đź“Ť Rainbow Lake Trail, Whistler, British Columbia, Canada
đź“… Date: 04.08.2025
đź‘Ł Distance: 16.6 km round trip
⬆️ Elevation Gain: 930 m
🕒 Time: Approx. 6–7 hours
🥾 Trail Type: Return
It was a clear summer morning in Whistler when I set out on the Rainbow Trail, one of those alpine hikes that promises not only a challenge for the legs but also a reward for the soul. The trailhead lies just a short drive from the village, tucked into a quiet corner off Alta Lake Road, where the dense forest quickly embraces you after only a few steps.
Right from the beginning, the path begins to climb steadily, winding through towering stands of cedar and hemlock. The forest here is thick and fragrant, and early in the hike, the hush is broken only by the occasional birdsong and the sound of boots on the soft earth. Not long into the ascent, the first hint of running water reaches your ears.
Soon, you’re greeted by a small but lively waterfall cascading over mossy rocks. It’s not named on the maps, but it deserves a pause. The filtered sunlight through the trees catches the spray in such a way that it seems the water is made of glass.
View to the Green Lake
As you continue, the trail crosses several wooden bridges, each one offering a different perspective on the mountain streams that tumble down from above. One of the more dramatic spots is about halfway up the trail, where a larger waterfall crashes through a narrow ravine.
Here, the cool air carries the scent of wet stone and pine. It’s a perfect photo stop—stand just to the left of the bridge, looking upstream, and you can frame the falls between moss-covered boulders, with the forest rising steeply on either side. In the early morning or late afternoon light, the contrast is striking.
The climb continues, now with switchbacks that offer occasional breaks in the trees. Through these openings, you’re rewarded with the first glimpses of the surrounding mountains. To the southeast, Whistler Mountain rises, its ridgelines still streaked with snow even in August. Blackcomb is visible too, darker and more rugged, and behind them, in the far distance, the unmistakable glaciated form of Mount Currie sometimes peeks through, depending on the weather.
Eventually, after a good two hours of hiking, the forest begins to thin. Alpine meadows take over, dotted with wildflowers if you’re lucky to visit during their bloom. Then, just when your legs begin to tire, the trail crests, and Rainbow Lake reveals itself—still, mirror-like, and ringed by jagged peaks.
It’s a scene that deserves a moment of silence. The lake sits cradled in a bowl beneath Rainbow Mountain, whose grey and rust-coloured slopes loom above the northern shore. If you walk a short way around the lake, you’ll find a few rocky outcrops that make excellent spots for photography. From here, you can capture the full sweep of the lake with Rainbow Mountain reflected in its surface. On a calm day, the water is so clear that the sky seems to extend beneath your feet.
It’s also from here that you get perhaps the finest mountain panorama of the entire hike. Turn back toward the southeast, and the view opens up toward the distant Garibaldi Ranges. The skyline is a jagged array of peaks, some sharp and serrated, others smooth and wide. It’s easy to forget you’re still close to a resort town—up here, the wilderness feels immense and undisturbed.
The return trip follows the same trail down, but now, with gravity on your side, there’s more time to enjoy the subtle details you may have missed on the way up. The light has changed, casting new patterns through the trees, and the waterfalls sparkle differently in the afternoon sun. The forest feels more familiar now, and the sound of the streams becomes a gentle farewell.
By the time you return to the trailhead, dusty and perhaps a bit tired, it’s hard not to feel that the Rainbow Trail offers something quietly extraordinary: a journey that rises from forest floor to alpine lake, framed by water and stone, and always watched over by the mountains.