Whistler, British Columbia is set in the mountains north of Vancouver. Originally it was established as a ski resort, but over the years it has grown into a year round resort location with summer visitors surpassing winter visitors in recent years.
There are a lot of things to do in Whistler depending on your interests and abilities. At our age one of the best things to do is walk, and so we did. We spent a day doing a lot of walking around the Whistler area.
After we arrived Tuesday afternoon, we spent some time settling in to the two bedroom condo where my brother and his wife were staying. The managing company had recently remodeled the condos so it was very nice. We had a well appointed bedroom with our own private bathroom. After visiting for a while, my brother suggested we could go for a walk which they often enjoy. Our walk initially took us through the village where we passed the two main lifts that go up the mountains.
From the village we walked the wide trails to a small lake named Lost Lake. We crossed a creek along the way. At the lake the low lying clouds made for scenic photos, but it was definitely a cold dreary day. Surprisingly a young man in a wet suit came out of the lake after swimming. We walked around the lake and then headed back to the condo. For dinner that night we enjoyed a meal at the Spaghetti Factory.
After breakfast the next morning we headed again towards Lost Lake. It is a favorite trail my brother and sister-in-law walk when they are up here. However, the view today was totally different than the one yesterday. The clouds that had dominated the mountains were gone, and the mountains were clearly visible. It was a nice view.
Most resorts work hard to provide activities that interest everyone. The biggest challenge is often finding activities for those hard-to-please teenagers. On our morning walk we passed an interesting location geared for kids. This included a very large skateboard park, larger than any that I had seen in the Seattle area. Beside the skateboard park were bike tracks that riders could go over with jumps. There were a number of teens out enjoying these locations.
After our nearly five mile walk we had some lunch and a nap. Today was going to be a day to just relax and enjoy the location we were in.
After our nap Silvette and I walked back into the main shopping area of the village. One of the first things we saw there was a very nice play area for children. It had an outdoor theme with equipment for kids to climb over, slide down, and swing. There were a number of young children there despite it being September.
Next to the children’s play area is the Olympic Plaza. Whistler was the site for some of the events of the Winter Olympics of 2010. As a result a stage built for the Olympic ceremonies has remained as a venue for concerts and other community events. Around the large grassy area in front are very colorful chairs for people to lounge in.
Of course there is the Olympic rings statue nearby. The odd thing to me was the rings had no color to them. There was another statue as well which I had not seen before. This was a three piece work called Agitos which is Latin for “I move.” It was the symbol for the Paralympic Winter Games held after the regular games.
Another interesting sight here are small picnic table surrounds. I guess it keeps the sun off in the summer and snow in the winter. There were a number of them around. On a more amusing note to me large pictures of toilets graced the doors of the nearby restroom facilities. There was no doubt what the building was.
The shopping area in the village contains a number of well know brand name companies, particularly as relating to outdoor gear and clothes. There are also quite a few smaller shops that offer more souvenir and unique items of interest to visitors in the area. Of course there are a number of restaurants here as well as coffee shops and ice cream places.
Many of the shops are on the street level of multi-story buildings which offer accommodations to visitors. The nice thing is that they have created interesting architecture here so that the buildings don’t look all the same but have somewhat of a European feel to them. Of course the large hotels nearby really stand out with their multi-story facilities.
The gondola that goes up to Whistler seems to be going through a renovation so it was not operating while we were there. Next to the construction site, we saw a number of dirt bikers come down the hill on a dusty trail. Whether the trail was permanent or not, I don’t know, but the riders seemed to be enjoying themselves.
After our afternoon shopping and wandering excursion, it was time for dinner, and hamburgers fit the bill this day. While we hadn’t really done a lot on this Wednesday that seemed very exciting, it was good to just take in the ambiance and feel of the area and relax. We probably need to do that more often.
While Whistler is quite a drive from Seattle, it remains a popular destination for those in the Puget Sound region. What are some of your favorite memories or activities you have enjoyed on a visit to Whistler? Feel free to share those memories in the comment section below. All are welcome. Next week we will be hiking in the mountains. I look forward to sharing those memories with you. Until then…
Years and years and years ago, I was up there in the summer with friends. We must’ve been dining outside at a restaurant. I looked around and there was the Queen of England and Lady Di! The royal lookalikes were greeting people and signing autographs. It was so unexpected and delightful.
Wow, that must have been fun. Thanks for sharing your experience.
My family visited in June and was surprised at so many snow skiers in summer but when we got to the top of Whistler we saw why. A huge half pipe practice area with plenty of snow for good skiing. My children and I walked back down even though we had seen black bear in the area on the way up. There were profusions of wild flowers all the way down. We wanted to golf but very pricey at the main course so we were directed to a course just north of the area built around a boggy area which became a monumental challenge. We lost lots of balls, but Whistler is a beautiful place on the earth. So glad we went.
Thanks for sharing your experiences, Les. There was no snow on Whistler in September, but we had lovely views which I’ll share about next week.