Seattle To Whistler | The Best 4-Day Itinerary
Whistler is a fantastic spot to be no matter the season. Whether you're looking for some world-class skiing in the winter, or picturesque hiking in the summer, Whistler is one place where you will rarely get bored. For this post, I'm going to discuss getting from Seattle to Whistler in the summertime. I will also highlight some of the best things you can do in and see in Whistler and Vancouver over 4 days.
Driving from Seattle to Whistler is easy and can be done in four hours. From Seattle, you'll get onto Interstate 5 and drive for 110 miles until you hit the Canadian border. Once you cross the border, you'll continue onto BC-99 N, which will take you around Vancouver and over the Lions Gate Bridge before putting you on the Sea to Sky Highway. Once on the Sea to Sky Highway, you'll have an hour and 15 minutes left in your drive before reaching the gates to Whistler.
We did our trip my Seattle to Whistler throughout a long weekend. We took off from Seattle on a Thursday after work around 5pm, and we arrived in Whistler just after 9:30pm. Traffic was a little bad getting through Everett due to rush hour, so make sure you account for traffic when timing your trip. The drive on the Sea to Sky Highway was beautiful. You'll drive alongside the pacific ocean as you slowly proceed into the mountains. You get amazing views of mountains seeming to protrude directly out of the Pacific Ocean, and you'll definitely have the urge to pull over and take a few photos throughout the drive.
We booked an Airbnb in the Whistler village for the weekend, and to our surprise, it didn't break the bank. We had a studio apartment equipped with a community pool hot tub, gym, and mountain views. It was the perfect little getaway spot and served as an ideal home base for our adventures. Now, read on for a 4-Day Itinerary in and around Whistler, along with some tips for visiting Vancouver.
Whistler & Vancouver 4 Day Itinerary (For the Summer)
We woke up bright and early on our first full day in Whistler. Energized and ready for adventure, hiking was first on our list of things to do! We loaded up the car and headed North towards the trailhead for Joffre Lakes. Technically the trailhead to Joffre Lakes is outside of Whistler - it's about an hour North, but trust me when I say this is one of the best hikes you will ever do. It's officially in our top 5, and we've done a lot of hiking.
The Joffre Lakes trail is 4.8 miles round trip and features about 1600 feet of elevation gain. Throughout the hike, you'll start at lower Joffre Lake, hike past Middle Joffre Lake, and a raging waterfall, before finally ending up at Upper Joffre Lake. You get to experience three different lakes on the Joffre Lakes trail, all of which radiate beautifully blue water amongst surrounding glaciers and mountains.
The Joffre Lakes trail is rated as moderate. You follow along a gradual incline for most of the hike; however, right before middle Joffre Lake, you will encounter a steep slope. The trail is well maintained, and there are stairs to help you conquer the incline. The final thing to note about this hike is the crowds, as it can be jam-packed. The trailhead only has limited parking, so be sure to get there early! We ended up pulling into the trailhead just before 8:00 am on a Friday, and it wasn't too busy.
After the hike, we drove back to Whistler to continue our day. We proceeded to grab some lunch and explore the Whistler Village. The Village in Whistler has won numerous awards and is home to outdoor enthusiasts from all over the world, and it is easy to see why. With over 200 shops surrounding the Village, it was easy to bring out our inner tourists and do some browsing.
After some shopping therapy, we finished up our day by walking out to Lost Lake. A short walk from the Whistler Village, Lost Lake hosts a small beach area along with walking trails surrounding the lake. It's the perfect spot to bring a snack or some beverages and wind down after a long day.
Day 1 Summary
Hike Joffre Lakes
Explore the Village - Shopping, Olympic Rings, Lunch
Walk around Lost Lake or hang at the beach
Day 2 - Whistler 360 Experience
On our second day in Whistler, we grabbed tickets for the 360 Experience to get up onto the mountain. The 360 Experience allows you to take the Whistler or Blackcomb Gondola to the top of the mountain. You'll experience breathtaking views of the surrounding mountains, glacier lakes down below, and wild-flowers blooming throughout the meadows. Tickets range from $75.00 - $80.00 Canadian, so it is a touch on the pricey side, but you're on vacation, right? It's worth it.
Your best bet is to take the Whistler Gondola up. Once you're at the top of the mountain, you have a couple of options for what to do next. We started our excursion by taking the Peak Chair to the very tippy-top of the mountain. At the top of the Peak Chair, you'll find the new CloudRaker Skybridge. A metal suspension bridge that spans 425 Feet (130m) from Whistler Peak to the mountain's West Ridge, the Skybridge offers a breathtaking 360 view of the surrounding mountains, while giving you that sweaty palms feeling as you walk high above the Whistler Bowl below. At the end of the Skybridge, you'll come to a large viewing platform that once again offers terrific sights of the surrounding landscape.
Once we had our fill of pictures, we continue with the central part of our day, hiking! Right after you exit the Ravens Eye viewing platform, you'll come to a trailhead for the High Note Trail. High Note is a 5.8-mile hike that winds down and around the backside of Whistler Mountain. Arguably the best hike on Whistler itself, the High Note Trail, gives you excellent views of the famous Black Tusk Mountain and Cheakamus Lake down below. In total, the hike will take about 3 to 4 hours. As you're hiking down and around Whistler, you don't have to worry about much elevation gain as the hike only features about 850 feet of elevation gain, but there is limited shade on the hike, so make sure you have plenty of fluids and snacks.
When you finish the high note trail, you'll end up back at the Whistler Gondola. We then hopped on the Peak 2 Peak Gondola for a relaxing 11-minute ride over to Blackcomb Mountain. The Peak 2 Peak Gondola is the world's highest lift of its kind at 1,427 feet above the valley floor, and it holds the records for the longest unsupported span for a gondola, with 1.88 miles being unsupported by towers. It is a magnificent structure.