Well, it really has been a jam-packed trip so far. After camping at Cat Lake last weekend, we relaxed a few days and then headed up to Whistler to visit my friend, Amanda. Every year we visit Amanda in Whistler, she always shows us some amazing places that are always the highlight of our trip to Canada. This time, she took us to a real hidden gem in British Columbia, which was a bit tough to get to but totally worth it.
We visited my grandpa quickly on Wednesday morning and then headed up to Whistler. Amanda had another friend, Nate, and his dog, visiting her, so all of us hung out together the past few days. We drove up together in Nate’s truck and Daniel’s Canadian dream finally came true—we saw a bear. It was just a Black Bear, so maybe we will get to see a Grizzly at some other time, but still, pretty cool that Daniel finally got to see his first bear in the wild. It scurried across the road near Pemberton while we were driving. Our destination on Wednesday night was…drumroll please…T’sek Hot Springs, which are also known as Skookumchuck Hot Springs by the Whistler locals.
T’sek Hot Springs
How to Get There
Getting there is no easy feat. I would recommend a 4×4 and a patient driver. From Whistler, it takes about 2.5 hours even though it is less than 100 km away. Once you turn right onto In-SHUCK-ch Forest Service Rd, it takes at least 1 hour since the road is not paved. You will see locals rip by you on their trucks, so pull over and let them pass you. We talked to someone who was visiting there, and they told us that you can actually reach T’sek Hot Springs through backroads from Mission. However, I can imagine that it would take quite a while.
What to Do There
Well, you guessed it, go into the hot springs. There is a cold and hot natural source hot spring in this spot. The First Nations that live in the area have built up this campground and have directed the water into tubs. I like this since you are going into quite clean containers. There are several warm tubs and one cold tub, which was cold enough that I opted out of going in.
We went on Wednesday night, so thankfully, it wasn’t very busy. Amanda told me that she was there in the middle of summer, and it was very warm with a lot of mosquitos. Since the temperature has dropped since we arrived in Canada, we had no bugs and it was really welcoming to be in warm water. Luckily, it did not rain. We bathed in the tubs on Wednesday night and on Thursday morning before we head out.
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Practical Information
I love finding cheap things that are amazing experiences! To sleep at the campsite, it costs 10 bucks per person plus 10 dollars per vehicle. Since we were 4 people, we split the costs evenly, so it only ended up costing Danne and me $25 for accommodation and use of the hot springs. The campsites are modest but do include running water (yay!) and pit toilets. Bring your own toilet paper or else you have to buy at the local store that the owners run. We arrived late in the evening, so there was no one at the front. However, you just leave the money (bring cash!) in an envelope with your license plate details. Please pay since the money helps run the establishment.
Daniel and I slept in the back of Nate’s truck, but Amanda and Nate slept in a tent. I have had a cold sore and been feeling a bit sick, so it was nice to not be in a tent.
The sites themselves were quite nice. We opted for the spot near the river since it was really beautiful and Amanda has been in that spot before. It was great that we didn’t even need the tarp that we rigged up.
North Arm Farm
Once we left T’sek Hot Springs, we decided to make a pit stop on the way back to Whistler. Amanda really wanted to stop here since she had heard how beautiful it was. North Arm Farm is located near Pemberton and it is definitely a must-see if you are on a road trip in this area.
We stopped for lunch here and the food was really fresh, although a bit bland. However, the best part about this place is the backdrop. It is absolutely stunning and definitely allowed for the amazing backdrops in our pictures. It is no wonder that this is a popular place for weddings.
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The property is quite large and I, of course, had to take advantage of all the props that allowed for great photos here!
Finally, and the best part, they have animals there. You can actually pay for animal feed, but they were so used to people, that we could see them right up close when we were near their cages. The animals looked happy and healthy!
Green Lake
Well, I did not lie when I said that Amanda knows how to show us a good time. We actually added in one more, and unplanned stop, before we arrived at Whistler. Green Lake is just north of Whistler and looks like a cozy place to just read a book on the dock there.
Amanda mentioned that they have “party barges” which sounds really fun. So, maybe that is something that I will have to try out later. The water is glacier fed so extremely cold!
Whistler Village
I am not going to write a lot about Whistler Village in this post since we had a quick stint there. I have been to Whistler numerous times now and I really do enjoy walking around in the village. There are a lot of statues from the Winter 2010 Olympics, so that is pretty cool!
Vallea Lumina
This is the new interactive experience available in Whistler. Vallea Lumina is a bit hard to explain but it is self-described as a multimedia night walk in pursuit of hidden treasures. When you buy tickets online, you are given two locations in the village that a shuttle bus will pick you up from. We took the shuttle bus from the Gondola Transit Exchange. Please note that there is no parking on site, so you need to use the shuttle bus. It takes about 10 minutes on the shuttle bus to arrive at the attraction.
Basically, you walk through the forest at night with memorizing lights and music. It costs $30 and in our opinion, it was really well done. Daniel and I went with Amanda and her parents, and everyone was impressed. If you are like me and music easily gives you the chills, then you won’t be disappointed here.
There is a basic storyline in the interactive walk. You are trying to find the hidden valley that a grandfather and his granddaughter went to long ago. Try it out, it will not disappoint.
West Vancouver
Lighthouse Park
Yesterday morning we left Whistler and headed to Vancouver to meet up with our friends there. On the way, we decided to go for a short nature walk around Lighthouse Park. I have not spent a lot of time in West Vancouver, so this was a good find. It is an easy stop whether you are on your way up to Whistler or on the way home.
We were there on a late Friday morning, so it was quite empty in the park. Lighthouse Park is a series of trails and makes for a great place to run or wander. Danne and I did end up getting a bit off the paths, which they tell you not to do! However, it wasn’t our fault. Sometimes it is hard to tell what is a trail and what is just wilderness. It is always fun to scramble up rocks, right?
Downtown West Vancouver
Before heading to Vancouver to visit our friends, Daniel and I needed to have a quick lunch. We ate at Fresh St. Market, which had a huge selection of delicious lunch items. It took forever for us to decide, but I would recommend the sandwiches at the sandwich station. Delicious and quite large! Then we walked down to John Lawson Park and ate our sandwiches right at the beachfront there.
Well, that is what Danne and I have been up to the past few days! After our quick visit to West Vancouver, we headed to Tim Horton’s so Daniel could work and I could blog with some free wifi and a decent coffee (from my end, Daniel is not convinced).
Last night, we hung out with our friends that live in Vancouver and just chilled. If you want to read about our camping trip to Cat Lake last weekend with that crew, you can do so!
xx
Jasmine