you enjoy a snack at the center’s Pause-Cafe or shop for guidebooks, maps, and souvenirs. As well, a series of carved wooden panels details the history of Squamish, particularly the events of the twentieth century.
> THE INSIDE TRACK
> Camping: Valhalla Pure Outfitters for equipment rentals (1-877-892-9092; www.squamishgear.com)
> Cycling: Corsa Cycles (604-892-3331; www.corsacycles.com) for parts and service; Tantalus Bike Shop (604-898-2588; www.tantalusbikeshop.com)
> Fishing: River’s Edge Sportfishing Outfitters for licenses, gear, guided tours, and tips on where the fish are biting (604-898-5656)
> Rock Climbing: Climb On Equipment (604-892-2243; www.onsightequipment.com), Squamish Rock Guides (604-892-7816; www.squamishrockguides.com); Vertical Reality (604-892-8248)
> Skateboarding and Snowboarding: Sequence Board Supply (604-892-6314)
> Tourist Information: 604-815-4991 or 1-866 -333-2010; www.tourismsquamish.com
> Whitewater Rafting: Sunwolf Outdoor Centre (1-877-806 -8046; www.sunwolf.net); Canadian Outback Adventures (1-800 -565-8735; www.canadianoutback.com)
Garibaldi Provincial Park
> LOCATION : 76 km (47 mi) north of Vancouver, 16 km (10 mi) east of Squamish, 41 km (25 mi) south of Whistler, 78 km (48 mi) south of Pemberton
> ACTIVITIES : Camping, cross-country skiing, hiking, mountain biking, nature observation, picnicking, snowshoeing
> HIGHLIGHTS : Fall colors, lava fields, panoramic views
> ACCESS : Take the exit marked “Diamond Head (Garibaldi Park)” east from Highway 99 on Mamquam Road, which runs 16 km (10 mi) east to the parking lot at the trailhead. This access road is one of the pleasures of visiting Diamond Head; it lets you do much of the initial climbing by car. The first 4 km (2.5 mi) is paved, passing through the southern outskirts of Garibaldi Estates. The remainder is along the good gravel-surfaced Mamquam Road, which climbs gradually above the Mamquam River valley. The mountainside rises steeply, with dense stands of second-growth forest concealing the view on both sides. Once you’ve left Highway 99, you won’t catch sight of the peaks again until you’re walking the Diamond Head Trail.
At the 12-km (7.5-mi) mark, the road divides. A large sign points left towards the park boundary. A notice next to it reminds visitors that pets are not permitted in Garibaldi Provincial Park, of which this part is the Black Tusk Nature Conservancy Area. The final 4 km (2.5 mi) of road covers a series of switchbacks. Only at the last one does the view of the Squamish Valley open up. This is a good place to stop and look south to Howe Sound and the Stawamus Chief. Across the valley to the west is Cloudburst Mountain, and south of that is the broad body of glaciers around Mount Tantalus.
WHETHER I’M on snowshoes or wearing my hiking boots, I gravitate year-round to one of the most easily accessible subalpine regions in the Sea to Sky corridor in Garibaldi Provincial Park’s southwest corner: Diamond Head, a fortresslike ridge that rises above the Cheakamus River valley. Accompanied by craggy Atwell Peak (Mount Garibaldi’s south tower), Diamond Head makes a bold statement about the height of the mountain range here. As you travel north of Squamish on Highway 99, look straight ahead and up—these two imposing features dwarf all else on the skyline. But you’ll be surprised at how quickly you can get a close look at them.
The well-worn Diamond Head Trail is a testament to the generations of hikers who have made their way into the southwest corner of Garibaldi Park, often under arduous circumstances. Before anyone ever considered building the Sea to Sky Highway, members of the Vancouver Natural History Society caught boats from the city’s inner harbor to the Squamish waterfront. From there, they hired wagons to bring them as close to the ridges below Mount Garibaldi as possible; hikers then continued upwards on foot. Thanks to the society’s persuasive vision, a broad swath of highelevation peaks—from Squamish to Pemberton—was set aside as parkland in the 1920s. Their feat was remarkable because, back then, it took as much persistence as it does now to convince politicians of the need to protect such wild spaces, and that future generations would follow in even greater numbers.
> RED HEATHER AND ELFIN LAKES TRAIL
Access: On foot, allow 75 to 90 minutes to reach Red Heather, 5 km (3.1 mi) from the parking lot. From here, a bypass trail for hikers leads beyond Red Heather and rejoins the road on the ridge above. Allow an additional 90 to 120 minutes to reach Elfin Lakes, 6 km (3.7 mi) beyond Red Heather. Ability Level: Intermediate to expert
An air of profound silence envelops Diamond Head. Few birds sing, no dogs bark. And visitors cross into this zone of tranquility almost as soon as they embark on the old, gently graded road that, in the 1940s heyday of the Diamond Head Lodge, once transported supplies and lodge guests to the Elfin Lakes (see sidebar). BC Parks maintains a winter-only campground plus a day shelter at Red Heather, complete with a wood-burning stove. Believe me, skiers and snowshoers will find this a welcome stop. An elevated outhouse, fronted by a steep staircase, hints at the depth of snow in winter and adds new meaning to the term “throne room.”
Beyond here, all sense of time redefines itself en route to the Elfin Lakes. Much like the altered state induced by stargazing, one’s mind is drawn into another world, where the rhythms of change occur on a vastly amplified scale. Crevasse-lined glaciers that took millennia to form speak of a time frame that eclipses rational thought. But in the here and now, only in fall and winter will you be safe from the “no-see-ums” (small, biting flies); at other times, come prepared to combat them with repellent, long sleeves and pants, and even a mesh-covered hat.
As the trail rises above Red Heather, the forest thins to groves of deceptively small cypress trees. Their height is restricted because the growing period here is shorter than in the valley; snowstorms can occur here as late as June and resume in August. Ring samples indicate that the mature specimens are at least three hundred years old; some are twice that. This qualifies them for membership in the vaunted “ancient” category of forest appellations.
As you near the Elfin Lakes, the trail levels where it reaches Paul Ridge. The well-traveled route climbs up the mountain in rhythm with the contour of the slope. Walking or skiing it is a pleasure. In any season, the closer you get to Diamond Head, the more colors reveal themselves. What appeared at a distance to be dull gray now shows itself as sandy brown, deep auburn, green, yellow, white, and volcanic black. The rippled surface of Diamond Head’s sweeping ridge has been deeply grooved by the retreating glacier that still holds sway on the upper slopes.
The Elfin Lakes appear suddenly as the trail makes its final descent towards
