Decimal Degrees (DD)
50.027469, -122.949352
Degrees Decimal Minutes (DDM)
50° 1.6481' N 122° 56.9611' W
Degrees Minutes Seconds (DMS)
50° 1' 38.8884" N 122° 56' 57.6672" W
The moderate, well-trodden hike to this large, scenic glacial lake follows the valley of the Cheakamus River and passes through stands of fire-scarred Douglas-fir and other groves of old-growth forest. At the lake, whether you stay near the campground or continue along the shoreline for several more kilometres, you’ll encounter viewscapes that gather in the surrounding ranges and glaciers of Garibaldi Provincial Park. The trail accessing the lake also intersects the Helm Creek Trail that leads to Black Tusk and the Garibaldi cinder cones.
Protection and guardianship are at the heart of the Geopark philosophy. We ask that you treat the land with the same reverence as its original inhabitants, and not remove anything from a site but what you’ve brought to help preserve it for future generations.
Cheakamus Lake is accessed by the Cheakamus East Forest Service Rd., just before the Cheakamus Crossing neighbourhood, 8 km south of Whistler Village. From Hwy 99 turn onto Cheakamus Lake Rd., after 450 m make a left onto Cheakamus East Forest Service Rd. Drive ~7 km on a rough gravel road (no turns required) to the parking area and trailhead. From here it’s ~3 km to the lake.
50.027469, -122.949352
50° 1.6481' N 122° 56.9611' W
50° 1' 38.8884" N 122° 56' 57.6672" W
Geosites of the Aspiring Geopark lie wholly within the unceded traditional territories of the LĂlĚ“wat Nation and the Sk̲wx̲wĂş7mesh Nation. The nations have lived in—and shared parts of—these territories since time immemorial, with many landscape features and geological events woven into their cultural and oral histories. We are grateful for, and committed to, the opportunity to learn and share these perspectives of the land alongside its original stewards.
Would you like to receive updates, information from the Fire & Ice Geopark? Sign up for our newsletter now!
The Fire & Ice Aspiring Geopark comprises four main geological pillars referenced in all interpretive material: (M)ountain Building, (G)laciation, (V)olcanism and (C)ollapse.
Mountain building can involve several processes that contribute to the formation of mountains, such as the collision of tectonic plates that result in folding, faulting, metamorphism and the creation of subduction zones associated with volcanic activity and igneous intrusion.
Glaciation refers to landform phenomena associated with the formation, movement and recession of glaciers and ice sheets. In temperate latitudes such as British Columbia, montane glaciation at higher altitudes is the norm while continental glaciation occurred during Ice Ages like the recent Pleistocene.
Volcanism is the eruption of subterranean molten rock (magma) and gasses onto the surface of the planet and includes the production of volcanic landforms and the effects of eruptions and flowing lava on pre-existing surface formations.
Collapse is a term that refers broadly to both slow processes of destabilization and erosion by wind, water and ice, as well as rapid processes like rockfall and landslides.
Whether acting as primary or secondary forces, one or more of these processes figure in the creation of each geosite.