Callaghan Lake Provincial Park

For your own safety and the preservation of the park, obey posted signs and keep to designated trails. Shortcutting trails destroys plant life and soil structure.

Although Hiking trails have not been formally developed in the park, there is access to numerous backcountry routes that may be gained from the rough marked trail leading to Conflict Lake and Ring Lake. Cirque Lake is an alpine lake at 1,4990 metres elevation, requires a boat to cross the lake and is accessible via a rough, unmarked, non-maintained hiking trail.

Outside of the park, in the adjacent Madely Lake valley to the east, is a marked and maintained trail to Hanging Lake, Rainbow Lake and Whistler.

Whether you are on or off trail in the park during the winter, you are in a wilderness area. Anyone venturing into the backcountry does so at their own risk. Visitors should be well prepared, equipped and informed before entering the backcountry. The winter climate can be severe and unforgiving with weather conditions changing quickly. Heavy snow and poor weather will significantly increase the difficulty of skiing and snowshoeing. Cellular phone coverage is minimal in the park - do not rely on a phone for emergency or communication purposes!

Winter backcountry travel hazards exist, including avalanches and potentially unsafe ice and snow layers on Callaghan Lake. Visitors must be familiar with recognition and avoidance of avalanche terrain and conditions and with conditions on the lake. Backcountry visitors should be appropriately equipped with avalanche transceivers, probes, snow shovels, first aid kits and have adequate knowledge of avalanche assessment skills and avalanche rescue procedures.

For current Avalanche Bulletins check out http://www.avalanche.ca/cac/bulletins/latest/south-coast
For more information visit http://www.avalanche.ca/

There are no garbage facilities, so always pack out what you pack in!

The pit toilet at the summer campsite is user maintained in winter and may be largely buried by snow.

The snowmobile corridor through the park was closed in 2009, to be consistent with the broader non-motorize management direction in the Upper Callaghan Valley. The Ministry of Tourism, Culture and the Arts issued a Recreation Order closing the upper Callaghan Valley to motorized use. This recreation order will be in effect from November 1 to May 15 of each year hereafter. Callaghan Lake Park is open to non-motorized use only during this period. For more information, please refer to this map [PDF 2.5MB] and to Recreation Sites and Trails BC.

Callaghan Country Wilderness Adventures operates a commercial cross-country ski operation which includes 4 km of groomed trails within the park (of the total 38 km in its operating area), and a mountain cabin backcountry lodge west of the park in the adjacent Callaghan Conservancy. The operator also may offer a shuttle service for skiers to Callaghan Lake in winter.

Both Callaghan Country Wilderness Adventures and Whistler Olympic Park offer an extensive, marked, snowshoe trail system (trail use fees in effect).

This park offers informal vehicle accessible campsites on a first-come, first-served basis – campsite reservations are not accepted. The current camping area is an informal, confined area at the end of the road, close to the lake. This camping area can accommodate four – six tents or high clearance camper trucks. Camping is available only in snow free months (mid-June to end of October). There is no fee.

There are no garbage facilities, so always pack out what you pack in!

There is a long term, ongoing subalpine plants re-vegetation project surrounding the campsites, so please respect the closure areas and keep to the main marked trails.

The closest store is located in Whistler (Function Junction) approximately 20 kilometres away.