
Shadow Lake Loop – Whistler Hikes
The Shadow Lake Loop is a super easy walk close to the Sea to Sky Highway between Squamish and Whistler. It will take you past the Shadow Lake Reservoir (with fab views of the Black Tusk), through some pretty woodland and past some cool geological formations. This is part of the new-ish Sea to Sky trail, which is part of the massive Trans Canada Trail.
I think it is a great little stop off on route to Whistler. Just be aware, in some parts of the walk you can hear the roar of engines from the highway. And there are sections below power-lines, so this isn’t the most picturesque hike in this area. I like the Tantalus View Look Out, Alice Lake – Four Lakes trail, and Lava Lake Loop (with Brandywine Falls) even more. But if you like pretty views of Black Tusk and the barrier, as well as interesting mushrooms, it’s worth visiting after you’ve explored the other options.
Shadow Lake Loop Map
This is the route we took. There’s an even shorter loop listed on the Alltrails website here.
Shadow Lake – the basics
Distance: 5.5-11km*
The map above is the route we took, (11km). You can make this shorter and easier just looping around Shadow Lake.
Elevation Gain: 70m-190m (depending on the route you take)
Time: 1.5-2.5 hours
What to bring:
As always the 10 essentials.
Facilities: Nothing really.
Dogs: Yes! It’s good for walkies. If you continue on to Lake Lucille, dogs are allowed off leash in that area.
How hard is it? Easy and family friendly
Shadow Lake – Getting started
We followed the instructions in my Squamish Hiking Book by Marc Bourdon. Park on the edge of Black Tusk Village by a pullout on Pinecrest Estate Road. From there you’ll see a footpath with a sign for the Sea to Sky trail. Follow that to a wide, open path beneath the powerlines.
Powerline Views
I have to admit, I am not normally a fan of walking under powerlines. They have a plus points in that you can see mountain views that would normally be obscured by trees, and they allow you to walk in the sunshine. Still, I didn’t mind that the path quickly veered off away from the power lines. You need to cross the trainline and walk into a pretty mushroom filled forest.
Gorgeous glacial waters
Shadow Lake may be a reservoir, but it is fed from the Cheakamus River (via Daisy Lake) so you can expect to see the same gorgeous greeny-blue waters that you see at Cheakamus Lake.
We took a mini detour to walk to the edge of the lake at Roe Creek. There is a fabulous mirror-like view of the Black Tusk off in the distance.
Mushroom heaven
We visited at the beginning of October, so the leaves were just starting to change colour and the fungi in this forest were simply spectacular! I took multiple photos of the incredible mushrooms we found, so I’ll just share a few of my favorites. The first one is hydnellum (or orange spine) they look like brains growing from the forest floor!
We found loooads of these coral-like ramaria
I also loved seeing the teeny polka dots of orange bonnets (mycena acicula.)
And if you’ve read my mushroom posts before, you’ll know I always love finding puffball mushrooms. These are the ones that if you squeeze them a poof of fungi spores shoots out (You can see a video of Marc poofing one of these on my instagram here.)
If all those amazing mushrooms aren’t enough to keep you occupied, watch out for this amazing moss-fella as well.
Liking the lichen
Further along the trail you’ll walk along a gorge with steep moss-covered cliffs on either side of the trail. If you look at the rocks, they are carpeted with a variety of mosses and lichen. It’s like a mini version of the forest, just close to the ground!
The photo below (left) shows those steep cliffs covered in moss. It’s hard to see how cool those lichen covered rocks are until you get right up close to them. The second photo was our next view of Shadow Lake Reservoir through a gap in the trees.
Shadow Lake Reservoir
I have heard that the height of the waters can vary greatly here, depending on how much electricity BC Hydro need to make. So it might not always have so much water or be quite this pretty. There is a BC Hydro intake tower half way around the lake, so I guess this is *not* a lake to go for a dip!
Poor fishes
As this (and the Daisy Lake Reservoir) are used to create power for the surrounding area, the depth of the lake and the river and vary massively (as BC Hyrdro ramps up power.) This can change the level of the river and lakes very quickly and leave poor fish stranded in puddles, or wash away the small juvenile fishes. I read an article about BC Hydro killing too many fishes in this area back in 2019. Hopefully things are a little better now.
Continue to Lake Lucille
Just hiking around Shadow Lake felt a teeny bit too short for us, so we checked the map, and then continued on through the forest towards Lake Lucille.
