Gin Peak

Gin Peak

Length: 11.9 km

Elevation Gain: 942 m

Difficulty Level: Hard (during Winter, Intermediate during Summer)

The Gin Peak trailhead starts at Whistler Olympic Park. You need an entrance fee to enter the park. The cheapest option is a sightseeing ticket. You need to keep the park’s opening and closing hours in mind. Usually, it is from 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM. The trail is best to do during the winter months because the scenery is most beautiful with snow. Also because of the snow, you will need snowshoes or skis to traverse the trail.

There are three distinct parts of the trail. The first part is a steady incline from the trailhead to Hanging Lake. The second part involves walking along the (frozen) south shore of Hanging Lake. The last part is an incline from the lake to the peak. Sections of the last part are little steep, but nothing that makes it impossible to do in snowshoes or skis.

Overall, the trail is not that technical. It’s just that the snow and a bit of incline require more effort than usual. Trail markers are abundant and clear in the first part of the trail. After the lake, because of the snow-covered ground, there won’t be any trail markers. However, the trail is well-traveled by backcountry skiers, so you can simply follow the ski marks toward the peak. Of course, an offline map is always necessary in the backcountry.

The views at the peak are beautiful, with snow-covered trees, ground, and mountains. The lakes are frozen.

Once you are done enjoying the views, you can return to the parking lot on the same route.