adventures (1-888-932-3532; www.whistlerriver.com) also offers guided rafting on the Cheakamus, Elaho, and Squamish rivers.
> 4 ALICE LAKE PROVINCIAL PARK
> LOCATION : 72 km (44.6 mi) north of Vancouver, 12 km (7.4 mi) north of downtown Squamish, 46 km (28.5 mi) south of Whistler, 83 km (51.5 mi) south of Pemberton
> ACTIVITIES : Camping, fishing, hiking, mountain biking, paddling, picnicking, swimming, viewpoints, walking
> HIGHLIGHTS : Pocket lakes, wide trails, surprise views
> ACCESS : Turn east from Highway 99 at well-marked Squamish Valley Road.
WARM FRESHWATER lakes are as delightful a discovery as you can make when exploring the Sea to Sky countryside in summer, with Alice Lake the largest of a nest of four such spots just north of downtown Squamish. A popular escape long before it became a provincial park in 1956, Alice Lake was named for the wife of pioneer logger Charlie Rose. He was one of the first settlers to arrive in the Brackendale region in the 1880s and homesteaded where the park is located.
The park is a study in contrasts for first-time visitors. The formal landscaping at the lake’s eastern end—a delightful reminder of the Rose legacy—is just one example. Groomed lawns roll gently down to Alice Lake’s two beaches, a cushion of comfort for those timid souls who have yet to discover the wild green heart of the park. But explore the park more and you’ll find it a welcoming place to stretch your legs, perhaps while getting your feet accustomed to a new pair of runners or trying out a birthday bike. Walk or cycle to the ridge above it where I always enjoy the panoramic view of the Squamish Valley, Howe Sound, the Tantalus glaciers, and the Cheakamus River cutting its way through a granite gorge.
> ALICE LAKE
Access: Signs at the park entrance direct visitors to Alice Lake’s dayuse facilities and parking areas at both its northern and southern ends, and its 108 vehicle-access campsites on the northern side.
Families have thronged Alice Lake each summer for generations. Given Squamish’s growth, that’s not about to change. Fortunately, by September, a hush prevails over the lushly forested campground, in part due to the thick canopy of western hemlock that shelters much of the park. Hot showers and flush toilets, essential amenities for many campers, make for a pleasant stay. And if you’re lucky, one of the sites near both the lake and the hot showers will be vacant. Bear right at the entrance to reach these successive rows of pleasantly spaced campsites that spiral up the hillside from the lake.
Given the park’s popularity, especially on long weekends from May to August, be prepared to walk several minutes from the far corners of the parking lots to reach the beach. If you’re just stopping for a swim on a sunny day, it’s still worth the effort. Rows of tables ring the shore, each with its own barbecue. Or look for a grassy place to spread your blanket and prepare to enjoy some serious people watching. The setting, with its manicured tranquility, is enormously restful.
Lakeshore Walk, shaded by cedar groves that thrive on the moisture provided by the lake, links the picnic areas on the north and south sides of the lake. The view from the lake’s northern end of the peaks in Garibaldi Park’s Diamond Head region is the best in the park—short of the vista granted by climbing nearby DeBeck’s Hill. At night, when the stars reflect off the lake’s still surface, the finest viewing of the open sky and its cosmic wonders—such as a moonrise over the peaks in nearby Garibaldi Park—is gloriously viewed from the beach, or, even better, from a boat in the middle of the lake.
Of the four lakes in the park, Alice is the one most suitable for paddling. (Motorized boats are not permitted on any of the lakes.) It’s not unusual to see pods of kayakers and canoeists taking lessons at one end while anglers quietly troll at the other. There’s ample room for both, with a pier to fish from at the southern end and launch