Like the next part of this walk, the path switches between open areas under the power lines – that were starting to look beautiful and golden for autumn, and shady, forest areas.
Lake Lucille wasn’t quite as easy to see as Shadow Lake. It has marshy areas around the edge, so we couldn’t get up close. We contented ourselves with peek-a-boo views through the trees.
Slide Hazard Area
Despite the awesome, open views there are some signs that this could be a very dangerous area. Basically people are not allowed to build (or even camp) here. As if the unstable volcanic rock of the Barrier (at Garibaldi Lake) ever gives way, this whole valley will be flooded by the weight of the huge glacial lake as it smashes its way through this valley.
If you have ever seen my posts about visiting Garibaldi Lake, you know that on the way up there, you can stop at a viewpoint to see the huge, crumbling barrier of volcanic rock that acts as a dam, holding back Garibaldi Lake. I’ve included a couple of photos below to show you what I mean. Below (left) is the barrier, and (right) is the view from the barrier. Shadow Lake is on the far side of valley directly below in this photo.
The barrier has held for far for 9000 years, so don’t let this put you off visiting this area! You should just be aware that if you feel an earthquake when hiking here, you’ll want to get to high ground as soon as you can!
Home via the Sea to Sky trail
We returned along the Sea to Sky trail, a bit closer to the highway. The sun was starting to go down, so my photos are a bit dark and gloomy. But the trail was lovely. There plenty more moraine-like piles of rocks that were carpeted with mosses.
The trail also has multiple moments where it is high enough to peek over to the mountains in Garibaldi Provincial Park and the barrier itself. There are also some fabulous views down to the Cheakamus River.
Near the end of the hike, we didn’t trust the all trails route as it looked like it goes straight through Shadow Lake near the end of the loop. This is why we returned via the way we came. Looking again, I think the trail goes along the trainline, so it is probably fine too. Let me know in the comments if you managed to hike that way!
In conclusion, I honestly really enjoyed this mini adventure for the Shadow Lake Loop. I thought the moss-covered rocks and forest were pleasant; And I absolutely loved the variety of mushrooms we found along the trail. Having said that, there are sooo many amazing walks in this area, that it’ll never be the top of my list. If you fancy a taste of the Sea to Sky trail, I think the Cheakamus Canyon is an even better option. What do you think? Do you like the look of this one? Have I just become spoiled as we have so many epic hikes in BC?
In any case, if you’d like to save this one, please click on the pins below.
46 thoughts on “Shadow Lake Loop – Whistler Hikes”
It’s great to read about a trail I haven’t done along the corridor. The mushrooms alone would make it worthwhile for me. I did the Alice Lake Four Lakes hike a couple of weeks ago. It was beautiful seeing the frozen lakes. Thanks for another informative and enjoyable post.
I am always surprised by just how many little hikes there are along the Sea to Sky! It makes it more fun to drive home from Whistler now we know more about what is hidden behind the trees along the way!
We went to Alice Lakes a few weeks ago too. I loved seeing it all frozen! <3
Wish I’d known to do this loop last time I was in Whistler! I’ve done a lot of the well known ones (like Cheakamus), and am always looking for the lesser trafficked trails. Thanks for the detailed guide, I’m adding this hike to my list for my next trip out.
There are sooo many good hikes near Whistler aren’t there! It’s a bit of a long drive for us, but we are planning to hike more there in 2021, so I’ll keep posting more ideas as I find them. 🙂
This is such a detailed post! Whistler is definitely on my to-do list when I can leave to U.S. again. All of the greenery looks amazing!
Whistler in the summer is simply stunning! This was back in October, so there weren’t many other people- just plenty of mushrooms!
OMG that tree with the face!! I’ve seen a few along my different hikes. One time it scared the crap out of me. I screamed and dropped my water -so embarrassing lol
Hehehe that sounds just like the kind of thing I would do! Although I do love spotting faces like that in the wild! 😭
I don’t think you’re spoiled – I agree with you, as nice as this hike is, others definitely have some better views.
But the mushrooms! Those are awesome.
Thanks Kristine! Yeah the mushrooms were pretty amazing. There were actually quite a lot more that I didn’t post (including bright red and purple ones…)
It really was a mushroom lovers wonderland.
That entire area is spectacular. I love the mushrooms, moss and lichen. And I thought that I was the only one who took pics of things like that. Very cool!
Hehehe you are not alone! I have so, sooo many photos of this kind of thing.
That’s the beauty of the nature! Those photos speaks volumes! Especially the coral-like and the faces in the trees!
