Hiking Whistler Mountain – Round 2

With our friend Kathleen in town, one of the activities that Robyn and I wanted to do with her was take her back to Whistler and hike the High Note Trail. Last time we got a bit confused on the trail map and ended up going the wrong way, though Robyn knew the area well so we did not get lost. This time, we knew of our mistake and went the proper way, which actually was easier than the last time.

When we arrived in Whistler and purchased our lift passes we noticed how socked in Whistler was with clouds. The forecast said there was a possibility of rain but due to the winds and clouds, the Peak Chair was closed. We would have to walk up to the Peak to get to the High Note Trail.

When we arrived at the top of the Whistler Gondola it was pretty gloomy, though we were hoping that the clouds would burn off as we were headed up higher and over to the backside.

Now because the Peak Chair was closed, we still wanted to show Kathleen the High Note Trail so we decided we would walk up Pika’s Traverse to Harmony Hut, and then short cut it over to the High Note Trail via the Half Note Trail. The image below is the map of the trail system around Whistler Mountain. The route planned is mapped out by the green highlighting. If you click on the map, it will pop up a larger view.

Typically track roads are pretty boring and with the chilled wind it wasn’t entirely pleasant, of course looking back the view was pretty cool.

We got to the top of Harmony Bowl at Harmony Hut in about an hour, though we took our time and looked around on our ascent.

Once at the top of Harmony Hut we proceeded towards Symphony Bowl to where the Half Note Trail starts.

Along the Half Note Trail we came across a group of Rock Ptarmigans. There was about 6 or 7 of them walking around pecking at the various shrubs. Think this is the first time I’ve seen Ptarmigans and found out they can also be called Snow Chickens or Partridges.

We came to the High Note Trail which the Half Note intersects on the south side of Whistler Mountain. A great place to stop and eat lunch or take a quick break. We proceeded south along the High Note Trail and were presented views of Cheakamus Lake and the Garibaldi Provincial Park.

At one spot, where you have to pull yourself up a slope by a rope and then down a metal grate between some boulders, a small marmot was watching us. Ninja Marmot watched us the whole time as we slowly made our way through the trickier spot.

You make your way for about another hour or so along the side of Whistler towards the Flute Summit area and Symphony Bowl. This is where we had a bit of trouble last time deciphering the map, mark routes and terrain. Though because we figured out last time where we should have gone, we definitely did not make the mistake this time.

You can sort of see a trail going up among the rocks and into the trees in the above photos. This is where we would need to go to get up onto the Harmony Ridge trail. It looks pretty steep, but in fact it really isn’t.

We walked around Symphony Lake which is more like a large pond and headed up the path back towards the Roundhouse Lodge, Whistler Gondola and Peak 2 Peak Gondola.

The trail up and around the Harmony Ridge offers some spectacular views of the valley around and Blackcomb Mountain as well as the glaciers in the south.

We eventually made our descent into Harmony Bowl and as you can see from the photo above you can see parts of Whistler Village and surrounding area.

As we neared the Harmony Lake (again a large pond) there was yet another Marmot out on the lookout. He just watched us as we walked past along the wooden boardwalk which was the last leg of our 5 hour hike.

We arrived back at the Roundhouse Lodge where Kathleen and I opted to take the Peak 2 Peak Gondola over to Blackcomb as Kathleen has not yet been on it. We waited for one of the two gondolas that have the glass floor.

Yes, the above photo is not one of the two gondolas with the glass floor but they are pretty cool to see!

What better way to experience the Peak 2 Peak Gondola in Whistler than by pushing your friend off of it at mid-point?

If you are not into winter activities such as Skiing or Snowboarding, you should definitely check out Whistler/Blackcomb during the off-seasons as well. There are numerous hiking trails on Whistler as well as Blackcomb, bike trails (both downhill and leasurly trails) as well as other things to do.