Jane Lakes

Jane Lakes

Scenic and remote-seeming, East, West and Little Jane Lakes sit between 950 and 1,100 metres in elevation along a line from Whistler’s Cheakamus Crossing neighbourhood to the imposing Black Tusk of Garibaldi Provincial Park. Because of this mid-altitude setting, they offer great views to the tusk in one direction, and the Mt. Fee volcanic complex in the other.

Captured in small basins between bedrock and as-yet-undated subaerial lava flows that resulted in perfect columnar-jointed andesite (lava with a slightly higher silica content than basalt), the precise origin of these lakes remains an open question—as do the related volcanic phenomena passed on many of the hikes in and around them.

Though logging occurred in the Jane Lakes area in the past, there remain many untouched pockets of mossy old growth. The exact role of glaciation in the area also remains enigmatic, but one current idea is that the largest lake may have been created when a lava flow dammed drainage from a retreating glacier.

  • andesite columnar joints
  • views to Black Tusk
  • old-growth forest

GEOLOGIC CONTEXT:

A trio of small, scenic, mid-altitude lakes cradled in a bedrock/lava-flow contact zone and surrounded by old-growth forest.

HOW TO SEE IT:

VISITOR INFORMATION

The Jane Lakes trio area can be accessed in various ways from the Cheakamus Crossing neighbourhood, 8 km south of Whistler Village. To reach Cheakamus Crossing, turn onto Cheakamus Lake Rd. from Hwy 99. Consult hiking guidebooks, websites or apps for detailed directions and hiking options.

Services:

None.

Hazards:

Unstable rock and sensitive ecosystems; stay on marked trails.

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.

MAP & LOCATION

Decimal Degrees (DD)

50.043483, -123.072683

Degrees Decimal Minutes (DDM)

50° 2.6090' N  123° 4.3610' W

Degrees Minutes Seconds (DMS)

50° 2' 36.54" N  123° 4' 21.66" W

What Are Pillars?

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

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

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

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

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.