The coral-like fungi are fabulous aren’t they!
I love how pretty and green this route is! The moss covered trees are so cute! Thanks for sharing this beautiful hike!
Thanks Hannah!
The Roe Creek reflection and the colour of Cheakamus River are just incredible! I love seeing all the variation of mushrooms too. Looks like it was worthwhile, despite the power lines, you said you weren’t a fan of.
I was re-reading my hiking book, and the Roe Creek area is actually okay to swim in! I might have to go back for a wild swim with that lovely view!
I love a good hike and this one looks awesome. I am putting it down in my hiking wishlist.
Okay, so I know this is random, but I’m so glad to hear that I’m not the only person who finds mushrooms + lichen fascinating, lol! They are just so intriguing to look at and photograph!! 🙂 I’d never heard about Shadow Lake before, but the photos you took are so lovely. It looks like a place I’d love to rent a cabin + hide away to write for a few weeks. Xx
You’re not alone Hannah!
Also, please come back in 3 posts time (I have a few to catch up on) but a few days after this we did a hike which had hundreds of mushrooms that looked like they were bleeding! (Like this one https://www.awalkandalark.com/crown-mountain-hikes-near-vancouver/#jp-carousel-11135) It was sooo creepy and cool!
This hike looks amazing. I’m hoping to go to Jasper within the next couple of years and so I will definitely remember your guide 🙂
Jasper is stunning! Hopefully you’ll be able to do a whole road trip through BC and see all the prettiest places! 😀
It’s good to walk in the nature and it looks like an easy hike and not so complicated route.
After I wrote this, I found out that you can swim in the Roe Creek area…Now I know that, I think your kids might like this hike if you combined it with a swim!!
What a beautiful place. I would love to do the Sea to Sky trail.
I think it might be cool to cycle the whole way along it. 🙂
You go on the best hikes. There seems to be endless choices near you. I love the mushroom and lichen on this hike. I would be looking for edible ones. A big fresh puffball is one of my favorite edible mushrooms.
We have never eaten them (just given them a poof!) I will have to try!
My sister has taken an interest in hunting and photographing mushrooms. I think it’s a super neat hobby! You found some really great mushrooms and lichen.
Oooh cool! You’ll have to show her my post after this one. We found a bunch of creepy fungi that look like they were bleeding near a ghost town!! 😀
The mushrooms are amazing! It’s like a fairy tale garden! I love the moss and lichen too. Like you, power lines aren’t my favorite, but sometimes we have to ignore them to get to the fun stuff! I have wanted to go to Whistler forever, so hopefully the border will open SOON!!
Yees! We are totally going to have to swap hike ideas when the borders open! You come North and I’ll head South!
What a great hiking trail filled with amazing views and so many adorable mushrooms. The colour of the water looked insanely beautiful too.
Thanks Kitti! The water flows down from the glaciers in Garibaldi Provincial park, that is why it was such a good shade of green!
Stunning hike, and I especially loved seeing all the shroom photos…. how cute are the orange bonnets!! I hope to explore more of Canada’s nature on my next trip, so this is exactly the info I was hoping to find. I pinned & saved it for later.
What a beautiful hike! I really enjoy seeing your posts on here with hidden gems for places I want to visit. I loved the moss face in the tree stump. How cool is nature!? Incredible photos x
Thanks Amy!
I absolutely LOVE your shots of the mushrooms and the lichen! Those are so cool and I would absolutely end up adding an hour to the hike to take a million pictures of every variety. That puff mushroom is also so interesting! Do they eventually open on their own and let the spores out? Also, it’s a little freaky that Garibaldi Lake could in theory empty out and cause havoc, but at least the barrier hasn’t collapsed in thousands of years!
Thanks Kevin. I think the puff mushrooms spurt out their spores into the wind…I am not sure though as we always seem to poof them before they do it naturally. (Oops)
Ah, all looks so dreamy. Wouldn’t mind that being my back garden any day.
Those ramaria look really interesting, reminds me of a fantasy TV show where sealife and plants were going in earthy areas on land. Nice article 👌🏼
I know what you mean! I thought they look like they belong underwater when I first saw those fungi! They are really coool.
What a beautiful place. Than Kyo uso much for sharing!
Your photos are amazing!
This hike looks beautiful! Thanks for sharing!
Another little hike I haven’t done before – I wasn’t even sure where it was! Looks like a pleasant little leg-stretcher for shoulder season and again, some great fungi. I like that reflection of Black Tusk…