Hiking Diamond Head area Garibaldi Park, BC
Photo Credit: Bill McComish, WestCoastPhotos.comThe Diamond Head area in the southwestern portion of the park includes Mount Garibaldi, 2,678 metres, Atwell Peak (a volcanic pinnacle), the Opal Cone, Garibaldi Neve and Mamquam Lake. The area abounds with heather. In summer its dainty, white and pink bell shaped flowers flourish everywhere.
(Topographical map 92.G.15 1:50,000)Turn right off Hwy 99 onto Mamquam Road four km north of Squamish. Follow the paved road past the Squamish Golf and Country Club and then take the logging road just past the Mashiter Creek bridge. It is 16 km from the highway to a parking lot located at the 914 metre level. There is a lookout 1 km before the parking lot that provides a sweeping, panoramic view of the Squamish River Valley and Howe Sound.
There are four major trails in this area of Garibaldi Park:
Parking Lot to Elfin Lakes - Length, 11 km; suggested time, 3 to 5 hours one way; elevation change, 600 metres. The trail follows Paul Ridge with each step of the way revealing beautiful vistas. At Elfin Lakes, Columnar Peak, the Gargoyles, Opal Cone and Mamquam Icefield come into view.
The high alpine Elfin lakes trail is one the most stunningly beautiful alpine hikes in Canada .... offering towering craggy snow-capped mountain peaks - lakes - glaciers and serenity. The trailhead is a 15 minute drive from Nu-Salya.
Photo Credit: Bill McComish, WestCoastPhotos.comElfin Lakes to Little Diamond Head - Length, 7 km; suggested time, 2 to 3 hours one way; elevation change, 625 metres. This is a fairly arduous hike past the Gargoyles, strange visages sculptured by nature in lava, to 2,100 metre Little Diamond Head.
Elfin Lakes to the Opal Cone - Length, 6.5 km; suggested time, 2 to 3hours one way; elevation change, 250 metres.Trail leads down to Ring Creekthen climbs the Opal Cone, an extinct volcano with a crater. Garibaldi Neve and Mamquam Lake can be seen from the top.
Elfin Lakes to Mamquam Lake - Length, 11 km; suggested time, 4 to 5 hrs one way; elevation change, 570 metres. A strenuous hike that follows the route to the Opal Cone and then continues eastward to the Rampart Ponds. Descend to the lake from here. Overnight camping is permitted here.
Copyright 2003 © Bill McComish
All images on this website are legally protected from unauthorized use by international
copyright law. The images may NOT be used in other websites, published, copied
to another computer
or used as the basis for other photographs or illustrations.
Hiking Areas
Click Images to Enlarge
